Building Real Aeroplanes in America 1918.

[David Davis]

Some of you may be interested in this film about making aircraft in the USA in 1918. It's a silent film with a musical soundtrack superimposed. I didn't care for the music myself so muted it! Most of it deals with the construction of the Liberty engined De Havilland 4 but later on some other types are flimed. It shows just how much labour went into the building of those old aeroplanes.

**LINK**

[kc]

Great bit of film and not spoilt by modern blurred arty effects which so often ruin classic documentaries.

Almost everything moved around by men - Mandraulic as Fred Dibnah said.

Interesting to see all those women using Yankee screwdrivers at that early date. ( People will remember 1960's TV DIY with Barry Bucknell using one of those. Now outdated by cordless! )

Most amazing of all was the prop shaping especially the man holding a huge prop against a spindle moulder with no guard. Health & Safety may be a little over the top sometimes now but this shows how necessary it is.

Edited By kc on 29/05/2020 12:54:14

[Cuban8]

Barry Bucknell! Remember watching him when I was a kid. I think some wag said back in the day that "Mr Bucknell was possibly responsible for more damage to the housing stock than the Luftwaffe".

[Andy Stephenson]

Barry Bucknell, I remember him when he used to nail a sheet of hardboard over a panelled door to make it look more modern. Decades later people were de-bucknellising their houses by taking the hardboard off everything it had been nailed to in the 60s. I remember one show when he made an indoor wall mounted flowerpot holder by bending a piece of balsa wood.

A.

[Alan Hilton]

My dad was a joiner ,he used to laugh himself to tears when Barry Bucknell came on the tv

Alan

[Ernie]

FORMIDABLE M david, Its just a great big model

ernie