I have seen the authors grave and we laid a wreath from The British Legion;reciting his poem,a very thought provoking day,He was killed in a mid air collision, a tragic waste of a good man.
Not very far away are graves of the Luftwaffe.
On the green and under the green,all men are equal.
The father of the pilot who wrote High Flight, was also named John Magee. He was a missionary in Nanking during the massacre. Magee managed to film abuses of Chinese civilians by Japanese soldiers during the Nanking Massacre in December 1937. Magee's films were smuggled out of Nanking; copies were shown to members of the United States government, and sent to the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin, in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade them to institute sanctions against the Japanese government.
@johninash John Gillespie Magee, Jr. was an american in the RCAF who died while training in England in support of the RAF. He also wrote this timeless classic.
The author of this poem died shortly after writing it when his jet was shot down over then North Viet Nam...yep when my Alegbra teacher would catch us getting sleepy or napping in class, he'd bang our desk with his pointer and say, ''Ah, Mr JohnInAsh, you stayed up and watched the flag last night.'' lol those were the dayz when the TV stations in Shreveport, La. would go off around midnight to 1 a.m..
I also remember this when I was a kid, staying up late just hoping to see this sign-off. This was always my favorite, though there were others that were on as well. I remember one with the Marines and another one with the Air Force, both with the National Anthem. But this one was always my favorite. Can you believe that such an amazingly beautiful poem like this was written by a 19 year old kid? Unfortunately, he died 3 months later in a mid-air collision. But his words live on.
I'm 54 years old & for some reason, this sign-off popped into my head tonight. Couldn't think of the name but leave it to YouTube to find it for me with just a few key words. I was only 6-8 yrs old when this aired late at night, but even then I was a nightowl, so saw it hundreds of times no doubt. So good to find it here...brought back lots of other memories. :)
I stayed up also in the early to mid 60's but I do not recall this clip, but the T-38, which Boyd dates as 1972. Heck I was in college then and didnt have time for TV.
I cant seem to reconcile this contradiction. Anyone think the T-38 (or F5) predates 1972?
You can view the color version on DailyMotion. The crackling sound has been cleaned up on their version. The Leo Mann b/w version posted here will bring chills moreso because most of us remember it that way. - Thanks a million for posting. I used this version as a background for "Angels of High Flight - Ver 2" .. Thanks again - KWH
This original film was missing from YouTube for a few years. Searched for it on the web, and it seemed the owners wanted everybody to buy it. Guess that plan didn't work. Now here it is for free. Imagine that.
Awesome. This aired well before my time, I first saw it on an episode of Mad Men; part of the 1960's period detail, the poem, the narration and the aerial photography are inspiring and uplifting.
Didn't James Earl Jones narrate a video for the U.S. Air Force similar to this?
Regardless, Magee's poem is very powerful, it continues to inspire me after 30 years of reading it. Amazing that a few words can make someone feel so positive for so many years.
Beautifu!! Does anyone remember or have any information on a VERY short-lived TV series created about the same time called "Flight?" The USAF provided a technical adviser for the show who was a former Thunderbird team member from Las Vegas.
I loved signoff in the 60's because I could see and hear this. I never get tired of it. This version will always be my favorite. I think I only saw it in B&W so this is ok. A great poem. The F-104 was known as a 'missile with a man in it.'. The leading edges of it's tiny wings were so sharp they required protective covers while on the ground so people wouldn't hurt themselves. The small wings also meant that it HAD to haul ass to stay airborn. One fast mother.
On May 18, 1958, an F-104A set a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph, and on December 14, 1959, an F-104C set a world altitude record of 103,395 feet. The Starfighter was the first aircraft to hold simultaneous official world records for speed, altitude and time-to-climb.
I had forgotten all about this (I saw it when I was sleeping in the den on the pull-out as a special treat, to watch monster movies), so it reminds me of being "grown up" and staying up late. What triggered this was an episode of Mad Men where Pete picks up a model for sex. Her mother is on the other side of a folding screen, so she puts on the TV really loud to mask the sounds. And it was this clip, which I hadn't seen in 45 years."Up! Up! The long, delirious burning blue. . . " SOOOOOOO cool.
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this version which was the sign-off for KWTX-TV in Waco, Texas, for many years. I still get chills and a lump in my throat every time I hear and see it, probably because my late father worked on airplane engines. Today would have been Daddy's 86th birthday. Thank you again for sharing the video. Do you know the narrator's name?
This is so cool.. I DO recall the color version, from the late 60s and 70s in the Northern California area, where there is still a lot of Air Force... could you possibly post the color one?
This version was color but the original 16mm film you see here has long ago faded to a reddish hue. I converted that to B&W that is similar to what I remember on my old TV. Anyone out there have a copy with the color well preserved? I hope so but think that would be a longshot. Anyway, good times and thank you for checking it out.
What a blast from my past! Thanks for saving this beautiful video memento. Although in BW it is still the best. I originally saw it on KCRA as they closed their broadcast day. Sacramento was an Air Force town in those days and I think it was their way of saying thanks to the Freedom the Air Force provided our Country.
I've been very fortunate to have done these things in a T-38. I really hope that I can find a high quality color version of this clip. Please let me know if any of you find it
I agree, it would be. But any poem that mentions God in it would likely have some sort of government regulation or law against it's use today. Or at the very least it would precipitate a lawsuit from the ACLU. The land of the free (and of 'free speech'), and all of that........besides, the current administration would probably move quickly to quash any such project. It would be one of the few types of government-involved & controlled projects that they'd find to be objectionable.
Cool but there was another version with much of the same footage but also included interior cockpit shots of the pilot...it might have been in color too...I'm not sure because we didn't get a color tv until mid 70s
I've been trying to find this on youtube for a long time and finally it has been posted here. Thank you so much. As an impressionable youth many years ago, this video and poem always filled me with inspiration and patriotism. God bless America!
Just goes to show how your memory can play tricks on you. For all of these years I would have sworn it was a Navy jet in the sign-off I saw in the 1950s, but this one is an Air Force jet. I don't believe the Air Force would have copied something the Navy had already done, so it must have been an Air Force plane all along. I am finally ready to admit my memory isn't what it should be!
Perhaps someone else may find it and post it. It's always great when you find one of these things from your earlier years that your thought was lost forever.
Could this have dated back to 1956 or 1957? Or could there have been a version even earlier than this one? I remember watching High Flight when I lived in Detroit in 1956-1957 on a station that used it as the sign-off. Don't remember the call letters of the station -- too long ago!!
I think you're right. There was an earlier version. This F-104 clip was done around 1960-62.I was about to ask about the earlier one you mentioned in my previous posting.But completely forgot until I sent off. The plane was an F-86 Sabre.If there's anyone out there in You Tube land who knows about that earlier clip I would sure like to see it again.
I used to live in a little town about 90km east of Detroit. I can remember,as a kid, getting up early in the morning to watch this as WXYZ signed on for the day. Always moving.
The plane is an early model of the F-104 Starfighter. A "C" model I believe. The later models used by NATO members were the "G" version which could be distinguished by a longer vertical stabalizer which extended further over the jet nozzle.
Correction. I believe this first plane was an F-104 fighter. Extremely fast plane for back then. They crashed a lot though. The wings were to short to dance with GOD.
Yes! Finally after hours and hours of searching I finallt found the version with the voice I remember so well. these are X-1's X-2, or X-15 aircraft. One of the television stations here in Wasilla used to close with that every night. Then I would roll over and cover Sarah.
Ah... the good old days before 24/7 TV. We didn't even have VCRs so it was NO TV after this played if you were lucky enough to stay up that late to see HIGH FLIGHT.
I have seen the authors grave and we laid a wreath from The British Legion;reciting his poem,a very thought provoking day,He was killed in a mid air collision, a tragic waste of a good man.
Not very far away are graves of the Luftwaffe.
On the green and under the green,all men are equal.
generalhavelock 14 hours ago
This brings back so many memories!! I would stay up late just to see this!! Thanks for posting.
micahhardeman1 2 months ago
The father of the pilot who wrote High Flight, was also named John Magee. He was a missionary in Nanking during the massacre. Magee managed to film abuses of Chinese civilians by Japanese soldiers during the Nanking Massacre in December 1937. Magee's films were smuggled out of Nanking; copies were shown to members of the United States government, and sent to the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin, in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade them to institute sanctions against the Japanese government.
stagehand113 2 months ago
I was twelve years old and would stay up too just to see this. Fills me with pride for our county and with love of God. Thank you for finding this.
phillippizza 4 months ago
How my late mother loved this. She, too, would stay up late just to watch. Thank you so very much for posting. This clip really means a lot to me.
OneLaBonBon 6 months ago
I am pretty sure that this is the 2nd version. The 1st was done with a North American F-86 Sabre jet in the 50's.
dennisgk46 6 months ago
CORRECTION, I am wrong....it was a Britsh pilot in WWII that wrote this and was shot down...
johninash 7 months ago
@johninash John Gillespie Magee, Jr. was an american in the RCAF who died while training in England in support of the RAF. He also wrote this timeless classic.
leomannpictures 7 months ago
The author of this poem died shortly after writing it when his jet was shot down over then North Viet Nam...yep when my Alegbra teacher would catch us getting sleepy or napping in class, he'd bang our desk with his pointer and say, ''Ah, Mr JohnInAsh, you stayed up and watched the flag last night.'' lol those were the dayz when the TV stations in Shreveport, La. would go off around midnight to 1 a.m..
johninash 7 months ago
Is the narrator Les Crane?
newsboyarizona 9 months ago
This and the TV series "Sky KIng" are exactly the reasons I decided at an early age to be around 'airplanes' as a way of life.
RickTNRebel 9 months ago
Comment removed
mkpmlk 9 months ago
Thank You for posting this! Brings back memories...I fell in love with this poem then, and it's great to hear it again!
mkpmlk 9 months ago
Thank you for reminding me of days when I, too, was a youngster and our country was not afraid to show its pride.
JudiStardust 10 months ago
Thank you so very much
gentlefire100 11 months ago
I also remember this when I was a kid, staying up late just hoping to see this sign-off. This was always my favorite, though there were others that were on as well. I remember one with the Marines and another one with the Air Force, both with the National Anthem. But this one was always my favorite. Can you believe that such an amazingly beautiful poem like this was written by a 19 year old kid? Unfortunately, he died 3 months later in a mid-air collision. But his words live on.
ehaynes0013 1 year ago
hey post the faded color one and i'll see how much I can rework it with my various 1244 video editors and color enhancers..
contour157 1 year ago
@contour157 Hey check the site Daily motion dot com for a better preserved version of this classic! enjoy.
leomannpictures 1 year ago
Damn why does this move me so?
johnyzero2000 1 year ago
I'm 54 years old & for some reason, this sign-off popped into my head tonight. Couldn't think of the name but leave it to YouTube to find it for me with just a few key words. I was only 6-8 yrs old when this aired late at night, but even then I was a nightowl, so saw it hundreds of times no doubt. So good to find it here...brought back lots of other memories. :)
ConnieFavs 1 year ago 4
A tasty desert to a Late Movie Jules Verne moon movie entree
Kharkovkid 1 year ago 2
I stayed up also in the early to mid 60's but I do not recall this clip, but the T-38, which Boyd dates as 1972. Heck I was in college then and didnt have time for TV.
I cant seem to reconcile this contradiction. Anyone think the T-38 (or F5) predates 1972?
everythinguwanted 1 year ago
Thank you for posting...I remember this when I was a child watching tv at 10-11pm just before a station would sign off....
9secondsflat 1 year ago
You can view the color version on DailyMotion. The crackling sound has been cleaned up on their version. The Leo Mann b/w version posted here will bring chills moreso because most of us remember it that way. - Thanks a million for posting. I used this version as a background for "Angels of High Flight - Ver 2" .. Thanks again - KWH
kwhudson2 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I'm afraid you are right about that.
63gstone 1 year ago
"Put out my hand, and touched the face of God", they don't have uplifting things like this today on tv, that's for sure!
63gstone 1 year ago
@63gstone Sure they do... except now they say "Put out my hand, and bitch-slapped the face of God"
32Iroomi321 1 year ago
This original film was missing from YouTube for a few years. Searched for it on the web, and it seemed the owners wanted everybody to buy it. Guess that plan didn't work. Now here it is for free. Imagine that.
uggati 1 year ago 2
Thank you so much for this! The F-104 Starfighter was my favorite aircraft, and this video takes me back to my childhood. Bravo!
1stSgtFritz 1 year ago 2
Awesome. This aired well before my time, I first saw it on an episode of Mad Men; part of the 1960's period detail, the poem, the narration and the aerial photography are inspiring and uplifting.
DoctorPretorious616 1 year ago
Used to wait for tv to sign off with this. long ago,,,,
barrymore 1 year ago
Excellent.
TimKGrimes 1 year ago
It may seem silly to some, but when still young, I would stay up just to watch this before the TV signed off for the night.
sphinxrising58 1 year ago
Didn't James Earl Jones narrate a video for the U.S. Air Force similar to this?
Regardless, Magee's poem is very powerful, it continues to inspire me after 30 years of reading it. Amazing that a few words can make someone feel so positive for so many years.
bloodurine 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
The poet died when he was 19. Yet with so few years and so few words, he captured for us all the soul of aviation. Thank You, John Magee, Jr.
whuzonfrst2 1 year ago
The poet was 19 when he died. Yet with few year and so few words, he captured for us all the soul of aviation. Thank You, John Magee, Jr.
whuzonfrst2 1 year ago
The poet was 19 when he died. Yet with so few years and so few words, he captured for us all the true soul of aviation! Thank You, John Magee, Jr.
whuzonfrst2 1 year ago
Beautifu!! Does anyone remember or have any information on a VERY short-lived TV series created about the same time called "Flight?" The USAF provided a technical adviser for the show who was a former Thunderbird team member from Las Vegas.
kathyinthegables 1 year ago
Thanks leomannpictures
Des Moines WHO T.V. about 1961. This IS the original. Have no doubt.
winstonmonabullet 2 years ago
I loved signoff in the 60's because I could see and hear this. I never get tired of it. This version will always be my favorite. I think I only saw it in B&W so this is ok. A great poem. The F-104 was known as a 'missile with a man in it.'. The leading edges of it's tiny wings were so sharp they required protective covers while on the ground so people wouldn't hurt themselves. The small wings also meant that it HAD to haul ass to stay airborn. One fast mother.
TSIband 2 years ago
like everyone else, this does brings back memories. this reminds me so much when my oldest bro was in nam. just awesome. thanks.
kingemerald1 2 years ago 2
This is wonderful.....I remember hearing this as a child.....good memories!
pisca531 2 years ago
On May 18, 1958, an F-104A set a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph, and on December 14, 1959, an F-104C set a world altitude record of 103,395 feet. The Starfighter was the first aircraft to hold simultaneous official world records for speed, altitude and time-to-climb.
cyberarmy007 2 years ago
I had forgotten all about this (I saw it when I was sleeping in the den on the pull-out as a special treat, to watch monster movies), so it reminds me of being "grown up" and staying up late. What triggered this was an episode of Mad Men where Pete picks up a model for sex. Her mother is on the other side of a folding screen, so she puts on the TV really loud to mask the sounds. And it was this clip, which I hadn't seen in 45 years."Up! Up! The long, delirious burning blue. . . " SOOOOOOO cool.
ferociousgumby 2 years ago
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this version which was the sign-off for KWTX-TV in Waco, Texas, for many years. I still get chills and a lump in my throat every time I hear and see it, probably because my late father worked on airplane engines. Today would have been Daddy's 86th birthday. Thank you again for sharing the video. Do you know the narrator's name?
jwingate46 2 years ago 3
I remember it on KWTX-TV as well. I would watch it before going to bed on saturday night.
nordictexan1965 2 years ago
Spectacular! This is the best of the "High Flights!"
belmontmike 2 years ago 2
I still get chills every time i see it. Brings back memories. thanks for posting it.
DHcat 2 years ago 5
brings back memories.
craigblast 2 years ago
This is so cool.. I DO recall the color version, from the late 60s and 70s in the Northern California area, where there is still a lot of Air Force... could you possibly post the color one?
yes55 2 years ago
This version was color but the original 16mm film you see here has long ago faded to a reddish hue. I converted that to B&W that is similar to what I remember on my old TV. Anyone out there have a copy with the color well preserved? I hope so but think that would be a longshot. Anyway, good times and thank you for checking it out.
leomannpictures 2 years ago
I saw this on many a late night back in the 60's. This clip brings back some memories. Thanks for posting it.
poser1X 3 years ago
Mr. Gillespie's poem is one that will bring you to tears because it is so beautiful. Thank you for posting it.
DJJamminC 3 years ago
"Saddle strapped to an engine" they said of the F-104
roadrodent1952 3 years ago
I was about 10 years old when our station signed off with this clip. I lived in Lewistown, Montana. Probably the only poem I ever learned by heart.
4chris10s 3 years ago
Magnificent!
belmontmike 3 years ago 5
What a blast from my past! Thanks for saving this beautiful video memento. Although in BW it is still the best. I originally saw it on KCRA as they closed their broadcast day. Sacramento was an Air Force town in those days and I think it was their way of saying thanks to the Freedom the Air Force provided our Country.
stevensonrf 3 years ago 4
I've been very fortunate to have done these things in a T-38. I really hope that I can find a high quality color version of this clip. Please let me know if any of you find it
webcamfann 3 years ago 5
I remember as a kid watching this video. WICU-TV would sign off every night with it. It still gives me goose bumps. Wish they still showed it.
Pyesangel 3 years ago 2
Thank you
lordgeneral9 3 years ago 3
I think the Air Force should film an "updated" version of this -- featuring the F-22A Raptor! Wouldn't that be awesome?
captjon615 3 years ago 10
I agree, it would be. But any poem that mentions God in it would likely have some sort of government regulation or law against it's use today. Or at the very least it would precipitate a lawsuit from the ACLU. The land of the free (and of 'free speech'), and all of that........besides, the current administration would probably move quickly to quash any such project. It would be one of the few types of government-involved & controlled projects that they'd find to be objectionable.
poser1X 3 years ago
I recall the F-104 being described as a "missle with a man in it".. Thanks for posting it the movie.
rsiano
rpsiano 2 years ago
" put out my hand and touched the face of God"
Good stuff!!
belmontmike 3 years ago 6
I remember this as a young boy of the 60`s,...some times I would stay up till the very end just to watch this clip.
DIECASTER 3 years ago 12
@DIECASTER Same here
kperk014 1 year ago
Fantastic! This finally made it to YouTube. Thanks!!
rboninea 3 years ago 5
I know, as I used to sit up just to watch it on WPGH when it would sign off for the night :)
First time I ever heard High Flight was then, loved it then & now :)
sphinxrising58 3 years ago 6
Cool but there was another version with much of the same footage but also included interior cockpit shots of the pilot...it might have been in color too...I'm not sure because we didn't get a color tv until mid 70s
moparfury4 3 years ago 4
thank you
fullautoarmalite 3 years ago 4
I've been trying to find this on youtube for a long time and finally it has been posted here. Thank you so much. As an impressionable youth many years ago, this video and poem always filled me with inspiration and patriotism. God bless America!
IvanAtlas 3 years ago 6
Just goes to show how your memory can play tricks on you. For all of these years I would have sworn it was a Navy jet in the sign-off I saw in the 1950s, but this one is an Air Force jet. I don't believe the Air Force would have copied something the Navy had already done, so it must have been an Air Force plane all along. I am finally ready to admit my memory isn't what it should be!
seemevc 3 years ago 4
I have seen several vesions of High Flight using different jets & military services so you recall may be dead on.
sphinxrising58 3 years ago 4
Perhaps someone else may find it and post it. It's always great when you find one of these things from your earlier years that your thought was lost forever.
seemevc 3 years ago 5
At least one I seen featured Navy F-16s flying in tandem.
My favorite however was always the Star Fighter.
sphinxrising58 3 years ago 4
Mine too, it was this version that played on KCOP 13 Los Angeles when I was a kid. Beautiful poem, narration, and video!
mwp62 3 years ago 3
Could this have dated back to 1956 or 1957? Or could there have been a version even earlier than this one? I remember watching High Flight when I lived in Detroit in 1956-1957 on a station that used it as the sign-off. Don't remember the call letters of the station -- too long ago!!
seemevc 3 years ago 2
seemvc:
I think you're right. There was an earlier version. This F-104 clip was done around 1960-62.I was about to ask about the earlier one you mentioned in my previous posting.But completely forgot until I sent off. The plane was an F-86 Sabre.If there's anyone out there in You Tube land who knows about that earlier clip I would sure like to see it again.
It is too long ago! Dang, I feel old!
sklarchin 3 years ago 2
I used to live in a little town about 90km east of Detroit. I can remember,as a kid, getting up early in the morning to watch this as WXYZ signed on for the day. Always moving.
The plane is an early model of the F-104 Starfighter. A "C" model I believe. The later models used by NATO members were the "G" version which could be distinguished by a longer vertical stabalizer which extended further over the jet nozzle.
Thanks for posting this video. It brings back
a lot of great memories.
sklarchin 3 years ago
Wow! I've searched this one for years on You Tube, and now here it is--the original HIGH FLIGHT! Thank you, this is godhead stuff. Beautiful.
solariscyberdeliko 3 years ago 2
What an Inspirational poem! John Gillespie Mcgee's Legacy lives on!
belmontmike 3 years ago
I love this beautiful film. Black and white, color. It doesn't matter to me which way you watch. This piece is timeless and thank you for posting it!
budscin 3 years ago
YES! This is the one! Thank you.
bluerunner9953 3 years ago 2
Correction. I believe this first plane was an F-104 fighter. Extremely fast plane for back then. They crashed a lot though. The wings were to short to dance with GOD.
JaySkulk 3 years ago
Yes! Finally after hours and hours of searching I finallt found the version with the voice I remember so well. these are X-1's X-2, or X-15 aircraft. One of the television stations here in Wasilla used to close with that every night. Then I would roll over and cover Sarah.
JaySkulk 3 years ago
I haven't seen this in 25 years. Thanks for the revival of a pleasant memory.
alogmail 3 years ago
I watched this as a kid in the 60s. In 1984 I received my wings at Vance AFB OK. thanks for posting this. what memories
jstars01 3 years ago
No this is a short film I thought I would never see again... Thank you!
billygeek 3 years ago
Ah... the good old days before 24/7 TV. We didn't even have VCRs so it was NO TV after this played if you were lucky enough to stay up that late to see HIGH FLIGHT.
WalleyTV 3 years ago