The main interest in the 1951 Farnborough display by the Society of British Aircraft Constructors consists in the performance of the new Delta-wing aircraft. Much of the film is taken up with their demonstrations of aerobatics and high-speed flying. At speeds beyond sound, short wide wings behave better than long narrow ones. The Delta wing allows of a considerable wing area coupled with a small span. Hence, such machines as the Boulton Paul PIII, whose high landing speed is to some extent offset by the use of a parachute brake.

A private venture development from the Gloster Meteor demonstrates the first entirely new aerobatic for 20 years – “cart wheeling” -and there is an astonishing display of four De Havilland Vampires. To the problem of very high speed flight in large aircraft, two opposite solutions are shown. The Short SA4 has a very thin wing, and four jet engines mounted in pairs one above the other: the Vickers Valiant has its four jet engines inside very thick swept-back wings.

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Shell Historical Film Archive

Shell’s surprising and captivating Historic Film Archive dates from 1934 and covers a rich mix of topics from technology, science and engineering to craftsmanship, motorsport and travelogue.

The Shell Film Unit, responsible for the content, was a highly celebrated part of Britain’s Documentary Movement. Key figures from that movement were involved, including: Jack Beddington, Edgar Anstey, Arthur Elton, John Grierson, Kay Mander, Stuart Legg and Douglas Gordon.

Its films were wide reaching, often screened in cinemas and through the non-theatrical film distribution circuit, which brought film to educational establishments and organisations across the UK. While many films covered technological themes related to Shell’s activities, others were entirely unrelated and served purely to educate the general public.

As Shell innovated in technologies that would provide oil and gas products for the world, the Shell Film Unit also innovated in the technological advancement of film, incorporating graphics and different forms of animation as early as the 1930s.

During WW2 the Shell Film Unit was co-opted into war effort, making films for the Ministry of Information’s film division. Its prowess in technological documentary suited the MoI’s need for technical training films.

While the name and the medium has changed many times over the years, the documentary tradition lives on at Shell. Its contemporary film team is part of Shell’s multi-disciplinary in-house agency, Creative Solutions. It continues making award-winning factual content that informs and educates the public, now usually released on social media platforms.

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