Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"When I watch Concorde nosing down from the sky, or enter a great airport, I never fail to marvel that these things have come well within a single lifespan."
Fyfe Robertson has seen the aeroplane progress from fun for the few, to transport for the many and - since jets especially - a magic carpet for millions of holidaymakers. He looks back at some of the major developments in aviation in his lifetime - a lifetime that began a year before the Wright Brothers' first flight.
He reflects on his own experiences of air travel - from the thrill of flying in early light aircraft, like the De Havilland Moth, to the luxurious comfort of travelling long distance in sea planes, like the Short S.25 Sandringham. Fyfe recalls short-haul trips to Jersey and Guernsey in the De Havilland Dragon Rapide, when Heathrow Airport was still a mere huddle of tents and prefab buildings. It's a far cry from the Heathrow of today - the busiest international airport in the world - through which half a million people travelled last year.
Clip taken from Robbie: The Aeroplane, originally broadcast on BBC One, 31 July, 1975.
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"When I watch Concorde nosing down from the sky, or enter a great airport, I never fail to marvel that these things have come well within a single lifespan."
Fyfe Robertson has seen the aeroplane progress from fun for the few, to transport for the many and - since jets especially - a magic carpet for millions of holidaymakers. He looks back at some of the major developments in aviation in his lifetime - a lifetime that began a year before the Wright Brothers' first flight.
He reflects on his own experiences of air travel - from the thrill of flying in early light aircraft, like the De Havilland Moth, to the luxurious comfort of travelling long distance in sea planes, like the Short S.25 Sandringham. Fyfe recalls short-haul trips to Jersey and Guernsey in the De Havilland Dragon Rapide, when Heathrow Airport was still a mere huddle of tents and prefab buildings. It's a far cry from the Heathrow of today - the busiest international airport in the world - through which half a million people travelled last year.
Clip taken from Robbie: The Aeroplane, originally broadcast on BBC One, 31 July, 1975.
You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults.
Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive - youtube.com/c/BBCArchive?sub_confirmation=1
You can also dive into plenty more BBC Archive on our website - bbc.co.uk/archive
