'Thunderbirds': "Trapped in the Sky" Quiz

Answer: First

This will indeed be their first rescue. Founded by astronaut and self made billionaire Jeff Tracy, International will respond to any call for assistance at no cost. The five main rescue vehicles are called Thunderbirds and are manned by Jeff's five sons. We will learn more about the sons and their machines later in the quiz.

The inspiration for the show was a mine collapse in Germany where several people died because they couldn't get the proper equipment to the scene in a timely manner. The Thunderbird name for the machines was taken from the Army Air Corps base, Thunderbird Field, that creator Gerry Anderson's brother was stationed at during World War II in Arizona.

Answer: Fireflash

The Fireflash is a new and innovative airliner. First it is nuclear powered and second the cockpit was in the tail. The show does take place after all in 2026 or 2065 depending on the source.

Answer: Tin-Tin

Tin-tin is the daughter of Kyrano who is Jeff Tracy's butler. The back story behind Jeff and Kyrano varies from source to source but they have apparently helped each other out at one time or another. It's Jeff who pays for her education. In fact Tin-tin has just graduated from an unnamed university with degrees in mathematics, advanced technical theory and engineering.

She will be working as a scientific assistant. This means she will be assisting head engineer, Brains, in maintaining the Thunderbird fleet.

She also designs her own clothes and is a certified pilot. So in a pinch or if this had been produced in more politically correct times, she could pilot the Thunderbird machines. Alas, we never see her do this but we do see her pilot an airplane or two and we see her SCUBA dive more than once.

She also goes on at least one rescue.

Answer: It has been rigged to blow up when the landing gear touches the ground again.

International Rescue arch nemesis "The Hood" is trying to sucker International Rescue into showing off its secret machines. He believes that if he can get photographs of the interiors of the machines, he can duplicate the Thunderbirds and somehow make money off the deal. So he stages a disaster for them to come to.

The inherent problem is that in six hours the radiation shields will deteriorate. If a solution isn't found, they will have to take the chance that the bomb doesn't go off. Jeff admonishes his sons about the secrecy of International Rescue and tells them to be sure there are no photographs and no TV.

In this instance, The Hood has placed a bomb on the plane in the well of the landing gear. It arms when the gear are retracted. It is then set to go off with a pressure sensitive switch - when the wheels touch the ground, BOOM! It's funny how the components are labeled Auto-bomb Detonation Unit and Auto-bomb Explosive Unit.

This was supposed to be a kids show so I guess they wanted the children to know what was what.

The Hood is so named because he is a master of disguise. He is also the half brother of Kyrano and can telepathically communicate with Kyrano. This usually culminates with Kyrano convulsing and/or passing out. This episode marks the first time he has apparently done this. Jeff is concerned enough to have a doctor flown out the secret International Rescue base.

Answer: The Hood calls the tower and tells them about the bomb.

Yes, The Hood calls in his own bomb threat. He wants the Fireflash to try to land back at London airport so that International Rescue will come out and he can initiate his plan. In order to determine that The Hood's call is not a prank, the control tower has the Fireflash fly by so they can take an x-ray picture.

This picture does indeed confirm the presence of a bomb. Apparently the vision for the future consisted of a single London airport. This was filmed in 1964 and at the time there were two commercial airports that served London, Heathrow and Gatwick. Stansted airport to the northeast, was in a state of transition in 1964.

It briefly became a commercial airport a few years after serving as a bomber base for the US Army Air Corps during World War II.

It was slated to become a NATO air base in the early 1960s but that plan was scrapped in 1966. As of 2006, it has become a haven for European low cost carriers. A fourth London airport, London City airport was part of a revitalization project for the Docklands area of London near Greenwich.

It has accommodated short haul commercial air traffic since the early 1980s.

Answer: Radio transmissions from the control tower are picked up by Thunderbird 5, the communications satellite.

Thunderbird 5, a communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit around the earth, is manned by either John or Alan who are on a monthly rotation. Thunderbird 5 can monitor hundreds of radio messages simultaneously in any language. Another funny thing about the vision of the future, the only recording equipment is reel to reel tape recorders.

It is John on duty this time (and as it turns out most of the time in the series) who picks up the transmission between the control tower and Fireflash.

Answer: Initially he is sent away but eventually they let him land and offer assistance.

We find out that Thunderbird 1 can attain a speed of at least 7,500 miles per hour (according the official website, it can go 15,000 mph). We find this out when the radar operator sees Thunderbird 1 on his screen. I guess there is no hope for the US to ever convert to the metric system. Of course England isn't on metric when this show was made either. Anyway, the men in the control tower are dubious about Scott and his Thunderbirds being able to help. An attempt to tether in an RAF man into the wheel well of Fireflash has just failed.

But smooth talking Scott manages to convince them. He does admonish them as his Father did to him. No pictures and no TV and insists on a police guard around his ship and of course some help getting his mobile communication center from his ship to the control tower.

Answer: He disguises himself as a policeman.

He goes inside and starts snapping pictures with a camera hidden in his police hat. What he doesn't know is that there are camera detectors on board which goes off on Scott's console. More police converge on Scott's ship but The Hood gets away. For now.

Answer: Calls International Rescue's agent in London to go after him.

The London agent is Lady Penelope Creighton Ward. Jeff calls her Penny. Many of the shows fans I communicate with think Jeff has a thing for her and that they should get together. Considering that he's 56 and she's 26 that seems like a pipe dream to me. Lady P as she is sometimes called, is chauffeured around by Parker in a large, pink Rolls Royce which has four front wheels and can convert into a hydrofoil.

It is known as FAB 1. They eventually catch up with The Hood and force him off the road. In the ensuing collision, the unexposed film in his hat pops out and is ruined. On the other hand, I don't see how taking pictures of the interior cabin of the ship with the dials and such is going to help him. I would think he would need pictures of the working insides - engine, hydraulics and such.

This isn't the only time he takes pictures of just the dials and thinks he's going to figure it all out. This chase sequence actually takes place toward the end of the episode.

Answer: elevator

The elevator cars are large multi-wheeled vehicles with a large flat top on hydraulic lifts which can be raised. The idea is to have Fireflash land its wings on two of the cars and the nose on the third. This way, the plane won't have to land on its wheels. Virgil is in the "master elevator" car.

He can remotely control the other two "radio controlled" cars. After he positions each car, he can then set them to all operate with exactly the same speed and direction as the master control car.

Answer: To not use the radio.

He is very firm, almost terse, when he says this.

Answer: Elevator car 3 malfunctions.

He sees the "ready" light go out but it comes back on right away so he begins rolling down the runway. But shortly thereafter it can't keep up and eventually crashes into a parked jet causing a large explosion. This doesn't bode well for their first rescue.

Answer: a couple of minutes

After Virgil gets the back up elevator car number 4 in position, the radiation safety factor had actually lapsed. The pilots tell Scott they need to be on the ground in "a couple of minutes". They had five minutes the first try. That's a quick turnaround and cutting it real close. But then where would the suspense be?

Answer: The master control car with Virgil blows a tire and veers off the runway.

Yes, his car veers off the runway and he ends up upside down. In a somewhat tense scene, this leaves Fireflash's nose skidding down the runway in a shower of sparks. This wasn't part of the original script. They had a very elaborate set up to show the elevator cars zooming down a very long runway. Since they couldn't make a runway of infinite length, they had rigged up a conveyor to be the runway so the cars were basically stationary.

They made a second conveyor for the foreground which had to go by at a different rate and then a third vertical conveyor for the background.

When they were filming, the master control car somehow got away from them and actually crashed. But they decided to leave the footage in and rewrite the script around the "accident". Tires blow on the other elevator cars as well before finally bringing Fireflash to a complete stop.

The very last part of the rescue scene shows the bomb coming partly undone and almost falls from where it is fastened with what looks like athletic tape.

The smoke coming off of the nose of the plane was created by using small amounts of white phosphorous which "smokes" when exposed to air.

Answer: International Rescue Who Are They?

London Airport would probably sue today. At the end of the episode, we see the boys relaxing. Virgil is playing piano. Gordon and Scott are matching wits at the chess board. Alan and Tin-Tin are on the balcony looking out at the ocean or the stars. Jeff is reading the newspaper.

Despite this being a children's show, we see normal adult social behavior (for 1964) which we continue to see in future episodes in what is called the lounge. The characters are often seen drinking and smoking. When the doctor wants to come in and go over Kyrano's condition, Jeff switches the pictures of the boys from International Rescue to normal. Virgil is shown holding a cigarette.

Another common thing we see here is the switch over from puppetry to live action when Jeff hits the button to change the pictures.

This technique is used several times in this episode alone and dozens of times throughout the series.