The blockbuster film ‘The King’s Speech’ contains two massive continuity errors, and only really sad geeky people would notice them.
That would include me.
Within the first 15 minutes, we see a yellow de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth (‘A’ variant) land in the grounds of the royal estate at Sandringham.
The ICAO country-based registration painted large down the side of the fuselage identifies the aircraft as G-ANFM.
Straight away I’m knocked off balance because something is very, very wrong here. I remain slightly-off balance for the rest of the film.
When I get home I check the aviation database to find that G-ANFM rolled off the production line in 1942.
And yet, at that point of the film, Edward VIII hasn’t even taken the throne, let alone abdicated – his abdication coming, as it did, in 1936.
So we have a pivotal character flying an aircraft – G-ANFM – before it was made.
But the continuity errors don’t end there.
G-ANFM is owned by and registered to three trustees of the Reading Flying Group.
So you might have thought that the owners of G-ANFM would have known that the country-based aircraft registration scheme, which the aircraft G-ANFM is plainly registered under – didn’t come in to being until Article 20 of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation (which was signed in 1944), was introduced.
Also, it’s worth pointing out that Article 20 only applied to larger commercial aircraft.
Under Article 20, a Tiger Moth would have been exempt, at that stage of the legislative maturity.
It’s such a shame that an otherwise outstanding film suffered because of poor historical detail.
However, the very first DH.82A to obtain a certificate of airworthiness on March 10th, 1933 was registered G-ACDA. Indeed on July 29th, 1935 aircraft c/n 3357 was registered G-ADLU. I have in my possession a photo of this aircraft wearing this registration as a member of the London Aeroplane Club. It ceased to wear this identity by late 1939 or early 1940 when it was shipped to New Zealand to be placed on charge with the RNZAF as NZ735 and later, after the war, to become ZK-ARJ.
I like the fact that you’re like Mr V, you pick up the oddities. I remember watching one of the Narnia films with him and him moaning because of some trivial detail about bows and arrows. Seriously Mr V, this is a film about talking animals and a witch and the bit that YOU find unbelievable is the way they’re using a bow? Congratulations on your almost scary knowledge of aircraft though.
I notice those goofs, and it drives both me and the missus batty. In every John Wayne civil war movie, all the troops are wearing pattern 1872 cavalry uniform and carrying 1873 Springfield rifles. Oh, and the “A” model Harrier in “True Lies” was actually an AV-8B. Bet you caught that one.
You are a sad, yet lovely man with too much knowledge in your noggin. That’s actually quite an interesting fact, just like these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnxXkjD6VmE