Airline (1982 TV series)
A postwar pilot launches his own air transport business.
Airline is a British television series produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network in 1982. It stars Roy Marsden as Jack Ruskin, a pilot who starts his own air transport business after being demobbed following the Second World War. Created by Wilfred Greatorex, the series ran for one series of nine episodes broadcast in January and February 1982.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 50 minutes approx.
- Creator
- Wilfred Greatorex
- Starring
- Roy Marsden
- Richard Heffer
- Sean Scanlan
- Polly Hemingway
- Terence Rigby
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Network
- ITV
- First aired
- 3 January 1982
- Last aired
- 28 February 1982
Facts from the source article.
Production
Location filming took place at the former RAF Rufforth in Yorkshire, former RAF Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire, and on the island of Malta. The aerial unit was managed by the Aces High Company, which operated two C-47/DC-3 aircraft for the series: 'G-AGIV'/'Alice' and the C-47A G-DAKS. The latter had previously been used by the Royal Aircraft Establishment and was saved from use as a fire training aid by Mike Woodley of Aces High. A Taylorcraft Auster and a North American Harvard, rented from private owners, also appeared, along with shots of grounded Douglas DC-3s in Malta used for Berlin Airlift scenes in the final episode. All nine episodes were filmed in summer 1981.
Later events
Although originally planned as a long-running series, Airline was cut short after Greatorex objected to editing he saw as unauthorised script rewrites by Yorkshire Television. A second series planned for 1983 was axed, and additional aircraft purchased by Aces High, including a Lockheed Constellation now at the Science Museum at Wroughton, were donated. In 1987, the main characters and theme music by Tony Hatch appeared in adverts for British Airports Authority shares; Greatorex, unaware until seeing the adverts, took legal action over his intellectual property. C-47A G-DAKS later appeared frequently on BBC's Top Gear, parked at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, which became Aces High's base; the aircraft is still flown for TV and movie work on the American register as N147DC.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in Airline (1982 TV series)?
Airline stars Roy Marsden, Richard Heffer, Sean Scanlan, Polly Hemingway and Terence Rigby.
When did Airline (1982 TV series) end?
Airline last aired on 28 February 1982.
More in Television Series by Yorkshire Television
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