Ferry Pilot
Ferry Pilot
| 05 October 1942 (USA)
Ferry Pilot Trailers

Focuses on the work of the Air Transport Auxiliary or ATA. By 1941, literally hundreds of RAF fighters and bombers needed to be flown each day between aircraft factories, maintenance depots and RAF aerodromes. This vital task was carried out by the men and women of the ATA, a civilian air force operating from their own pools and stations all over Britain. Essentially a dramatised account of typical ATA deliveries, the film features coverage of the ATA's own fleet of Ansons, as well as being notable for some excellent Spitfire film and very rare footage of the Whitley bomber, including take off and in-cockpit sequences.

Reviews
malcolmgsw

This documentary,featured on one of the IWM DVDs is directed by Pat Jackson,who made the much acclaimed "Western Approaches".It features the airmen and women who formed Ferry Command during the war.These pilots were just as brave as those that were in action.They ferried planes from factories to the bases where they were needed.They had no armament,so if they were caught by an enemy plane they had only their flying skills and luck to rely on.Also they did not have radios so they had no way of knowing of potential problems ahead,as is highlighted by this film.Jackson does a fine job of photographing the pilots in a confined space,although one suspects that many of the shots were made in studio mock ups.This is a fine tribute to a little known part of the RAF in wartime.

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