What is the best aviation movie?

[Tailwheelman]

My vote is for "Island in the Sky". Of all of Gann's novels that turned into movies this one probably follows closest to the feeling you get when you read the book. "Twelve O'Clock High" is also at the top of the list. Great movie. Gotta love it when Gregory Peck reams the captain who isn't pulling weight on the flight schedule.

"If I got a bombardier you can't hit his plate with his fork....You get'em! If I have a navigator who can't find his way to the men's room....You get'em!"

Priceless.

 

[goodgig]

1941.
(Tailwheelmans avitar brought back the memory)

 

[jdlilfan]

Iron Eagle

 

[UALBRAT]

Mandatory viewing for all pilots

Dr. Strangelove, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.

This movie is a cold war spoof that has some great acting from Peter Sellers, George C. Scott and Slim Pickens. The best scene is when the camera angle pans across the B-52 flight crew and Slim Pickens is shown "reading" Playboy Magazine. My all time favorite flick.

 

[lowtimedriver]

I thought Airplane was a parody of Airport. In fact, I think you'll "get" more of the jokes if you watch Airplane immediately after watching Airport.

You are getting your movies mixed-up. Airplane was a parody of Zero Hour about a flight gone bad. Made in 1957, the original was oh so bad and was acutally comical to a certain extent. Rent it if you can, get drunk and watch it. You will laugh your ass off.

 

[phr8dawg]

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines-I do not know of any other flick with pre- WW1 aircraft in it. Real ones! It's otherwise painful to watch.

Frank Tallman did fly through the billboard. He crashed hundreds of planes for movies, but died scudrunning a C310 in the California mountains.

Paul Mantz did not lose control of the "Flight of the Phoenix" bird, he hit a sand bar and the structurally unsound movie plane scabbed together from a BT-13 Vultee Vibrator broke in half behind the cockpit and the forward section nosed over and crushed him. There is a sequence of photos I saw in a forgotten book.

There is an older Japanese animated movie called "Porko Rosso" I enjoyed. The artists involved clearly love seaplanes. Very bizarre movie. Another animated flight series is called "Cowboy Bebop." Watch carefully and you can pick out structural details from aircraft drawings. They did their homework. Great theme song...."tank"

Netflix has all these titles. Fly safe!

 

[lowtimedriver]

Battle of Britain
The Blue Max
The Right Stuff

But maybe the greatest aviation scene ever in a movie is this from Empire of the Sun. My fascination and love for aviation, and the P-51 says it all on the slow motion flyby of the 51 Driver. Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ouJ_WyS9v8&feature=related

 

[Snapshot]

Fandango.

 

[Lead Sled]

I had thought that I had seen all of the flying movies ever filmed, but this week AMC showed the 1964 movie "Flight from Ashiya" about USAF Air/Sea Rescue pilots. It was the typical late 50's - early 60's flying film with hokey dialoge and crummy special effects. That being said, it had special interest for me - I have a good friend who flew Grumman Albatrosses in the Air Force back in the early 50's. He has some good stories involving open ocean landings.

My vote for best airplane movie??? It all depends on the mood I happen to be in at the time, but if you haven't seen "One Six Right: The Romance of Flying" then you should certainly see it before your cast your vote on the best aviation movie ever.

LS

 

[Skycam]

Original "Airport"
"The Great Waldo Pepper"
"Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines"

Sorry folks, but "Top Gun" sucked, still sucks, and will always suck.