# Identify this aircraft. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 14, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-aircraft/395947 "2007-03-14T21:58:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MrFloppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-aircraft/395947/1 "2007-03-14T21:58:33Z")
OK, I don’t have a picture. I was watching some old ‘Top Gear’ episodes (2004-2005). If you’re a petrolhead like me, you will know that the gang tests some of their cars at Dunsfold Pk, an airstrip in Surrey (England). In several camera angles, one sees what looks like a 747 parked alongside the runway. I thought it may be a freighter of some kind. I thought it may be a permanent resident of the airfield but I do not see it on Google Earth. Anyway, what struck me as strange is that the engines on the wings are paired on a single pylon (like a B52). I could not see if each wing had two engines on one pylon or four engines on two pylons. In any event, I have been unable to find details of such an aircraft. All the 747s that I have researched have two engines per wing, one per pylon. Does anyone know what aircraft it is? Russian? ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-aircraft/395947/2 "2007-03-14T22:02:21Z")
Which car are they testing? (So I can look up the episode) Offhand… I’m thinking [Nimrod.](http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?front=yes&s=1&keywords=nimrod) ---
**Author:** ![iano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@iano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iano)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-aircraft/395947/3 "2007-03-14T22:18:57Z")
Two engines on a pylon is very unusual, are you sure it wasn’t simply the angle from which you were viewing? Sometimes it really looks like that… and this was a civilian aircraft, or? How was the tail? Did the wings attach to the side or on top of the fuselage? ---
**Author:** ![MrFloppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-aircraft/395947/4 "2007-03-14T22:24:23Z")
No it is not a Nimrod. The engines are suspended from the wing. I will have to go back and look at which episode it is - I have them all and watch them while I run on the treadmill. I took another look at Google Earth and there is this plane parked: [Google Maps](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=19&ll=51.117647,-0.521808&spn=0.00082,0.002494&t=k&om=1) Maybe that is it although I can’t tell if the engines are on the wings. It looks small. I will try and figure out which road test it was. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-aircraft/395947/5 "2007-03-14T22:27:25Z")
Nevermind, found the answer. According to a thread on [AirTalk.org](http://www.airtalk.org/top-gear-747-with-twin-podded-engines-vt78351.html) It’s a 747-200 modified to be a movie prop. Doesn’t fly. Oh, and I thought Nimrod, just because the whole RAF thing worked, and the B-52 and B-47 are the only aircraft I know of with the twin-podded engines… And the Nimrod has 2 in close proximity, even though they’re not podded. [Pictures and story.](http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2006/08/29/207684/pictures-james-bond-casino-royale-modified-boeing-747-xxx-on-show-ahead-of-movie.html) ---
**Author:** ![MrFloppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-aircraft/395947/6 "2007-03-14T22:36:26Z")
Wow. I love this place. Thanks St\_Ides. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-aircraft/395947/7 "2007-03-14T22:42:00Z")
No problem. This kind of thing is my bag.