BOLD JOURNEY TV EPISODE “THE OPEN SKY” GERMAN GLIDERS & SKYDIVING / PARACHUTISTS IN FRANCE 91984

Join this channel to get access to perks: Want to learn more about Periscope Film and get access to exclusive swag? Join us on Patreon. Visit Visit our website This episode of the late 1950’s era travelogue program Bold Journey, presented by the prolific and pioneering adventure television host Jack Douglas, features two films that both relate to, per the title, the “open sky“. Douglas allows famed glider pilot Robert Greenbaum to showcase his travels to Oberweisenfeld, a glider aircraft center in Munich, Germany, as well as an unnamed glider center in Kufstein, Austria. Greenbaum then takes us in the second half of the program to the Centre National de Parachutisme, a skydiving school in Biscarrosse, France. Note: Apparently a short time after this episode aired, Robert Greenbaum and a passenger were killed in a glider accident at Elsinore, California. The cause was the structural failure of the glider’s wing. (0:09) Host Jack Douglas introduces glider pilot Robert Greenbaum (0:16) A 350-lb glider soars over the Austrian Alps (0:21) Skydiver flying over France waves to the camera (2:01) Douglas and Greenbaum discuss glider piloting and skydiving (3:49) Greenbaum on board the Liberté, a French luxury cruise liner (4:00) The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor (4:09) War-torn Munich, Germany (sign reads “München HBF”) (4:28) People point and gaze out over Munich from on top of a “shutburg,” or “rubble mountain” (4:31) A glider flies over and lands in Oberwiesenfeld, Munich’s sport gliding center (4:58) Greenbaum and another person climb into a glider, and a winch tractor hoists the glider into the sky (5:50) A 1938 Schulgleiter leaves its hangar, takes off, and lands (6:37) People constructing the gliders (6:58) Dieter Lang, a 15-year old student, climbs into a glider while an instructor, Mueller Heinz, points out to him the altimeter, the airspeed indicator, and the variometer (7:19) Lang’s glider flies into the air and lands, while Heinz and another instructor observe from the ground (7:45) After Lang lands, he is given a lighthearted spanking initiation ritual (8:02) A sign reading Sportflugtag (“Air Show Day”) (8:28) A glider performs a roll maneuver (a “Männchen,” or “little man”) (9:36) Men drink and sing in the clubhouse canteen before the president of the club gives a speech in English (10:12) Kufstein, Austria, a town 50 miles from Munich at the base of the Alps (10:46) Aerial view of the pine trees and snow covering the Alps (11:42) Greenbaum relates the story of a man who flew to Italy via glider through the Brenner Pass (12:00) Greenbaum’s glider lands near Kufstein Fortress, a famous Austrian castle (12:30) An Austrian border guard smiles at the camera (12:34) The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (12:38) Sign reading “Centre National de Parachutisme,” or “National Center for Skydiving” (13:22) Greenbaum introduces three skydivers from Biscarrosse, France: Dede, Micheline Prémat, and Pierre Lard (13:30) Pierre Lard uses a small artist mannequin to show skydiving technique to Greenbaum (13:49) Micheline Prémat packs her parachute (14:09) A Morane-Saulnier airplane is pushed out of its hanger for Dede’s skydive (15:40) Michel Prik, a famous skydiver and second-in-command at the “Centre National de Parachutisme,” climbs into a Leopoldoff biplane to prepare for his dive (16:03) Aerial view of Lake Biscarrosse (16:58) Pierre Lard gives a briefing (17:09) Roger Blondeau, a military parachutist, kisses his wife (17:21) Dede, putting on his headgear, clowns for the camera (17:34) Micheline Prémat (17:42) Rosemary, a French army nurse, checks her instruments: a stopwatch and an aircraft altimeter (17:56) A De Havilland biplane is pushed out of its hangar to prepare for take-off (18:37) Aerial view of the Atlantic Ocean (18:43) Roger Blondeau skydives (19:50) Aerial view of a third skydiver performing a swan dive (20:58) Aerial view of a “double dive,” or two skydivers jumping together (21:14) A skydiver on the ground handles his open Russian-designed square parachute (21:30) Michel Prik skydives (21:58) Micheline Prémat skydives (22:50) Dede and Micheline Prémat (23:04) Jack Douglas and Robert Greenbaum conclude the film (24:55) Preview of next week’s film: Constance Helmericks and her husband take a trip to the Arctic Ocean (25:42) End titles This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit
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