"The Kamchatka Incident" (TV 1964)

[JDDavis2]

.
KRAFT Suspense Theater episode - "The Kamchatka Incident" (TV Nov 12, 1964)


FULL EPISODE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=TsEDUYbmZEA


The story revolves around a USAF transport plane diverted off course by weather to penetrate Russian airspace.

It is intercepted by a Soviet fighter that threatens to shoot it down.

The "Soviet fighter" is a DeHavilland Vampire painted in Soviet markings and armed with dummy missiles flown by Frank Tallman.

The "USAF transport plane" appears to be a DC-7 ... 4-blade props, feathered as part of the story with mechanical problems. (DC-6 = 3-blades. DC-7 = four blades) with a MATS (Military Air Transport Service) paint job. I can find no evidence MATS ever operated DC-7s. Many DC-6s though (C-118).

More info on this Vampire

The Vampire Diaries

https://www.aerovintage.com/tallmantz-aviation/vampire/



JD
.

01--SFW--226.jpg

02-SFW-226.jpg

03-SFW-512.jpg

04-SFW--635.jpg

05-SFW-730.jpg

06-SFW-504.jpg

[aerovin2]

JD...thanks for posting these. I've been looking to find that episode for a long time and it finally surfaced on YouTube. I'll add these screenshots to the Tallmantz Vampire page at some point. Interesting to see the scheme it wore in the episode. I'm curious where the DC-7 came from also. It appears the air-to-air was done from a Tallmantz B-25.

[Chris Brame]

On YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsEDUYbmZEA
Take a close look at the view out the copilot's window at 11:08: Did they film the second unit footage at Litchfield Park? Lots of retired Navy aircraft visible. Maybe outtakes from The Lady Takes a Flyer?

[aerovin2]

I'd say that's a good guess...footage from Lady Takes a Flyer.

[aerovin2]

I just updated my Tallmantz Vampire page.

https://www.aerovintage.com/tallmantz-a ... -projects/

Thanks to the above information from JD Davis, I was able to add some screenshots of the Vampire and an unidentified (as yet) DC-7 in air-to-air filming near the Channel Islands off of southern California at some point in 1964.

The exterior shots of the DC-7 takeoff itself looks to me like a northbound departure (Runway 3 then) from Orange County Airport (Santa Ana) where Tallmantz was based but that's just a guess. Note the DC-7 is offset well left of centerline to allow the following B-25 cameraship to use the right side of the runway for filming the takeoff...the same technique used by Paul Mantz to film the B-36 takeoff in Strategic Air Command.

[JDDavis2]

.
Wonder if It was this DC-7...

"The Kamchatka Incident" was produced in 1964

DC-7 N8210H ...Continental Airlines paint job at SNA-Tallmantz (1966 photo)

-JD
.

SFW-2L-DC-7--N-8210H-at-SNA.jpg

[aerovin2]

Seems unlikely to me based upon the straight donation of the DC-7B to Tallmantz from Continental Airlines in May 1964. I don't think Tallmantz probably would have had the nerve to fly the airplane for a TV project after what was probably (not known for sure) a non-flying arrangement by the donor. The paint applied for the TV show would have had to have been temporary water-based over the Continental scheme.

The raw Tallmantz project list I have does not show the DC-7 used for the project. One suggestion made was that it came from some parked at Burbank at the time.

We await more information.