donut
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 08:05 AM |
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Top Gear 747
Anyone know what that Boeing 747 is all about at Dunsfold (Top Gear track)? Also what they use the aircraft side of it for?
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
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smart51
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 08:19 AM |
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It's for towing by a tractor in a drag race
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vinny1275
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 08:26 AM |
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I think a while back they used the 747 in Casino Royale, that's why the engines look wrong (I think they look like a B52's engine pods).
Then on 5th gear, Tom Ford towed it with a "standard" VW toerag - standard apart from 4 tons (!) of ballast to get some traction.
I think it's the same one. I could be completely mistaken of course.......
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marcyboy
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 08:55 AM |
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have a look at their website......
http://www.dunsfoldaerodrome.co.uk/home.asp?fdv=1
this looks good...depending on the price of the tickets
http://www.wingsandwheels.net/
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carlgeldard
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 10:33 AM |
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Dunsfold was a Bae Systems factory that serviced Hawks and Harriers. It also had a very large runway that could take 747's It was and probably
still is used as a spare for Gatwick and Heathrow in case of emergencies or repair work.
Carl
PS I've not been there years since BAE shut down
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donut
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 11:48 AM |
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Could it be an emergency airfield for stricken commercial planes?
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
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givemethebighammer
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 01:43 PM |
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There's one at Bruntingthorpe too. One side is in an "ASDA" green and white livery the other in some sort of blue and white scheme.
Not sure what they use it for.
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greggors84
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 02:52 PM |
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I remember reading in EVO they used Dunsfold for filming parts of Bond.
That 747 seems to have been there quite a while though.
Chris
The Magnificent 7!
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iiyama
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 05:33 PM |
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I went to Top Gear about 2 years ago, (the one with the £1500 Porches), and that 747 was there then.......
If its broke, fix it. If it aint broke, take it apart and find out how it works!
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ned
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 05:34 PM |
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I used to live 1.5miles from dunsfold. It was and I believe still is a major backup for gatwick as it's very close and near to many flight
paths. (jets used to approach gatwick over field behind my house at the time). They also fully resurfaced the runway about 18months before they
announced it was to close (they used to test harriers taking off etc which damaged/melted the tarmac quite quickly)
I was taken round the airfield when it was a bae base with primary school and saw them building the harriers and hawks back then! My dad belonged to
the social club (contact in the village) and there was a 9 hole golf course around the perimiter track too to go with the squash courts I used to play
on. (were tennis courts as well of course)
And yes part of the airport scene in casino royale (the bus being smashed in half) was filmed at dunsfold.
No idea why the jumbo is still there though!
Ned.
ps there was a back way cutting across the canal you could get onto the airfield near where one of the harriers came down about 15 years ago  - used
to know someone who worked in the coroners office at the time as well and my brothers mates owned the field the plane crashed in (400yds off te
airfield!). Also know the family of the occupants of the car that were killed when the hawker hunter overshot the runway 20yrs+ ago and went across
the a281. I was also working on a nearby farm when the hawker hunter was ditched and the pilot died the day before the last cancelled airshow before
bae left the site.
[Edited on 27/2/07 by ned]
beware, I've got yellow skin
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martyn_16v
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 06:39 PM |
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I did the BAe tour as a kid too, I got to sit in a Saudi Harrier which was about as fantastic as it gets when you're 10 (complete with guy
saying 'whatever you do, for christs sake don't pull the red lever between your legs. apart from that, knock yourself out'. I think
there were still a couple of Vulcans parked up there back then too 
It's a shame all the BAe sites around here shut down, if anything was still open i'd more than likely be working for them now.
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andyps
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| posted on 27/2/07 at 10:21 PM |
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I seem to remember reading that the 747 is used for crew training and similar activities. Was definitely there last July when I went to Top Gear, but
didn't look particularly air-worthy.
Andy
An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less
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britishtrident
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| posted on 28/2/07 at 08:58 AM |
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Fire and emergency service training, many airfields have pensioned off airliners for the purpose.
Old airliners are also used for training aircraft tug drivers, security personnel, cabin staff.
At one time they were mainly Dakotas, then good old Tridents now 747.
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