high flight ksat tv sign off

[SgtRum]

If this does not give you a slight chill, or at least raise a few hairs, then have someone check your pulse, cause you haven't lived yet till you can at least appreciate what these words mean to a great many people, let alone the author.

Thank You, And R.I.P:

Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee

No 412 squadron, RCAF

Killed 11 December 1941

.

May you always have the wind in your favor.

.

.

[callmebigo]

This was an ispiration to me when I was young. I also stayed up just to see this one short film. I'm glad I just happened upon it just now.

[63gstone]

Thanks for the memories!

[KennBurch]

Any idea who actually recited the poem here?

[tomdoss91]

My dad is one of the pilots in this video. I was born at Tyndall shortly before it was filmed.

[akarpowicz]

I'm another person who used to stay up late to see this. Thanks for posting.

[Pippin76]

Silliest way ever to end an ordinary tv night :) Only in America...

[DIANNEELEE]

@Pippin76 yOU ARE A MUSLUM?

[Pippin76]

@DIANNEELEE Certainly not.

[LonesomeTroubadour]

@Pippin76 I am a Canadian and I thought this was a great way to end a night on TV.

[Pippin76]

@LonesomeTroubadour Good for you!

[oldjizzy]

Every station used this. I'm old enough, and used to actually stay up because I knew this great film was coming up. Then we all went to sleep. ;-) (Thumbsup if you remember too)

[MsCactusWren]

I'd forgotten about this video. This was my father's favorite poem: thank you.

[fuels1981]

I never knew this was filmed in my hometown, I live 5 miles from Tyndall, Im also a AF vet...but all my military years, I was never stationed in my hometown! lol...

[TiredKingCrab]

I read this poem at my Daddy"s funeral. He was in the Army Air Corp as a waist gunner during WWII and then did another 20 in the Air Force. He retired out of Davis Monthan in 1965 as a Senior Master Sergant. I miss him. Every time I hear this poem I think of him.

[davethesack]

@TiredKingCrab Good evening Tcrab,I am a USAF vet,C-141 crew chief.I do not know your father,G-d bless his soul.I am taken by your post that you read McGees poem at his funeral.I have requested it be recited at mine.Dont know where to go with this.Wanted to acknoledge you.Best years of my life.Be well...

[blkakim3]

did you ever hear the song titled, "napalm sticks to kids"?

[Chattanoogaben]

This is a great version, but the original will never be duplicated.

[jerrymouse16]

Why'd you put that Dr. phil promo at the end?

[mgwilliams1000]

John Gillepsie MacGee Jr was only 20 yraers old I believe when he wrote this waiting for another call to fly his Spitfire during the Battle of Brittain. He didn't survive..... Was he not the only U.S. pilot lost? I may be wrong.

[evelynkay69]

Britain's Got Talent: Diversity

[BikerChick1962]

Wow! I had not thought of this in years! Thanks for this!

[Guuyuk]

Oh, this brings back memories... thank you for posting it. I used to watch this sign-off here in San Antonio with my parents, both pilots (Dad was retired Air Force).

Thank you again.

[Tazor41]

T-38 Talon, nice.

[4everfrankenstein]

I lived in northern Ca. in the 70s and remember this sign off (as well as PEACE, BROTHER PEACE w/ Bill Medly). Thanks for posting this.

[pernelldh]

I've seen this film one late evening when WTTV Ch. 4 signed-off for the late hours until morning when the station signed-on with "The Star Spangled Banner".

Was the narrator of this film, "High Flight", Morgan Freeman? It sounds like him. If not Morgan Freeman, then who?

[screaming71datsun510]

Awsome poem!

[briantxs]

My father served two tours of combat duty in Vietnam. He grew up idolizing the WW2 flight crews. As a boy he memorized this poem. He would recite this to my sister and I. After a while we had also memorized it. I stumbled across this and as I listened to it, I found myself repeating it with the narrator. What a great post!!

[whiteangel20005]

I enjoyed that thanks for posting it.

[Ropponmatsu2]

ZAP....And you're back with Dr. Phil, in real america where you've got to be up in six hours and life is sh*t.

"What would be wrong with saying, 'I'm smart, I'm healthy...I need to go to bed and not stay up until closedown, when the only people who appear to be awake are the US air force, and they get paid to be awake at this hour?"

[Kramden429]

Thanks for posting this.

I remember WEYI-TV, Channel 25 in Saginaw, Michigan, would run this version when they used to sign off on late Saturday nights (early Sunday mornings) after "Solid Gold" from 1986 to about 1991 for technical maintenence (WEYI broadcast 24/7 the rest of the week),

This bought back a precious few nice memories of my post-college days; I graduated from college in June 1986 and was then trying to become established in the work force.

[NEPatriot]

I wonder if KSAT, in addition to High Flight, also played The Star Spangled Banner?

[jnichols3]

This brings back memories. I love this one and the f-104 signoff from the 60s. After this one there was made a signoff that featured a f-16, but I think it was shot with video tape as opposed to actually film, and did not look near as good the 104 & 38 signoffs.

[jupitr2]

This is the version that I remember waking up to on WTAE-TV (Pittsburgh) late night after dosing off in front of the TV. I'd hear the jet take off and the music start. Then, I'd listen to those riveting words and watch the jet dance among the clouds before dragging myself to bed. It was a nice way to end my night. Thnx for the post!

[jimquantic]

@jupitr2 Do you remember what happened AFTER the poem was over and the the TV "signed off" for the night? Remember the Indian face plastered on the screen then a beeeeeeep soound? Also, do you know who wrote this, the young pilot killed in a training accident while serving over in England with the Royal Air Force--Francis McGee.

[VEMMER22]

This movie was filmed at Tyndal AFB in Panama City Fla. either 1969 or 1970. There was a ATC attachment that taught pilots to be instructor pilots,the 3250th Flying training squadron. I was the early am crew chief on this plane and 4 others on the line. They used this plane #556 because it had just come out of the paint shop. I also crewed the sister plane #555 also known as the hanger queen. They made an exception for the camera guy to sit in the back seat, normally the instructors seat.

Vem

[rcortez911]

@VEMMER22 Interesting, I think that plane is now at Laughlin AFB.

[moparfury4]

@rcortez911 That would be neat to know. i was at Laughlin from '85 '89. Just missed the filming of Call to Glory when we arrived, but loved the show. Kept seeing Lake Amistad in the flying shots.

[bawbremy]

This is my favoright version of the high Flight sign off segments. Who is the narrator?

[kperk014]

@bawbremy He sounds like the man who played the General in White Christmas, Dean Jagger.

[fatkinson1954]

This is probably one of the most beautiful poems I've ever read.  It expresses freedom in a way most will never understand it. The narrator has a beautiful, expressive voice that delivers it very effectively.

And the video to go with it makes it even more dynamic and magnificent.

If Dr. Phil would go away, I'd give it a twenty-five on a scale of one to ten.

[Maximara]

This was the one that I would on occasion see in Columbus, OH.

[Reubenhubert]

Thank you. This was used on one of the TV stations from Cleveland, Ohio. This is my favorite version of this poem.

[cryofan]

that is the one I used to listen to late nights in san antonio in the 70s

[wmbrown6]

This appears to be the exact same variation of "High Flight" that was used by KABC-TV in Los Angeles during the 1970's and '80's.

[novice841]

You are correct; this also aired back in the day on WBFF-TV 45 in Baltimore, and WDVM-TV 9 in Washington, DC (now WUSA) among others.

[heine71]

I have seen this High Flight circa 1978-1979 on WDVM 9 Washington, D.C.!

[novice841]

Thank you for posting; this video brought back some great memories of my childhood.

However, the end of this clip seems to be an anachronism; to my knowledge, Dr. Phil was not on the air during the 1970s or 80s.