AIRLINE PILOT – BOAC

Airline Pilot was produced by BOAC in 1970.

The training of airline pilot Stephen Radcliffe is painstakingly thorough and this film intercuts the story of the young man’s first flight as third officer on a journey from London, via Bahrain, to Bombay, with earlier scenes of his training. It describes the role of the College of Air Training, the aptitude tests, the theories and practical knowledge taught, the first solo flight, the hours in the simulator and the controlled flights in a real airliner, all leading up to his first international flight as second officer. Stephen was the youngest pilot ever to join BOAC. The filming actually started during Steve’s simulator training on the VC10 and followed him to Shannon where he did his base training. There are some lovely air to air shots of the VC10 which has to be one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.