[QuadList] quads on a plane?--Yes! Over the midwest and S. Vietnam

[Ted Langdell]

Hi, Skip,

On Jul 7, 2010, at 1:20 PM, Skip Elsheimer wrote:

> I was at a film archivist / moonshine symposium in West Virginia and  
> somebody was asking about a mythical airplane that had quad machines  
> installed on board. He said he thought it was a government owned  
> plane and it would record video in remote locations.
>
> I said I would ask the experts..
>
> Skip
> A/V Geeks LLC

I know of airborne quads used for playback.

Your acquaintance may be referring to the Midwest Program on Airborne  
Television Instruction (MPATI), but I turned up the use of a similar  
concept by the US Military over South Vietnam during the war. Links to  
both below.

Domestic:
MPATI flew a pair of DC-6's with what look like two Ampex VR-1001's  
and two low-power UHF transmitters above Monpelier, Indiana to  
transmit educational programs to schools. One plane was a spare to  
cover mechanical, electronic and weather problems.

The project had its origins here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovision

Best photo of the Quads is here:
http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/knackers/images/mpati_small.jpg

See links here for details about the system:
http://www.ait.net/technos/tq_10/3gibson.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwest_Program_on_Airborne_Television_Instruction

http://www.broadcasting101.ws/mpati.htm

http://www.chicagotelevision.com/MPATI.htm

And here...
http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/knackers/behind.html
where there are other Quads pictured.

The MPATI project's papers are now at the University of Maryland  
Archives:
http://www.lib.umd.edu/NPBA/papers/mpati.html

Vietnam:
The US Government turned to RCA to develop a similar capability in the  
mid-1960's.

Here's the home page for a website about the project:
http://www.afvn.tv/ProjectJenny/index.html

Here's a newspaper clipping showing the installation of the RCA  
TR-22's and audio gear in a Super Constellation.
http://www.afvn.tv/ProjectJenny/andph.jpg

And a TR-22:
http://www.afvn.tv/ProjectJenny/tr22.jpg

Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary

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