Posted on 07/06/2013 4:42:52 PM PDT by ken5050
Well, the cable news networks are non stop with their coverage of the air crash in San Francisco. Looking at the pictures, it seems a miracle that the number of fatalities is so low. If there is one unintended consequence of this crash..at least we will be spared talk about Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman for the next few days. As the networks are talking aviation and nothing but, I thought it would be a slight diversion to discuss our favorite aviation themed movies.
I can’t remember the title but Jimmy Stewart was the pilot. The plane crashed in the desert and they made a working plane from the parts and flew out.
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Wasn’t it Rise of the Phoenix? Hilarious when they found out that the guy designing the rebuild had only designed toy airplanes! Very good movie!
Foxfire (?), with Clint E., about stealing a new Soviet jet was great for the suspense and flight scenes.
Louis Gossett, Jr. was superb.
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Thanks! You just reminded me of Iron Eagle and Iron Eagle II. Excellent flying sequences in both movies.
1. Flying Leathernecks
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Reminded me.... Flying Tigers
If a TV series is permitted here, there was the Black Sheep Squadron. Flew Corsairs and had some great scenes of dogfights with the Japanese Zeros.
USAF fighter jet strike films!
Preferably those from the days of the McDonnell-Douglas F-4e/g Phantom II fighter aircraft, as tail number “562”, as an ‘e’ model, then as a ‘g’ model, when it was assigned to the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, stationed at George AFB, CA, outside of Victorville.
(old WCS-gorilla asst. shop chief there).
Didn’t go through all the Posts, but “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” is up there.
Sid Cesar in the old beat up Bi Plane was a hoot, but the flying scenes with Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett and the other actor (the guy from Gilligan’s Island) in the Beechcraft Twin were unreal.
Art Scholl (sic) was the stunt pilot. When the plane went through the Billboard, it lost an engine and cracked the windshield. The Billboard was just paper but that was a dangerous stunt. No CGI way back then.
That Movie still makes me LOL. From Jimmy Durante kicking the bucket to Jonathan Winters singlehandedly wrecking the Gas Station, the laughs never let up.
Wasn’t it Rise of the Phoenix?
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Guess I’ve been up too long! As others pointed out, it was the Flight of the Phoenix! ....
I love that movie.
I saw the original “Strategic Air Command” in the theater....yeah I am old.
Great flick and the aerial shots were amazing.
No doubt the best.
The music is beautiful.
—— We just watched “Zero Hour” the other night it was a serious film but its what the movie airplane was based on it was hilarious to watch after watching airplane a gazillion times ——
We caught that, too, and got a big kick out of it. I didn’t realize how closely “Airplane” followed the original movie. They didn’t even change the name of the pilot, Ted Stryker.
Good clean fun in it. That said, there are some very good action/adventure/suspense movies out there with some top actors.
Heh, see my post at #149 regarding “Pushing Tin”...
We didn’t think it was a standout or anything, but...hoo boy, did that one scene ever hit our funny bone!
Command Decision with Clark Gable (looks at 8th AAF command in England).
633 Squadron, (Cliff Robertson) and Mosquito squadron (David McCallum). Love those Mossies!
Island in the Sky with John Wayne. Flying in the high arctic in C-47s.
The Best Years of Our Lives — limited flying, but the boneyard scene at Kingman, AZ where all the WW2 planes are being scrapped is very sad.
Memphis Bell and Thunderbolt — William Wyler color WW2 documentaries.
The War Lover with Steve McQueen. More B-17s of the 8th AAF in action.
The Dam Busters with Richard Todd. Very laid back British docudrama about Dr. Barnes Wallis’ bouncing bomb and Wing Cdr. Guy Gibson's 617 Squadron raid against the Moehne, Eder, and Sorpe dams in the Ruhr.
Bombers B-52 with Rock Hudson. A Cold War film showing off SAC’s new B-52 Stratofortress to America. Love those old BUFF’s.
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