Operation: Crashdive
Series note: "AP Films" was so named for Gerry Anderson and co-founder Arthur Provis, the producer of the earliest Anderson projects. Provis later joined Anderson associate Roberta Leigh and launched a rival marionette-driven project called "Space Patrol" (known as "Planet Patrol" in the US).
One of the few episodes featuring an out-of-uniform John Tracy, he is seen visiting with Tin-Tin and lounging about with his brothers.
Some enterprising party rental firms in the UK now provide flesh and blood Scott or Virgil Tracy characters in full IR gear!
Again the target of sabotage, there are 3 Fireflash SSTs from the fleet featured in this episode.
Gordon, seen practicing with targets in the Games Room, is an excellent marksman, a fact which comes in handy during several rescue missions.
Though not normally equipped or utilized for super-high altitudes or sound-barrier speeds, Thunderbird 2 can still navigate to about 150,000 feet. In the comics, it was made possible to refit it for limited space flight!
Hearing double: With the characters aboard Thunderbird 2, voice actor David Graham carries on a conversation as both Brains and Gordon.
Thunderbird 4 rests on stabilizers within Pod 4, preventing damage when dropped to the waves by Thunderbird 2.
Because of the incredible speeds at which Thunderbird 1 can fly, Scott Tracy can be anywhere on Earth within roughly two hours.
The "Light Type" is among a number of clever and resourceful devices created for rescue situations in the series that could have real-world applications.
By Jeff Tracy's orders, Thunderbirds vehicles are never supposed to be used for anything but official emergency rescue calls...except for when Alan wants to transport his race car or Scott needs a quick vacation!
The most popular vehicle among a great many Thunderbirds fans is...(drum role, please): Thunderbird 2! FAB 1 also has millions of fans, many of whom have bought model versions of Lady Penelope's famous car.
Each of the Tracy Boys received numerous proposals of marriage from flesh and blood female suitors during the original run of the series!
The British girl band (We've Got A) Fuzzbox (And We Know How To Use It) had a hit record with their ode to "Thunderbirds," called "International Rescue." Other songs inspired by the series are "I Want To Marry A Tracy Boy," "S.O.S. Mr. Tracy" and "5-4-3-2-1."
Two incidents sparked Jeff Tracy's desire to create his elite rescue organization: the tragic death of his young wife, and, later, reports of a disastrous air crash in which lives could have been saved if more efficient means of rescue had been available.
Jeff's upbringing on a Kansas wheat farm gave him a keen interest in mechanics and machinery; he often tinkered with his father's combine harvester equipment in order to make it more efficient.
Oven timers and television tubes make for realistic-looking lights and dials in the cockpit panels of the Fireflash ships.
The character "Lt. Burroughs" was Solarnaut Asher in the episode "Sunprobe."
The doctor who visited Kyrano in the premiere episode is seen as a member of the International Air Ministry.
Captain Hanson of the Fireflash crew reprises his role from "Trapped In The Sky" in "Operation: Crashdive."
The exact whereabouts of Tracy Island are known to only a few; it rests among a small group of islands in the South Pacific.
Jeff Tracy also owns the two other islands nearest to Tracy Island; International Rescue uses them as storage facilities for fuel and equipment and to maintain the security of Tracy Island.
Scott's return trip to London Airport marks one of the very few times he's traveled on a mission without Thunderbird 1.
The EJ-2 seen picking up the saboteur is the same type of jet used in the fake rescue seen in "The Impostors."
"Operation: Crashdive" marks the highest casualty count of any Thunderbird's episode, with the loss of over 600 people at sea in the sabotaged Fireflash flight.
Gordon's nail-biting rescue during the final 1-1/2 minutes of Fireflash's descent actually matches real time!
The part in Gordon's hair keeps shifting sides as he searches for Fireflash at the bottom of the sea!
As with the first Fireflash adventure, the dangerous maneuver of winching Gordon into the hull of the ship is used as a means of preventing disaster.
For a change, it's Gordon who gets the worst of it as his big brothers all have the last laugh at his expense.
The reporter seen on television is the same one who appeared in "Sunprobe."
This episode features one of the few times we see the usually quiet and a titch dour John...laughing! He also has a giggle at Alan's expense in "Danger At Ocean Deep."