This fellow was certainly an excellent engineer and innovator but he was also a gentleman. Very well spoken, measured, humble and quite entertaining to listen too. It's a shame we humans must get old and die. I think he might be one of the ones we would like to keep around for a bit longer.
Interviewer Raymond Baxter was a Spitfire pilot in WW2 so knew what Sopwith had achieved and the debt of gratitude we owed him. A remarkable and modest man. One of the chief designers of the Camel and other Sopwith models was Herbert Smith from Skipton, Yorkshire, and his legacy has only recently been acknowledged with a blue plaque outside Skipton Town Hall. Soon after WW1, and the liquidation of the Sopwith company, Smith went to Japan to help establish the Mitsubishi aviation company.
What a man. He had a number of equally extraordinary contemporaries. He and they created what is now modern aviation. He is a man to be emulated and admired
In the mid 70's I was an Army recruiter in Bangor Maine. On one particular Saturday I was picking up my new pickup at the Datsun dealer in Corinth. I had become friendly with the owner. While there an old biplane landed in his back field. As it got closer I recognized it as a Sopwith Camel. The owner and the pilot were old friends. The pilot gave all the owners kids a ride. When talking with the pilot I asked "how he came to own a Sopwith Camel" He asked me what I called the plane and I told him it was a Sopwith. Most people think it's a Shopwith. Told him that as a young boy I was really into WWI fighter planes. I asked him if I could have a ride too. He said he only had enough fuel to get to Greenville Me. I told him that would be fine, and got the ride. My wife was a little miffed because Greenville was a hundred mile drive in the wrong direction from where we were supposed to go shopping that afternoon. My only biplane ride, what an experience. My wife got an extensive ride for her troubles In the Moosehead Lake area.
I grew up in the 70's and 80's good friend of my grandparents was a pilot. He became a pilot before the FAA existed he said when he learned to fly there was no license he owned a Sopwith biplane. He must have been born around 1905 or 1910 my grandfather was born in 1910 he was around his age. He told me how he learned to fly as a young man in 1920-30s's after going to a local barn flying show guy landed a biplane took people up in it. He also offered lessons he became friends he said they would land their biplanes in lots like on the edge of towns used them like cars. Back then cities didn't butt up together like today always an open lot to land on. All though the years he flew later years in the 70's he had a Cessna 172 I remember he said that all those years never had one emergency like engine out anything. I'm 53 now back then I was in my 20's I wish I talked to him more oddly back then didn't seem like that interesting to me in my early teens and 20s.
What a motivational documentary! Started from scratch, achieved greatness, closed down overnight in a show of ingratitude, started from scratch a second time and reached the top. All the while staying humble. His aircraft are a testimony of this man.
What a amazing man, and generation. At 96, he was so bright and intelligent, his vocabulary and memory as bright as a man half his age. He died 28/01/1989. aged 101 years old--or should that be--young? Such heroes can never be praised enough. Truly, a man of his time.
I met Thomas Sopwith I think it was 1986 at Goodwood. I was an Aeronautical Engineering student and he was getting an award of some kind. I was there really by accident as I was doing some work experience for an Aircraft Engineering company and got a flight to Goodwood in a Tiger Moth. Still have a couple of pictures of the day.
I am getting some silly comments about the sound quality. This is a very old vhs tape not some modern HD recording! Its perfectly listenable through earphones or your tv etc. I cant do anything else about it sorry. Any comments about poor sound quality are deleted. Thanks for understanding.
When I was young we had to watch MANY shows in a snow ball. Older folks (I'm a fresh 45) know what that means. Didn't bother me none. I mean, IT WAS INSPECTOR GADGET out of a Detroit station!!!!!! Snow/Fuzz distortion! Whatever, it's a cat!!!!
ricardoroberto100 didn't bother me at all. I didn't know anything about this gentleman before seeing this documentary, and really enjoyed it. He was quite interesting.
Great doco,Thanks for sharing. I grew up in Kingston upon Thames and now work for Hawker Pacific In Cairns Australia, One hunderd years ago his man gave my home town an industry,and now his legacy is providing my family a new life over here in Oz. Thanks Sir Thomas!
Tommy Sopwith was truly an icon of British aviation, however it's also worth mentioning that good old Raymond Baxter was also a WW2 Spitfire pilot! Wonderful interview - thank you for posting.
Several years ago, quite by chance, I came across a little church near Kings Sombourne in Hampshire. This I discovered to be the last resting place of Sir Thomas and his wife. How wonderful to see him enthusiastically reminiscing about his life, and with such a delightful sense of humour.
That is how an interview should be conducted! Skilled interviewing by Ray Baxter, and Sopwith was a brilliant and modest man - as shown at the end when he attributes his success to 'Pure luck".
This was SO cool! Thank you for sharing this priceless gem of living history with us! I first heard of the "Sopwith Camel" as a little 4-year-old girl who was, of course, enamored with "Peanuts" and Snoopy's pursuit of that "Bloody Red Baron"! :-) Plus, it was so wonderful to see Sir Thomas Sopwith, a refined, dignified, and humble man of class - still very articulate and well-spoken at 96 years young! They certainly don't make 'em like him anymore. RIP Sir Tom.
I could listen to this guys stories for hours! I absolutely love this stuff. God bless all the brave pilots and innovators who shaped aviation history.
"pure luck!" I bursted with laughter and tears... bowing to the honesty and purity of this true gentleman. God bless his soul. Thanks for putting this wonderful documentary online.
No kidding huh?? What a guy. What humility and class! How many great, courageous, talented, genius level pioneers, who've had such a profound impact on the whole World and on the future, attribute their success to "pure luck"? That really stood out to me!
I was fortunate enough to have been the BBC Film Cameraman on this historic programme but I must have been working on other programmes when it was transmitted and only have short excerpts courtesy of "Sopwith at 100" provided to me by RAF Museum Hendon. If anybody can provide a copy for my archive it would be good.I remember he put his long life partly down to the consumption of his "Sopwith Cocktail" , lots of dark rum, grenadine and ice!
LMAO! British aviators have always been a boozy lot and I think we may have discovered the founding father of the tradition! What a character - they truly don't make 'em like that anymore. RIP Sir Thomas Sopwith, you legacy will live on.
Very outstanding, as an American, to watch. Great piece of history work. Both in terms of your national history and my interest in aircraft! I love the BBC!
Amazing documentary of a legendary man...typical of his generation, famous for his deeds and actions and contribution to society, understated and generous to others.
As a boy I read all the books by W E Johns about flying in the Great War, with many details of the different aircraft and how they flew. This documentary brought it all back and added credence to the tales of flying the Camel. Thank you so much for uploading this.
Wonderful. It is marvelous how well this man's memory and intelligence remains so very fresh in his mid 90s. Courage and ingenuity, meshed with a bit of wealth and immense joy. Thanks for upload.
I love how he is very humble, down to earth, just an all-around nice man, who didn't seem to let fame and fortune wreck a great human being. Bravo! I'll bet he was a really cool friend to have, in person.
And he lived to tell about it....so many early aviators had early deaths. Thanks for the great video and happy this interview was done to preserve such important firsthand history.
I recall the announcement when he died. At first, I was stunned because I'd assumed he was long dead. Then, I felt very saddened because all that time he'd been alive but I'd never heard anything of him. As this short documentary shows, the tales he knew. What a life!
I want to give thanks to the person who uploaded the video. and the person who conducted the interview. def. a documentation worth watching. And wow, the man lived a long life. I am very happy to hear his narrations.
An absolute legend, god bless the man. I was posted to IV(AC) Squadron and Loved every minute of it. The Harrier was the best plane ever built. The again I did spend seven years on Hawk T1's, great fun and a lovely piece of kit. After all that looking at it from my point of view, Hawker built the best planes in the world.
Thank you very, very much, ricardoroberto100! This Thomas Sopwith documentary represents the best of the best on TH-cam. All of us just have to be thankful for posters like you who share these gems.
These pioneers created an era that will never be seen again. Man was flying for the first time and in 1914 he was fighting in the sky for the first time.
I found this recording today, some years after it was posted. As an enthusiast for vintage aircraft, boats and cars, how wonderful to hear a hero of my childhood, Raymond Baxter, interviewing so kindly, his hero of a previous generation, Sir Tomny Sopwith. What a wonderful gentle man, whose conceptual and entrepreneurial prowess developed and produced some of the finest aircraft, from the earliest days right through to the Harrier. God bless you, Sir Tommy! RIP.
I suppose I have a less discriminating ear, but I find the sound quality to be just fine. Thank you for uploading this. I had always wondered how the Sopwith Camel got its name. I had no idea Sopwith was a person's name. I spent more than an hour further researching Sir Sopwith after viewing your video. He was an incredible man.
A fascinating man and life story. They should make a movie about this man. RIP Sir Thomas Sopwith. Always a pleasure to hear of a wonderful persons life.
A brilliant interview with an absolutely brilliant gentleman; Sir Thomas Sopwith was to fledgeling aviation what Henry Ford was to automotive development. Here, at age 96, he recalls details of his endeavors going back to pre WWI, and including the development of fighter planes such as illustrious Sopwith Camel and the Hawker Hurricane, among other famous aircraft which were instrumental in the winning of both world wars. Bravo! and thanks for posting this fantastic piece of history!
Very pleased to have found this interview. As a WWII warbird buff lately looking into the birthplace of civilization's dependency upon the aeroplane in WWI, this meetup with one of the giants in aviation was a treat. "Pure luck". Yes. And after a bit of reflection on the fundamentals of existence - still yes.
So glad I found this - totally fascinating. I wish documentaries were of this standard nowadays. Now we have super-fast editing, historical re-creation , intrusive music ....but here you have the unbeatable format; simple interview, informative voice-over & historical footage. Perfect! Many, many thanks for this upload.
"If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything" I love the Hawker Aircraft, especially the Hurricane but until now I never knew it had been Sopwith. I always thought Sopwith had been bought up by Hawkers. It is true what they say. Every day really is a school day.
Massive thanks for the upload. What a treat and a pleasure to see this documentary showcasing one of our (britains) greatest innovators. What a very very different time he harks back to. Brilliant stuff.
I love the way he laughed right after he said: "You could do quite a lot of crashing without hurting anybody". I must've rewound that part 6 or 7 times, and every time Sir Sopwith chuckled, I chuckled with him.
@@lioncurlew No it hasn't. He was most probably hit by the Camels attacking him, or rather more unlikely by an Aussie soldier from the ground. Unfortunately the whole thing has become a rather nationalistic thing now, so you'll never get an un-biased view.
Those crazy Belgians and their potatoes! I am halfway through making a 1/1 Sopwith Camel nosecone and cockpit/instrument panel for a music-video. Knowing the spirit of the man behind it all has honestly made this process much easier. Fabulous interview about a fabulous man, who created a fabulous flying machine. Thank you and RIP sir.
Priceless filmed interview, two heroes of the twentieth century, with splendid photographs of experiment, and achievement. Tommy's vision and confidence playing out our history. Students will watch this always... "What was his name Tommy?"-- "Trenchard!". (smirk)
Riding the wave of flight evolution through 7 decades (from box kite airplanes, through 2 world wars, to the first working jump jet) seems so unlikely as to be unbelievable. "Luck" + ? This man's a champ.
Wonderful man! Just incredible that he lived from the dawn of flight right through to the jet age and then the space age! I would *love* to know what he thought of aircraft like the F-15 and the Blackbird! I'd also love to know what he thought of the Apollo program too! Sadly, we'll never know.
"Pure luck" ....Still laughing... Thank you sooooo much for recording a living history before his passing. What a tremendous documentary...Fantastically done..... "BRAVOO" as said in the U.K.
What a wonderful little doco about a great Englishman, brave, clever, innovative, competitive even humble, honest and lucky, what a guy. Makes me want to know more.
Thank you ricaroroberto, this is a fabulous posting, Thomas Sopwith rocks. One hundred years ago risking life and limb to pursue an interest, bit different from the modern playstation generation. Oh to have been born 120 years ago.
In old military libraries exist quite a number of historical accounts of the aerial war. What was interesting in Tom Sopwith's account was the 30 mph crashes that preceded the "there are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots" era. A great uncle was one in that war, who had too much fun flying, barnstorming later. One made gas and lodging by selling rides in countrysides. I was sent old newspaper accounts of his buzzing competing university sport events by a man who was a child enamored of these. . Unfortunately, the great uncle ran into a rather obstinate mountain while beginning the second of his airmail businesses. The first, coeval with the barnstorming and pranks, was flying Northwest, becoming Northwest Orient Airlines. Another story is that of barrage/kite balloons. High value targets were protected by these long cable lifts, and these effective defenses had to be shot and deflated to approach. It may have been that the average lifespan of fighter pilots late in the war being a few weeks, led to a greater insouciance among pilots surviving.
WOW! I was browsing old history and came upon this... Simply amazing vid... I especially like the ending where Sir Tommy stated his success was based on "pure luck!" Humble man. Thx for putting this on YT. Hope there are more old interviews like this somewhere out there...
Another excellent documentary on YT. Sir Thomas was a true gentleman along with his colleagues of the day. Just shows how societies in the modern era has eroded and how much money & greed has overtaken innovation & invention.
Amazing man, pretty much seen and done it all! I pass his memorial almost every day on Green Street W1 London. He deserved everything that came to him.
Great video. Thanks for posting. Sir Thomas Sopwith was a legend. The first model plane I ever built was a Sopwith Camel. I must have been 7 or 8 years old. I am still intrigued by aviation today.
I would love to see a full blown feature movie of Sopwith's life. It would have everything that crowds like - action, romance, thrills, spills then World War I. What more could you ask for!
I just came across this wonderful piece. This is one of the reasons TH-cam is so popular. What we have lost since that film was made saddens me. Can you imagine the outcry now for someone having a polar bear skin on his wall? The sky would start falling. I am glad I am old. Let the self righteous inherit the world they are so insistent to create . Piss on them. Wonderful interview of a truly remarkable man.
He lived to see the Harrier's success against the Argentinian airforce. He knew the Wrights and Bleriot.. what a life!
Sir Thomas didn't usually agree to be interviewed and turned down authors wanting to write biographies of him, so this is a special treasure.
Absolutely brilliant interview and I feel very lucky to have seen it. How many other people would have a claim to helping their country win 3 wars.
This fellow was certainly an excellent engineer and innovator but he was also a gentleman. Very well spoken, measured, humble and quite entertaining to listen too. It's a shame we humans must get old and die. I think he might be one of the ones we would like to keep around for a bit longer.
96 years old at the time of the interview, and he still remembers everything in detail!!! Fascinating!
And he speaks so clearly I have no issues understanding him.
I am not a native speaker, never ever been to Britain either.
only few reach that age with such remarkable memories,,,, usually those dramatic experience remain engraved in the brain of those who stay alive
RIP Sir Thomas Sopwith. What a remarkable and extraordinary gentleman.
Yes he is still pretty Sharp in this interview !
he lived 101 adventurous years. jealous !
Incredibly sharp!
Interviewer Raymond Baxter was a Spitfire pilot in WW2 so knew what Sopwith had achieved and the debt of gratitude we owed him. A remarkable and modest man. One of the chief designers of the Camel and other Sopwith models was Herbert Smith from Skipton, Yorkshire, and his legacy has only recently been acknowledged with a blue plaque outside Skipton Town Hall. Soon after WW1, and the liquidation of the Sopwith company, Smith went to Japan to help establish the Mitsubishi aviation company.
What a man. He had a number of equally extraordinary contemporaries. He and they created what is now modern aviation. He is a man to be emulated and admired
In the mid 70's I was an Army recruiter in Bangor Maine. On one particular Saturday I was picking up my new pickup at the Datsun dealer in Corinth. I had become friendly with the owner. While there an old biplane landed in his back field. As it got closer I recognized it as a Sopwith Camel. The owner and the pilot were old friends. The pilot gave all the owners kids a ride. When talking with the pilot I asked "how he came to own a Sopwith Camel" He asked me what I called the plane and I told him it was a Sopwith. Most people think it's a Shopwith. Told him that as a young boy I was really into WWI fighter planes. I asked him if I could have a ride too. He said he only had enough fuel to get to Greenville Me. I told him that would be fine, and got the ride. My wife was a little miffed because Greenville was a hundred mile drive in the wrong direction from where we were supposed to go shopping that afternoon. My only biplane ride, what an experience. My wife got an extensive ride for her troubles In the Moosehead Lake area.
I grew up in the 70's and 80's good friend of my grandparents was a pilot. He became a pilot before the FAA existed he said when he learned to fly there was no license he owned a Sopwith biplane. He must have been born around 1905 or 1910 my grandfather was born in 1910 he was around his age. He told me how he learned to fly as a young man in 1920-30s's after going to a local barn flying show guy landed a biplane took people up in it. He also offered lessons he became friends he said they would land their biplanes in lots like on the edge of towns used them like cars. Back then cities didn't butt up together like today always an open lot to land on. All though the years he flew later years in the 70's he had a Cessna 172 I remember he said that all those years never had one emergency like engine out anything. I'm 53 now back then I was in my 20's I wish I talked to him more oddly back then didn't seem like that interesting to me in my early teens and 20s.
How did you get a "ride" in a small single-seat aeroplane like a Sopwith Camel? There's barely room for the pilot as it is.
Yes i wondered about this too. Cant have been a Camel@@HO-bndk
@@HO-bndkit was likely a 2 seater. Trainer type
Or a replica
What a motivational documentary! Started from scratch, achieved greatness, closed down overnight in a show of ingratitude, started from scratch a second time and reached the top. All the while staying humble. His aircraft are a testimony of this man.
Started from scratch? He could afford to buy two airplanes, spend a fiver on joy rides etc.
I'd say he had a handsome pecuniary head start.
What a amazing man, and generation. At 96, he was so bright and intelligent, his vocabulary and memory as bright as a man half his age. He died 28/01/1989. aged 101 years old--or should that be--young? Such heroes can never be praised enough. Truly, a man of his time.
What an absolute honor to see that - THANKS !
I met Thomas Sopwith I think it was 1986 at Goodwood. I was an Aeronautical Engineering student and he was getting an award of some kind.
I was there really by accident as I was doing some work experience for an Aircraft Engineering company and got a flight to Goodwood in a Tiger Moth.
Still have a couple of pictures of the day.
Very lucky to meet him.
“Pure luck.”
Now that is pure class!
Thank you for uploading this, it’s a gem.
I am getting some silly comments about the sound quality. This is a very old vhs tape not some modern HD recording! Its perfectly listenable through earphones or your tv etc. I cant do anything else about it sorry. Any comments about poor sound quality are deleted. Thanks for understanding.
Ignore them they obviously were not about then. Even then the sound was bad hahaha....loved the video keep them coming.
Do not let ignorant people ever bother you. 👍
When I was young we had to watch MANY shows in a snow ball. Older folks (I'm a fresh 45) know what that means. Didn't bother me none. I mean, IT WAS INSPECTOR GADGET out of a Detroit station!!!!!! Snow/Fuzz distortion! Whatever, it's a cat!!!!
ricardoroberto100 didn't bother me at all. I didn't know anything about this gentleman before seeing this documentary, and really enjoyed it. He was quite interesting.
Honestly anyone who complains about anything they get for free, especially wisdom......well how does it go? "Do not cast pearls before swine."
Great doco,Thanks for sharing. I grew up in Kingston upon Thames and now work for Hawker Pacific In Cairns Australia, One hunderd years ago his man gave my home town an industry,and now his legacy is providing my family a new life over here in Oz. Thanks Sir Thomas!
Truly remarkable man! From a Blériot to a Hawker Harrier in a single lifetime. Makes one realise just how recent a technolgy, air travel is!
Raymond Baxter. One of the voices of my childhood. I remember him presenting air shows on TV back in the '70s. Great documentary. Thanks for sharing!
A wartime pilot too I think..
Tommy Sopwith was truly an icon of British aviation, however it's also worth mentioning that good old Raymond Baxter was also a WW2 Spitfire pilot! Wonderful interview - thank you for posting.
Several years ago, quite by chance, I came across a little church near Kings Sombourne in Hampshire. This I discovered to be the last resting place of Sir Thomas and his wife. How wonderful to see him enthusiastically reminiscing about his life, and with such a delightful sense of humour.
That is how an interview should be conducted! Skilled interviewing by Ray Baxter, and Sopwith was a brilliant and modest man - as shown at the end when he attributes his success to 'Pure luck".
What a lovely interview. Thamk you for posting this.
This was SO cool! Thank you for sharing this priceless gem of living history with us! I first heard of the "Sopwith Camel" as a little 4-year-old girl who was, of course, enamored with "Peanuts" and Snoopy's pursuit of that "Bloody Red Baron"! :-) Plus, it was so wonderful to see Sir Thomas Sopwith, a refined, dignified, and humble man of class - still very articulate and well-spoken at 96 years young! They certainly don't make 'em like him anymore. RIP Sir Tom.
I love watching this interview. What a piece of living history .
It's amazing.
I could listen to this guys stories for hours! I absolutely love this stuff. God bless all the brave pilots and innovators who shaped aviation history.
This is priceless and should be shown to every aviaton school
"pure luck!" I bursted with laughter and tears... bowing to the honesty and purity of this true gentleman. God bless his soul. Thanks for putting this wonderful documentary online.
"Pure luck."
I wish I could have met this man.
+thepilotboy eloquently put by a legend. RIP
What an unassuming reply! I would add imagination to this. Yes, I would have liked to meet him too!
No kidding huh?? What a guy. What humility and class! How many great, courageous, talented, genius level pioneers, who've had such a profound impact on the whole World and on the future, attribute their success to "pure luck"? That really stood out to me!
I was fortunate enough to have been the BBC Film Cameraman on this historic programme but I must have been working on other programmes when it was transmitted and only have short excerpts courtesy of "Sopwith at 100" provided to me by RAF Museum Hendon. If anybody can provide a copy for my archive it would be good.I remember he put his long life partly down to the consumption of his "Sopwith Cocktail" , lots of dark rum, grenadine and ice!
I congratulate you on this recording. Sir Tom is an heroic character in British aviation and this recording is so very important and well presented.
LMAO! British aviators have always been a boozy lot and I think we may have discovered the founding father of the tradition! What a character - they truly don't make 'em like that anymore. RIP Sir Thomas Sopwith, you legacy will live on.
Very outstanding, as an American, to watch. Great piece of history work. Both in terms of your national history and my interest in aircraft! I love the BBC!
Amazing!
Thank you very much Mr Dudman. This is a beautiful piece of history.
Fly on Sir Sopwith! Another great man who took those lucky chances, and that we owe gratitude for our freedom. Very well done interview.
Amazing documentary of a legendary man...typical of his generation, famous for his deeds and actions and contribution to society, understated and generous to others.
As a boy I read all the books by W E Johns about flying in the Great War, with many details of the different aircraft and how they flew. This documentary brought it all back and added credence to the tales of flying the Camel. Thank you so much for uploading this.
Wonderful. It is marvelous how well this man's memory and intelligence remains so very fresh in his mid 90s. Courage and ingenuity, meshed with a bit of wealth and immense joy.
Thanks for upload.
I love how he is very humble, down to earth, just an all-around nice man, who didn't seem to let fame and fortune wreck a great human being. Bravo! I'll bet he was a really cool friend to have, in person.
And he lived to tell about it....so many early aviators had early deaths. Thanks for the great video and happy this interview was done to preserve such important firsthand history.
I recall the announcement when he died. At first, I was stunned because I'd assumed he was long dead. Then, I felt very saddened because all that time he'd been alive but I'd never heard anything of him. As this short documentary shows, the tales he knew. What a life!
Fascinating. Thank you so much for posting this.
Amazing gentleman for sure. Pure luck? Not a chance, Sir Thomas! Great video, thanks for posting this.
This video is a gem
I want to give thanks to the person who uploaded the video. and the person who conducted the interview. def. a documentation worth watching. And wow, the man lived a long life. I am very happy to hear his narrations.
An absolute legend, god bless the man. I was posted to IV(AC) Squadron and Loved every minute of it. The Harrier was the best plane ever built. The again I did spend seven years on Hawk T1's, great fun and a lovely piece of kit. After all that looking at it from my point of view, Hawker built the best planes in the world.
How I wish I could have sat and talked to him myself,... what an amazing life, what an amazing man.
Thank you very, very much, ricardoroberto100! This Thomas Sopwith documentary represents the best of the best on TH-cam. All of us just have to be thankful for posters like you who share these gems.
These pioneers created an era that will never be seen again. Man was flying for the first time and in 1914 he was fighting in the sky for the first time.
A huge thanks for preserving this video, a wonderful tribute to a truly great man!
I found this recording today, some years after it was posted. As an enthusiast for vintage aircraft, boats and cars, how wonderful to hear a hero of my childhood, Raymond Baxter, interviewing so kindly, his hero of a previous generation, Sir Tomny Sopwith. What a wonderful gentle man, whose conceptual and entrepreneurial prowess developed and produced some of the finest aircraft, from the earliest days right through to the Harrier.
God bless you, Sir Tommy! RIP.
Sir Thomas Sopwith was my grandfathers cousin,My mothers maiden name is Sopwith.Great to watch this documentary about him.
Thanks for this... what a true gentleman Tom was.....yes imagine knowing the Wright bros , Louis Bleriot and witnessing the moon landings 👍🇦🇺
I suppose I have a less discriminating ear, but I find the sound quality to be just fine. Thank you for uploading this. I had always wondered how the Sopwith Camel got its name. I had no idea Sopwith was a person's name. I spent more than an hour further researching Sir Sopwith after viewing your video. He was an incredible man.
Thank you very much. You probably have decent equipment to listen through too. I am glad you found the video interesting.
A fascinating man and life story. They should make a movie about this man. RIP Sir Thomas Sopwith. Always a pleasure to hear of a wonderful persons life.
I thought the same. Would make an excellent movie. Just as long as they dont have Tom Cruise playing Sopwith :)
A brilliant interview with an absolutely brilliant gentleman; Sir Thomas Sopwith was to fledgeling aviation what Henry Ford was to automotive development.
Here, at age 96, he recalls details of his endeavors going back to pre WWI, and including the development of fighter planes such as illustrious Sopwith Camel and the Hawker Hurricane, among other famous aircraft which were instrumental in the winning of both world wars.
Bravo! and thanks for posting this fantastic piece of history!
Very pleased to have found this interview. As a WWII warbird buff lately looking into the birthplace of civilization's dependency upon the aeroplane in WWI, this meetup with one of the giants in aviation was a treat. "Pure luck". Yes. And after a bit of reflection on the fundamentals of existence - still yes.
So glad I found this - totally fascinating.
I wish documentaries were of this standard nowadays. Now we have super-fast editing, historical re-creation , intrusive music ....but here you have the unbeatable format; simple interview, informative voice-over & historical footage. Perfect!
Many, many thanks for this upload.
Wonderful documentary....they don't make them like that any longer.....Tom Sopwith and Raymond Baxter.....may they both rest in peace.
WOW ! What a man, we need his type today
What a great man. I'm honored to hear his story.
"If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything" I love the Hawker Aircraft, especially the Hurricane but until now I never knew it had been Sopwith. I always thought Sopwith had been bought up by Hawkers. It is true what they say. Every day really is a school day.
An awe-inspiring story.
Massive thanks for the upload. What a treat and a pleasure to see this documentary showcasing one of our (britains) greatest innovators. What a very very different time he harks back to. Brilliant stuff.
"It wasn't like a modern crash where you hit the ground very hard indeed."
Definition of a good landing - one you walk away from.
Flying's very safe, crashing is dangerous - Spike M
I love the way he laughed right after he said: "You could do quite a lot of crashing without hurting anybody". I must've rewound that part 6 or 7 times, and every time Sir Sopwith chuckled, I chuckled with him.
It has now been established that Von Richtofen was shot down by a Canadian Soldier on the ground with a. 303 Lee Enfield
@@lioncurlew No it hasn't. He was most probably hit by the Camels attacking him, or rather more unlikely by an Aussie soldier from the ground.
Unfortunately the whole thing has become a rather nationalistic thing now, so you'll never get an un-biased view.
What a wonderful interview with an amazing man. They really don’t make them like that anymore - planes or people!
Those crazy Belgians and their potatoes! I am halfway through making a 1/1 Sopwith Camel nosecone and cockpit/instrument panel for a music-video. Knowing the spirit of the man behind it all has honestly made this process much easier. Fabulous interview about a fabulous man, who created a fabulous flying machine. Thank you and RIP sir.
A great and humble man.
awesome to find this one.......watching from Auckland New Zealand
Thank you for posting this.
I shall try to emulate Sir Thomas' reason for success.
Priceless filmed interview, two heroes of the twentieth century, with splendid photographs of experiment, and achievement. Tommy's vision and confidence playing out our history.
Students will watch this always...
"What was his name Tommy?"-- "Trenchard!". (smirk)
Sharp as a tack well into his nineties. Impressive and inspirational.
This was a fabulous documentary, thank you for uploading
A true Legend in Aviation, and what amazing life.
Great video. This world needs more men like him. I hope I'm in as good of mental shape when I'm his age.
Riding the wave of flight evolution through 7 decades (from box kite airplanes, through 2 world wars, to the first working jump jet) seems so unlikely as to be unbelievable. "Luck" + ? This man's a champ.
Wonderful man!
Just incredible that he lived from the dawn of flight right through to the jet age and then the space age!
I would *love* to know what he thought of aircraft like the F-15 and the Blackbird!
I'd also love to know what he thought of the Apollo program too!
Sadly, we'll never know.
"Pure luck" ....Still laughing... Thank you sooooo much for recording a living history before his passing. What a tremendous documentary...Fantastically done..... "BRAVOO" as said in the U.K.
What a wonderful little doco about a great Englishman, brave, clever, innovative, competitive even humble, honest and lucky, what a guy. Makes me want to know more.
Privileged to have watched this interview. Cheers
Excellent watch. Thanks for posting this.
The very last comments of Mr Sopwith on this video gave me a good chuckle to end it with.
Thank you ricaroroberto, this is a fabulous posting, Thomas Sopwith rocks. One hundred years ago risking life and limb to pursue an interest, bit different from the modern playstation generation. Oh to have been born 120 years ago.
A wonderful doc about an extraordinary man. Very interesting and a wealth of interesting stories.
We who cherish freedom owe him absolute respect and gratitude he is an example to us all of how to conduct our lives
96 years old and sharp as a tack, what a legend
Wonderful interview!
In old military libraries exist quite a number of historical accounts of the aerial war.
What was interesting in Tom Sopwith's account was the 30 mph crashes that preceded the "there are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots" era.
A great uncle was one in that war, who had too much fun flying, barnstorming later. One made gas and lodging by selling rides
in countrysides.
I was sent old newspaper accounts of his buzzing competing university sport events by a man who was a child enamored of these.
. Unfortunately, the great uncle ran into a rather obstinate mountain while beginning the second of his airmail businesses. The first, coeval with the barnstorming and pranks, was flying Northwest, becoming Northwest Orient Airlines.
Another story is that of barrage/kite balloons.
High value targets were protected by these long cable lifts, and these effective defenses had to be shot and deflated to approach.
It may have been that the average lifespan of fighter pilots late in the war being a few weeks, led to a greater insouciance among pilots surviving.
WOW! I was browsing old history and came upon this... Simply amazing vid... I especially like the ending where Sir Tommy stated his success was based on "pure luck!" Humble man. Thx for putting this on YT. Hope there are more old interviews like this somewhere out there...
Fantastic piece of work, ricardoroberto. Tom Sopwith was definitely a major stud
Another excellent documentary on YT. Sir Thomas was a true gentleman along with his colleagues of the day. Just shows how societies in the modern era has eroded and how much money & greed has overtaken innovation & invention.
Amazing man, pretty much seen and done it all! I pass his memorial almost every day on Green Street W1 London. He deserved everything that came to him.
I love how throughout the interview he namedrops friends who started a good percentage of British companys
Great video. Thanks for posting. Sir Thomas Sopwith was a legend. The first model plane I ever built was a Sopwith Camel. I must have been 7 or 8 years old. I am still intrigued by aviation today.
I would love to see a full blown feature movie of Sopwith's life. It would have everything that crowds like - action, romance, thrills, spills then World War I. What more could you ask for!
That sounds incredibly crass & vulgar.
Well, they did Spitfire in 1942 with David Niven, and that was pretty good. So who knows.
I would pay to watch that movie. Amazing life story. Cool guy.
I just came across this wonderful piece. This is one of the reasons TH-cam is so popular. What we have lost since that film was made saddens me. Can you imagine the outcry now for someone having a polar bear skin on his wall? The sky would start falling. I am glad I am old. Let the self righteous inherit the world they are so insistent to create . Piss on them. Wonderful interview of a truly remarkable man.
Amazing man. We can learn so much from their (older folks) wisdom.
Thank you Thomas, thank you.
Brilliant,over 90 but with the wit and enthusiasm of youth. Thanks for the clip,very entertaining and informative.
Thank you so very much for posting this!
Gone but not forgotten:-) The dreams of men like Tom & others put us where we are today, forever in their debt:-)
This is gold. Thank you so much for uploading this!
This is truly amazing. A wonderful interview with an incredible man..... "Pure luck!"
An absolute giant in the aviation field. .
He dwarfs the Wright brothers.
Not likely.
Henry Ford did more than Sopwith.
They both owe their efforts to The Wright Brothers Science of Flight experimental discoveries.
Bravo Thomas. You have slipped the surly bonds of Earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.
Thanks for the kind comments it's appreciated. I have not been able to post any new content for a while but I hope to soon....
Thank you so much for posting ...moments of "living history" captured ... marvelous !