Vickers Valetta television broadcast

[Adrian Hills]

Having just bought a Valom Viking I find there is a spare fuselage for a Valetta. As this can be kit bashed from a Wellington I will also make the Valetta, which according to the Putnam book, in 1950 was the first to broadcast a television programme to the public.

 

Does anyone have any further information on this exact aircraft?

 

I know the first broadcast TO an aircraft was August 1936 to a KLM DC2, and the first television signal for reconnaissance was 1939 from a Marcel Bloch 200 (made a model of that one and knew one of the crew) - but just like info on the Valetta.

 

cheers

Adrian

[71chally]

I'm unaware of that one, there was a first BBC broadcast from an aircraft made from a Bristol Freighter, in September 1950.

I seem to recall that the Freighter was chosen due to its large internal space to house the TV equipment.

A Varsity was used for a revisit of the experiment in 1955.

[Adrian Hills]

Hi Chally,

That is most interesting about the Bristol Freighter. If you have any references on that I'd like to look them up. By coincidence my friend, Ray Herbert who built the Baird Television transmitter for the reconnaissance experiments in 1939, used to enjoy travelling to Lydd with his wife in her mini and from there flew to France with their car in a Bristol Freighter.

 

Interesting comment on large capacity of freighter, I don't think it was needed for that reason. For instance the first camera equipment in an aircraft was the twin engine high wing Blackburn CA15 C, after that the Marconi-EMI equipment did various experiments using an AVRO Anson, reconnaissance to ground (or HMS Iron Duke). The Baird TV stuff used the intermediate film technique, ie cine camera with film processed on board (30 seconds) and then scanned with flying spot and transmitted to the ground, all in a Marcel Bloch MB 200.

 

If you want to get really small the Germans had a TV camera in the nose of the guided missile HS 293 D. After the war Baird Television people interviewed their former colleagues at Fernseh AG who were responsible for minuatarising the TV equipment - of possible use to the Vickers Blue Boar television guided bomb project.  

 

Perhaps they had a mini film studio in the Bristol freighter ?

 

As mentioned above, titles of any reference material would be greatly appreciated

 

Cheers

Adrian

[Adrian Hills]

Just watched a fascinating short BBC film from 1955: https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/television-goes-flying/zbbx92p

 

This is the Vickers Varsity with a couple of cameras in it. The cameras were probably developments of the Marconi-EMI Emitron, but I stand to be corrected.

 

The film "Television Goes Flying" has some lovely footage of a Lincoln, Meteor, Canberra and three Hunters. The fact this has survived is probably because the television images were recorded on film - much more reliable than magnetic tape of the time. The replay would be from a telecine machine probably manufactured by Cintel - originally Baird Television Ltd.

 

Now I'll just get my anorak !! 🙂

 

[71chally]

And the wonderful Raymond Baxter commentating!

I can't link at the moment, but the BBC website does have a very short piece on the Freighter broadcast, I don't know much about TV broadcast equipment but it does suggest the size of the kit is why that aircraft was used.

[Adrian Hills]

Yes, get you on the size of the kit 🙂 So it was Raymond Baxter, V1 hunter extroadinare !

 

Will look for freighter 

[bertielissie]

On 12/22/2020 at 9:25 PM, Adrian Hills said:

Just watched a fascinating short BBC film from 1955: https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/television-goes-flying/zbbx92p

 

This is the Vickers Varsity with a couple of cameras in it. The cameras were probably developments of the Marconi-EMI Emitron, but I stand to be corrected.

 

What a pity the stingy BBC won't allow this clip to play in Australa!!!!

 

[Robin]

Thank you very much Adrian for that clip from the Varsity, took me back to my flying in the Lancaster.   Robin.

[Broadway]

On 12/27/2020 at 4:23 AM, bertielissie said:

 

Should be veiwable here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr6dQFfHvvs

 

[Eric Mc]

The programme was introduced by Eric Dimmock - who also introduced sport broadcasts.

[Adrian Hills]

Eric, I love information like this - thank you 🙏 

[TheyJammedKenny!]

That is really an impressive video, and highly entertaining!  The Varsity's cockpit closely resembles that of a Valetta, I think.  Am I mistaken in thinking that the second pilot's unoccupied seat has a view down into the bomb-aimer's window?  Thanks so much for sharing.  Alex

[Eric Mc]

If you ever get down to the museum at Newquay Airport (RAF ST Mawgan), you can get on board a Varsity there.

[Adrian Hills]

21 minutes ago, Eric Mc said:

If you ever get down to the museum at Newquay Airport (RAF ST Mawgan), you can get on board a Varsity there.

That sounds like a plan, THANKS 😊 

[71chally]

Here's a link to the BBC website with a short piece on the original 1950 experiment 'Operation Pegasus', showing the Bristol Freighter and the BBC equipment.

BBC - Television Newsreel, 29/09/1950, Operation Pegasus

 

Edit, I don't know why, but links aren't working for me,

type in, www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p015pvtj