Best Aviation Movie of all time

[blzr]

No, wait, Pushing Tin! I laugh my @ss off every time I see that one.

 

[6'0 AGL]

yep Pushing Tin was a great movie. And of Course Top Gun got a lot of guys inlisting in the Navy who wanted to be Mav but ended up in the bottom of some Aircraft carrier scrubbing something!!! The Best Airplane movie comedy would have to be Airplane!!!! "No I am Roger Mertaw the Co-pilot" "I think your the greatest but my dad says you don't try on defense"

 

[flyer172r]

I refuse to consider Pearl Harbor as an actual aviation movie, although I do love Kate Beckinsale. Pushing Tin is awesome too, especially the dialogue between John Cusack and the "Jethro" pilot.

But nothing beats in Flight of the Intruder, "Using escape and evasion techinques I was able to evade capture, and sir, we didn't hurt that crocodile he was fine when we left."

The book was much better though.

 

[Weasel Keeper]

Almost forgot about The Final Countdown.

In 1980 the carrier Nimitz goes through a time storm and ends up outside Pearl Harbor before the attack in 1941. F-14s chasing Zeros...cool!

Might put Hot Shots up for a silly mention. Fun movie.

 

[ERfly]

The Best Airplane movie comedy would have to be Airplane!!!! "No I am Roger Mertaw the Co-pilot" "I think your the greatest but my dad says you don't try on defense"

His name was Roger Murdock...

 

[JetMonkey]

Tora Tora Tora was very good at depicting the events at Pearl Harbor, lots of gutsy stunt work in that film, to me still the best film for that event. But I would have to say Midway is still my favorite. I want Dreamworks to do a remake, Steven where are ya!!!!!!

 

[Donsa320]

I'll throw my 2 cents in..."Island In The Sky"....another Earnest Gann book followed religiously by the filmaker. Almost word for word. Very hard to find a copy. Made a year before "The High And The Mighty".

 

[BoilerUP]

The Final Countdown
For YEARS, I've wondered WTF the name of that movie was. I used to watch it every time it would come on TBS (which used to be quite regularly, about as regularly as Shawshank Redemption is now).

Personal Favorites:
Flight of the Intruder ("Come on Sandy, do it, I'd do it for you")
The Right Stuff
Midway
Iron Eagle (when he was bombing stuff to "Gimme Some Lovin")
BAT 21
Tuskegee Airmen


as for the biggest turds of all...

"Cliffhanger", where they do the mid-air money transfer from the transport to the Jetstar. Second place would be any of the "Turbulence" movies. Third place goes to "Firefox" with Clint Eastwood. ugh...

 

[Saluki Dawg]

Nobody mentioned The Aviator?!? If you haven't seen it on the bigscreen yet, you are really missing out. The flight sequences and cinematography are second to none. Nominated for Best Picture, Director, and Actor. Great Aviation Movie.

 

[DX Rick]

Final Countdown....great flick.

 

[T-prop]

Aviator

The best flight sequence was the crash of the experimental spy plane. The scene where he broke the speed record was absolutely cheesy cinemetography. When they showed him turning there was no banking. Good movie overall. I would have paid good money to see Kate Beckinsale naked.

 

[msuspartans24]

Hands down

AIRPLANE 1!!!!!!!

 

[AutoBus]

An interesting movie is "The Pilot" with Cliff Robertson, it's a early 80's movie with a cheesy soundtrack. But the flying stuff is very true to life. Cliff Robertson stars and either produces or directs this movie. In real life he is a pilot so the attention to detail is a passion for him.

When I was working for a small commuter airline he used to be a regular passenger of mine, I even had him in the right seat for a flight or two (totally legal 9th passenger seat), but his favorite seat was the last row next to the door (I wonder why)

 

[ERfly]

An interesting movie is "The Pilot" with Cliff Robertson, it's a early 80's movie with a cheesy soundtrack. But the flying stuff is very true to life. Cliff Robertson stars and either produces or directs this movie. In real life he is a pilot so the attention to detail is a passion for him.

I heard that Robertson was actually typed in the DC-8 for that movie. He did a lot of the flying himself.

 

[lionflyer]

"Fighter pilots make movies. Bomber pilots make HISTORY!!!"

Roger Murtah is from Letal Weapon.
Roger Murdock is frome Airplane.

 

[AutoBus]

I heard that Robertson was actually typed in the DC-8 for that movie. He did a lot of the flying himself.

I believe you are correct, think remember him mentioning that. The checklist's, proceedures, interaction of the crew, CRM, dispatch all very realistic.

 

[Captain Morgan]

"Fighter pilots make movies. Bomber pilots make HISTORY!!!"

Roger Murtah is from Letal Weapon.
Roger Murdock is frome Airplane.

Yeah,... and cargo pilots are just plane krazy!

 

[T-handle]

Disc 2 of the Top Gun 20th Anniversary edition is great- makes worth (re)buying. "Slider" is one old fart and they sure interviewed him alot considering he didn't play a lead role.

 

[6'0 AGL]

His name was Roger Murdock...

ups, you are correct!!!!

 

[6'0 AGL]

Does anyone notice who Merlin is in Top Gun?

 

[T-handle]

Indian Ocean. Present Day.

Does anyone notice who Merlin is in Top Gun?

A young Tim Robbins

 

[T-prop]

Tim Robbins??

 

[Patriot328]

An interesting movie is "The Pilot" with Cliff Robertson, it's a early 80's movie with a cheesy soundtrack. But the flying stuff is very true to life. Cliff Robertson stars and either produces or directs this movie. In real life he is a pilot so the attention to detail is a passion for him.

When I was working for a small commuter airline he used to be a regular passenger of mine, I even had him in the right seat for a flight or two (totally legal 9th passenger seat), but his favorite seat was the last row next to the door (I wonder why)

Funny you mention that movie. I just bought it on VHS off of eBay... great flick.

My favorite airplane movies:

Airplane! of course.. hell it's why I wanted to become a pilot.
Blue Max Excellent aerial scenes
Always Loved the movie

I liked Memphis Belle and Dr. Strangelove. Also "By Dawn's Early Light".

Can't go wrong with Final Countdown!




I think top gun sucks. Well, as I grow older I like it less and less.. cool fight scenes when I was 10 yrs old, but the cheesy unrealistic lines drive me nuts.










"Go around...? Without fuel....?"


Too bad most don't know where it's from when I say it..

 

[pilotyip]

Island in the Sky. A great movie locked up in the John Wayne Libary. Lots of DC-3's flying around. Based upon E. K. Gann's personal experiences, follows the book very closely. No women, no romance, just pilots in a bind

 

[TonyC]

Well, since nobody else will, I'll nominate:

Strategic Air Command​

.

 

[Huck]

Dude, man, you are right.

There is a scene that always gets me in "Stategic Air Command."
Jimmy Stewart is getting back into flying, and the staff car lets him out at the wingtip of his new plane, the B-36.

He walks slowly to the fuselage, just totally in awe of how big that SOB is and that he's gonna have to fly it. Man, I have BEEN THERE and felt exactly the same way. What a kick-a$$ movie.

A vote for "Always" as well. Airplanes and a young Holly Hunter. Remember what R. Dreyfuss says when his last engine quit?

"Good! I was rusty in panic...."

 

[Weasel Keeper]

Oh yeah, "Always"! Holly Hunter is still hot. Love the first scene with the tanker coming in over the lake to scoop up water...right at the bass boat.

This was actually a remake of a 1943 movie "A Guy Named Joe" with Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson...also a very good movie. About the Army Air Corps instead of firefighters. Same deal though, pilot dies, becomes a guardian angel to a newbie who falls for the original's gal.

 

[HoursHore]

I would have to say Empire of the Sun.

Dude, there's like 10 seconds of a P-51 in that movie. That qualifies it as an aviation movie?


Those of you bailing on Top Gun didn't see it when you were 12. That may have been its target audience, but nostalgia still keeps it way up there. Right Stuff , Dr Strangelove, and Strategic Air Command as well.

By Dawn's Early light Was Interesting because of the side of the doomsday mission it portrayed, But not that great a movie.

Overall, Airplane comes out #1 in my book, most quotable aviation movie of all time.

 

[FutureTEDpilot]

Cloud Dancer......

Anybody seen the Movie CLOUD DANCER ?

Awesome aviation flick....about a guy who compete's in Aerobatics with a Pitts S-1S then upgrades to an S-2A (This was made in 1979) has nose bleeds doing NEGATIVE G's....The flying is excellent, I have seen many copies on E/bay and even found one on DVD.

One of my favorites.....

 

[blzr]

How about.. "The Bridges of Toko-Ri" Great book too if you can get your hands on a copy.