Flying Films

[DESPERADO]

Whilst reading the post by some knobber wanting to know how quickly we could get AD over London, a few of the replies got me thinking about flying movies.
I have to say, I think that Dawn Patrol, with Errol Flynn and David Niven is still the best ever, superb stunts and poingnant story, doesn't glorify war either. Also liked the one they showed at Cranwell. Anybody else got a fave?
The more the better, coz I might not have seen it.

[Zagzagel]

"the one they showed at Cranwell" - do you mean Twelve O'clock High 'cos that's what they showed when I went thro' Cranwell. All about leadership. Awesome film with Gregory Peck taking over as the staish at an American bomber base in the UK.

[DESPERADO]

Yep, thats the one
Seem to remember that he lost it in the end (Gregory Peck), leadership and humanity, eventually the horror got to him. Superb film.
Anyone know if they still show it at Cranwell or have they replaced it with a film about 'Leadership in a Difficult Health and Safety Enviroment'.

[Bervie]

We were shown `hunt for red october` and `braveheart` - to emphasise leadership qualities. good films dont get me wrong, but hardly an air epic like "battle of britain" or "12 o`clock high"! But since then they have to wear hard hats,goggles and trainers to run with pine poles so who knows what they show now. Something pc no doubt with lots of tree embracing going on. :p

[Reichman]

So, let me get this straight. Cranwell's idea of leadership is as follows:

1. The Hunt for Red October - Scottish bloke plays Russian bloke who does one with his sub, without any of his men knowing what's going on, and gets a few of them killed - but he's safe.

Er, Loyalty? Comradeship?

2. Braveheart - Australian bloke plays Scottish bloke who paints his face blue, wears a skirt and sends his men into battle against a superior better equipped army - and gets them massacred, and himself hung drawn and quartered.

Dress sense? Ability to count?

What's wrong with The Battle of Britain - we won that one. And that classic line:

"You can teach monkeys to fly better than that".

OK, so I did CFS :)

[Tonkenna]

Just watched Reach for the Sky", the Douglas Bader story. Great film though I can't help thinking about the Chief Ground Instructor at Cranwell from the 80s (Wacky Wheeler, anyone remember him). Beware the inocent youth who said DB was ACE.

The Dam Busters is another classic. Lets hope they don't remake as rumoured and ruin it.

Tonks

(Doo whish eye cud spel)

[ 02 October 2001: Message edited by: Tonkenna ]

[Night NVG Goggles]

We did not get a movie to teach my Flight about leadership, instead it was just a single scene from a film. Leadership qualities of a Royal Air Force officer can now be summarized in the briefing Woody gives to the mutant toys in Toy Story. Next it will be 'To Infinity and Beyond!' instead of 'Per Ardua Ad Astra.'
But it would be cool to have a death laser on your arm!

[dazbo]

Tonks

Whacky Wheeler - you have brought it all back to me.

He gave a graphic lecture on 'rubber erosion' or somesuch that was illustrated using a tale from his youth using a WW2 vintage reusable condom, the telling of which made Billy Conolly look like Mother Teresa.

Also the Day 1 b0ll0cking for wearing short sleeve shirts without written permission! :eek:

[Max R8]

Two good movies, Memphis Belle and Apollo 13.
Both display great crew co-op in face of adversity and positive leadership from both captains. And why not.
I do remember watching 12 o'clock high at OCTU (RAF Henlow 197..erm) Still a classic and a better flick than Red Oktober or Braveheart. Mind you, one of my fellow cadets recorded in his diary for the week that he had been very impressed by ..er..High Noon!

[Max R8]

Oh, Tonks. Wasn't Dambusters remade in 1977! They renamed it Starwars! The final attack on a large ball by the X thingys is a straight rip off of the 617 plot. The only thing they didn't say was "ni88er" when it blew up.

May the Forth be with You.

[Mycroft]

Max- depends whoch version of Memphis Belle; original had wartime reporter/camera man going on last mission of first US crew to complete tour in europe.

[DESPERADO]

'The Right Stuff' anyone.
I still think that the best bit of the Battle of Britain is when the Me109's come over the fence at the beginning at about 10ft, very impressive even if it is the bad guys.
I mentioned 'Dawn Patrol' in my original post, anybody else seen it?

[Reheat On]

two films - you babes are probably too young to recall:

Battle Of Britain - for which IIRC they raided the Spanish Air Force of much of their inventory in about '71 ish. Cambridgeshire was awash with great WWII formations for they flew/filmed much of it at Duxford

The Blue Max - early days of effects and excellent scnes of flying under the bridge.

Both films come to mind as having a plot of sorts too!

[BEagle]

Reheat On, Battle of Britain was made in 1969 - I went to the premiere in Nottingham. Flying sequences were excellent, so was Susannah York in webbing at the London Hotel! The shots of the Buchons crossing the hedge at nought-foot-six were truly epic. During the movie making, 'Dolfo Galland was given a trip in a 2-seat Buchon (or so I read) and did his famous routine for the first time in 24 years. The old boy loved it and stepped out drenched in sweat!

Dam Busters (preferably not the PC version with fluffy editing) and Reach for the Sky are the true classics though!

But Susannah York in webbing.......!!!!

[ 05 October 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[SATCOS WHIPPING BOY]

A more apt movie in todays military
climate would be 'One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest' :eek:

[Jambo Jet]

Wouldnt "Carry on up the Kyber" be more apt just now ?

[sharp'n'pointy]

The only thing we saw at cranwell was blackadder goes forth. :D

[Zoom]

I had the distinct priviledge of meeting Douglas Bader in the 70s and I realised then what a good job Kenneth Moore did of portraying him in 'Reach for the Sky'. Whether DB was right or wrong with his Big Wing Theory, he had amazing charisma and could twist people around his little finger, as demonstrated in the film. This has made subsequent viewings of the film even more enjoyable for me. However, I think 'The Right Stuff' is my favourite, although I do get a real buzz from watching Tom Cruise et al in 'Top Gun' and similar movies with their masks off, shouting through the perspex at their wingies while racking into their 2g turns. Aaaah, Hollywood.

[Reheat On]

Thanks for that correction Beag's - I must be losing it for I have 2 unaccounted years.... they seem to have passed me b, literaly!

Maybe I am lucky it is only 2!

Coincidentally, I think it was Michael York in The Blue Max IIRC ... but no attraction there ;-)

Are any of these films out on DVD now?

[BEagle]

Ah no, Bruno Stachel was played by George Peppard. Michael York wasn't in the film at all - but Ursula Andress certainly was as Countess Kaeti von Klugermann. Nice - but not as nice as the BoB webbing scene!!

'Reach For the Sky' is available on DVD (for example, from Amazon), but not BoB, Dam Busters or The Blue Max......yet??

[ 07 October 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[melchett]

If you want a flying movie that's possibly still relevant to the military today.........Catch 22

And you can't go past Michael Caine's classic line out of The Battle of Britain.

"How much longer OPS.....the engine's overheating and so am I....we either stand down or blow up, which do you want???

[PlasticCabDriver]

Following tonight's events, it's surely 'Target for Tonight', an RAF wartime (propaganda?) film.

"It's a peach of a target, Sir!"

[rollerbob]

How about Dive Bomber - yet more Errol Flynn, this time with Fred MacMurray. Glorious Technicolor, made/released 1940/41 prior to American entry into WW2. More Devestators etc than you can shake a stick at and backdrop of San Diego (North Island).
Plot's a bit pants though (Flynn is hunky aeromed researching hypoxia and g-loc; actually that reads better than it's acted).
Look out for plucky medical failure pilot who joins RAF to fly the latest fighter - a camo PT-22 :eek:

[Posting, Posting, NOW]

"Always" my fave, Richard Dreyfuss fighting fires while dead. I think it is a remake of a 1940's film 'A Guy Named Joe' - anyone seen that?

And (prepares for flames) I'm sorry but 'Top Gun' is a great movie. A $30M aircraft with the worlds best air search radar and million dollar radar guided air to air missile - six inches behind the enemy and they still can't get a lock on!!! Better switch to guns! I loved it.

[teeteringhead]

I liked the bit in Top Gun where the nav gets it. (sorry fellas - only banter honest)

[BEagle]

'Always' is memorable for 3 scenes:

1. The opening shot of the Catalina taken with a very long lens.

2. When the trainees drop fire retardant mud all over.....oh bo££ocks, what's his name - the fat guy.

3. When the lovely Holly Hunter comes downstairs in that white dress......aaargh - almost in the Susannah-in-suspenders league!

[dazbo]

Saw a really bad one the other day - Can't remember name but starred George Peppard, George Permatan and Maximillian Schell about a group of students in Paris who agree to meet at the same cafe at end of war. Flying bit had RAF in Merlin engined 109's and models of Luftwaffe in flying sequence were 'crossed' Spitfires - historical detail?

Also the film that was the inspiration for Airplane! was so bad that it was almost funnier than Airplane! itself. Again can't remember name so any clues out there.

'I've a question for you'
'What is it'
'An interogative statement but thats not important right now' :D

[moggie]

Limited Traffic Information - you are thinking of the "Airport" series, the original based on a novel by some american bloke whose name escapes me until I hit the "submit reply" button.

There were "Airport", "Airport 77", "Airport 80 - The Concorde" and probably some others that were too bad to register on the consciousness.

"Airport 80" was in fact a good deal funnier than "Airplane" - I just love the bit where the Captain sticks his hand out of the DV window in flight to fire a flare which decoys a Sparrow fired from an F4 owned by some long forgotten bad guy. Classic! looping the passnger carrying Vulcan Mk3 with 100 POB was great, too.

Good flims: "Battle of Britain" is priceless - not just for Susannah York in webbing and "Aces High" should rate a mention too.

Aces High contains a great line from David Wood (who was a regular on Play Away, with Brian Cant and Jeremy Irons): To very junior pilot in a french brothel "despite what Mummy said to you, it was not made for pissing through". I was 9 when I saw the film first time - that line stuck!!!!

[moggie]

Arthur Hailey wrote Airport.

I kept thinking of Alex Haley - but he wrote "Roots" - bit off the mark.

[Capt Pit Bull]

How about 'The Bridges at Toki-Ri'.

But for leadership surely nothing beats Flashearts briefing to the 20 minuters - woof!

CPB

[dazbo]

moggie

Sorry but Airplane is not based on Airport XX. The film it was based on has exactly the same plot lines but without the (intentional) humour and is an old black & white. Can't think of the name but will have a scan through the web to see if I can find it.

[BEagle]

I believe the film you are thinking of was titled "Flight into Danger" and was based on the book of the same name - which I remember reading at school in about 1964. Both pilots ate the fish, both got sick, some other mate has to land the ac, etc, etc. From which I deduced that pilots only eat things which smell of fish if they're not actually fish!!

[Flatus Veteranus]

Agree "Dawn Patrol" was the all-time great. Shot with surplus WW1 aeroplanes flown by unemployed ex-WW1 pilots - of whom they (Howard Hughes?) killed more than one, I believe. As a boy I was thrilled by "The First of the Few" - the Spitfire story with some superb sequences flown by Geoffry Quill, I believe. At Middleton St George "Sound Barrier", featuring the Swift prototype, was a cult film, mainly through morbid interest amongst the stus in what it looked like after you augured in vertically after "losing it". I think they detonated a 1,000lb charge and scattered bits of aluminium around the crater. At that time we were issued with bone domes for the first time and one of the stus with a particularly black sense of humour stencilled "Dig Here for Fred" on the top of his. Memphis Belle and The Fighting Lady were tops for WW2 combat photgraphy.

[TqNrT4NgGreenlightCWP]

'Always' does it for me too, but have to take issue with Beagle - Holly Hunter did look great in the white dress, but to me she looked even better in the flying suit.

BoB, 633 Sqn, Dambusters et al had all been shown at the local cinema recently when, as a mere lad of 12 or so, I attended the closing-down ceremony for RAF Tangmere with the rest of the Sussex Air Training Corps. A lone Spit flew by, and the parade held it's breath on a large lump in the throat (cue mixed metaphors) - but anyway it was better than any of the movies.

[ 16 October 2001: Message edited by: TqNrT4NgGreenlightCWP ]

[Chimbu chuckles]

Sorry guys...a civvy invading your space.
BoB Best movie ever!
Dam Busters..Yeah!
633 Squadron Yeah!
Always....now if Holly Hunter payed her cards right she could....sigh!!!

You lot(poms) made some great (war) movies just post WW2, none of the BS that America just can't seem to leave out, like the latest remake of pearl harbour!

Anyone remember a movie done at pinewood studios in the late 1940s called, I think, Hurricane Squadron? It had several actors who had actually flown hurricanes in the BoB. Starts off with a newbie ending up in the Wingco's front yard on landing. I'll have to ring my dad, (ex RAF late 40s to early 50s,French Foriegn Legion Air Wing and RAAF), he has it on tape.

Chuck.
Edited for Always

[ 17 October 2001: Message edited by: Chimbu chuckles ]

[BEagle]

Wasn't that the movie where 'Septic' "pancakes on the 'drome" as a shot-up Hurricane lands crosswind in front of him? I think that was 'Way to the Stars' featuring Halfpenny Field (not Halfpenny Green, Bobbington, Wolverhampton, Ambridge International or whatever it's now called).

Still think that Holly looked very yummy in the first shot wearing that dress - but equally good in the rest of 'Always'.

[ 17 October 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[Gainesy]

Yes that was "Angels One Five" and Jack Hawkins played Harry Staish.
Ever notice in the cockpit shots of 633Sqn that there is no fin?

[Chimbu chuckles]

Beagle yes that's the movie! The chap who play the character who was so miffed initially at the newbie for getting in his way was a Battle of Britian Hurricane vet in real life!
The badly burned sector controller who so frightened Susanah Yorke in BoB was also a real life vet of that 'tumult in the clouds' who was one of the early plastic surgery guinea pigs.

As a teenager in Sydney Paul Brickhill was a neighbour and another chap who ran a local camera and remote control model aeroplane shop was a BoB vet. Spent hours listening to them. His shop was called Red Baron something or other from his squadron nickname. While a bona fide ace himself he had also been shot down more often than he shot others from the sky, hence his sqadron mates were never quite sure who's side he was on.

Chuck. :D

[BEagle]

Gainesy is right - the movie with 'Septic' and Jack Hawkins playing 'The Tiger' (Groupie - or Harry-the-staish in yoofspeak) was indeed 'Angels One-Five'.

'The Way to the Stars' was about a bomber station Somewhere-in-England (Halfpenny Field) with John Mills and Michael Redgrave. Good film - but sadly no Susannah-in-suspenders or Holly-in-that-dress....!!

[Lou Scannon]

Tch Tch, do none of you youngsters remember "High Flight"? It was all about Cranwell in the late 50's and how the heroes eventually progressed to a Hunter Squadron in Germany. Memorable shots included a Vampire 5 taxying out for take off, being recalled because of weather getting bad but the hero pulling out his pig-tail and getting airborne anyway...in a Vampire T11.
I went to watch it with a bunch of mates from 2FTS at Syerston. We all agreed that we had made the right choice in avoiding "The college" and joining the Service "the working class way".

[Gainesy]

Lou, was that the one with air-to-air of 43Sqn Hunters doing aeros?
Saw a Russian movie once when "the Regiment fulfilled its Patriotic Duty by meeting its training targets...", bloody impressive or what?

[waco]

Hands up all those that have seen "Appointment in London" feature Lancs in action. Durk Bogaret stars (sorry, never could spell).

[Lou Scannon]

Gainsey: Absolutely. The story was that the RAF wouldn't let them cut a hole in the front of one of their Hunters for the camera. so they cut a hole in the front of the Hawker machine, chinagraphed a viewfinder on the front screen and sent the pilot off to fill it up with shots of the other Hunters flying. The shots of the burning Hunter on the ground were provided thanks to one of the JP's who, reportedly, put his Hunter down rather hard so they set fire to it again for the film.You can probably still get the film on old 78rpm records!
And here's another gem:
When they filmed the Dambusters at Scampton the Station was filled with actors dressed as Officers and Aircrew NCO's. No one actually in the Service knew who to salute and who to ignore. The order went round for all the actors to wear dark brown shoes (which they did).
The request was relayed to Richard Todd, who of course played Wg.Cdr.Gibson. He declined, pointing out that he had held the rank of Lt.Col. in the army and therefore felt no embarrassment dressed as a Wingco!

[BEagle]

Lou - yes, the film 'High Flight' was shown a while ago on TV - fortunately I managed to record it (for personal use, of course) as I've no idea where it can be acquired from elsewhere. Some excellent flying sequences; not just the Hunters but also the Piston Provost low-flying scenes! And the Vampire which takes off, clips the grass and just clears the cameraman....

[ 19 October 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[MajorMadMax]

Personally, I got hooked on the USAF from watching all those episodes of 'I Dream of Jeannie' as a kid. Barbara Eden...hot d@mn tamale! :eek:

The show was famous for having Maj Tony Nelson take off in a F-4, fly around in a F-105, then land in a F-86 (or something like that). F***ing magic!

But I digress...

[Arkroyal]

One corker for excellent footage of 1950s crabs is 'conflict of wings'

John Gregson (septic from angels-one-five) is our hero. It's set in East Anglia and revolves around a gunnery range and a flock of geese who think they own it. Drossy love interest with typical 50s 'posh bird'.

Great shots of Vampires and Venoms and period crab station life.

[fobotcso]

Oh, that'll be nice then, eh FV? :D
But if no Hunters it'll be before my time.
(Wot's a period Crab then? You're not going to admit, at last, that we've actually got some traditions? :confused: )

Please, no-one mention bad habits.

[cerberus_the_dog]

My all time favourite is the classic "Battle of Britain" because it feels authentic and has some of the best one liners...
Flight Commander of the Polish Training Squadron demonstrating excellent power of command after his wards have peeled off to attack a German formation, "SILENCE...IN POLISH!".
Robert Shaw as a Squadron OC returning to base (which is full of craters) to find a number of German airmen POWs being unloaded from a truck..
"Corporal, where are you taking these vultures?"
"Officers to the mess, NCOs to the guardroom sir"
"Well they're responsible for this mess, get them to clean it up"
"But sir, what about the officers?"
"Give them a bloody shovel!"

[BEagle]

Have mentioned 'Conflict of Wings' on this site before - and also taped it off TV. One of the most interesting aspects of the 'period shots' is the sheer number of servicemen on a typical RAF station. And no PFIs, IiP rubbish, PC behaviour, Budget Management.............

[fobotcso]

Yes Beagle, but this is a thread about Movies and I'm not a film buff so I mustn't hijack it but may I just reinforce your comment?

When I joined my first sqn in 1955 there were still over 250,000 serving in RAF uniform; there were 90 fighter sqn colours I was supposed to memorise and I can't even remember whether that was just 11 Gp or 11 and 12 Gp together.

There were 15 or 18 of those sqns within a 30-40 nm radius of my station (a standard two day- and one night-fighter sqn outfit).

The station had a grand total of three Wg Cdrs and 8 Sqn Ldrs (as well as the Gp Capt Staish, of course. But we called him God in those days).

Saturday mornings were often a sortie of a Balbo of six or eight DF Interceptor sqns mixing it over East Anglia followed by a parade of anything up to 400 men on the parade square. The station must have had 1000-1200 personnel on it.

Just like you see on the movies - except for the funerals every so often. I'd helped to bury 11 pilots before I'd completed two year's aircrew service.

Not glorifying anything here or claiming "how much better it was in those days". Not at all; it wasn't, because we were paid a pittance and we were b uggered about no end but we didn't realise that there was a better way. But this may be of interest to the younger guys who would like to get a flavour for a former way of life and know that what they saw on the movies was close to reality.

{Edited because I object to being censored from using the words b uggered about. For heaven's sake it's part of the language now.}

[ 20 October 2001: Message edited by: fobotcso ]

[BEagle]

fobotsco - sorry, I didn't mean the post to read the way it does; my computer ate the bit which went on (after 'TV') "..and I agree that it was a classic piece which gives an interesting insight into how things were 'beck then' as the female lead might have said."

[Arkroyal]

Was quite enjoying your piece, fobotsco, until I got to the bit about balbos on Saturday morning

Crabs flying at the weekend???

Nah. I'll have to lift you on that one!! :D

[fobotcso]

Ark, true Honest! But then we had Wednesday afternoons off for "Sports" afternoons. Now bite on that!

Good bit on the wireless today about size of the Forces in 52-53. Over 1¼ million! (about ½ million+ army seems low). Large number were National Service of course and my figure of ¼ million RAF 3 years later also included those worthies.

No probs Beagle, I hadn't found fault, I just butted in. Remember, this is a movie thread - not for bad-mouthing Crabs.

[ 21 October 2001: Message edited by: fobotcso ]

[Fly 72]

Got to agree with Waco - Appointment In London, with Dirk Bogarde, is perhaps one of the best overall films about Bomber Command. The flying sequences are nothing special and the storyline is rather hacknyed - Wg Cdr is pushing to do 'just one more' so he can get in his 90th sortie and get posted to a ground job; Group say no but he manages to wangle himself on a Lanc full of 'odds and sods' including the ubiquitous USAF exchange officer (who incidentally has been banned from flying on raids by the USAF), Master Bomber gets shot down over the target but Wingco saves the day...and returns to ensure his crew make thier 'Appointment in London' to pick up tea and medals at the Palace. The film is dedicated to those crews who did not manage to make their Appointment In London - nice touch.
However, the film has a great period feel and for those with an interest in Bomber Command it is a must see. The Mess Party sequence towards the end of the film is very moving and poignant.

[Flatus Veteranus]

One of the features of "Appointment in London" that sticks in the memory was the background music. There was a rendering of "I don't want to join the Air Force..." slightly muffled, with the words a little bowdlerised. And also another ditty which I never heard anywhere other than in the film .
"...don't wnat to fly and don't want to fight
I've much better things to do in the night..."

Wednesday afternoons at Middleton in the early 50s were sports afternoons, but most of the QFIs were so knackered that we did "Egyptian PT" (On yer backs DOWN! Deep breathing by numbers COMMENCE!). Saturday morning was usually a station parade, but if we were behind with the task, we flew on through the weekend. The routine was flexible. If the met briefing at 0700 was hopeless the Wingco Flying (a mad Irishman) would declare "No flying today. Bar Officer, open the bar!" Woe betide you if you were in the bar on St Patrick's day and the clag lifted. "Fitz" would call for a balbo - "brief on Distress last man airborne's a cissy". He would then lead the balbo over the airfield and at the crucial moment he would roll inverted. With a few whiskies inside him his rolls weren't as accurate as he thought they were, so his Nos 2 & 3 learned to space themselves out a tad. :eek:

[Pom Pax]

Could never understand why the Ruskies never sprang a surprise attack on a Wednesday afternoon. They must have known.
Remember seeing burnt Hunter on the Chivenor boundary. Was that the one refered to?
Now off to The Astra, Strategic Air Command, loved those B47s, sure it was supposed to be serious but the audience seemed to treat it like a Whitehall farce.

[Tiger_ Moth]

The Great Waldo Pepper
Its really great. It portrays the golden age of flying in the 1920s and has all sorts of bi plane-tastic stunts and larks. Very good flying scenes with vintage planes. Also shows how the CAA over regulated everything and broke Pepper.

Has anyone seen "Those magnificent men and their flying machines" ? Is it good/plot outline please?

[RATBOY]

Magnificent men in their flying machines has essentially no plot. Lots of sight gags, etc. Don't get technical with it, just laugh your *#$#& off.


Believe some posts confuse "Dawn Patrol" with "Wings" a Howard Hughes produced/directed spectacular that trashed a goodly number of WW1 or their abouts vintage A/C.

Best flying movie of all time is still BoB. See it on an IMAX screen from row 10 center, it's the next (well, next to next) best thing to aerobatics in a Stearman on a spring afternoon.

[Arkroyal]

Septic Calling..........

Angels one - five Channel 4, 1520 hrs this afternoon.

Plot for TMMITFM - Whacky races in the air!

[Mycroft]

Looks like Ch4 are reading this thread, not only the above, but The Dawn Patrol is on at 13.25 on 8th Nov

[rivets]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Chicken Run" yet, a cliché in every scene!

(Though, we might have lost the leadership thread a little?.......or have we???)

[moggie]

"Chicke Run" fabulous film. I love the bit when Ginger is in the cooler (coal bunker) doing the Steve McQueen baseball bit with a cabbage.

Not stricly a flying film, but Apollo 13 is a really terrific example of managing to sustain the tension even though we all know the outcome before the film starts.

Hpowever, I agree with another poster that "The Sound Barrier" is fantastic. Rivetting, realistic with just a little of old British movie cheesiness.

[Tiger_ Moth]

I think Battle of Britain is a decent film and it has good flying in it but I think its over rated by a lot of people. Its flaw is that it trys to take too broad an approach: its got about 20 main characters , you dont know whose where, what they're doing and it never stays on anyone for more than a few minutes. This is seen in many 50/60s war films. I think it would be better if they had one main character at one squadron rather trying to show everything.
Another example of this would be the Longest Day: it shows you the whole invasion on all the beaches and has generals for main characters. I think its better when its someone's expierience of the battle rather than a film about the battle itself.

[Udeski]

Was it BoB where the shot moves from Ops, which has just been pulverised by incoming - dust and debris everywhere - to the Tannoy speaker to hear the Cpl spotter on top of one of the hangars announce that "...the Germans are bombing the airfield....!" Memory fails through age and last night's Happy Hour. Still hilarious though! :D

[BEagle]

Nope - 'Angels One Five'! Just after the Ops controller instructed his team to put on their 'Battle Bowlers'!!

[JMJ]

I still remember being about 7 years old and seeing the Aeronauts ( the story about those 2 French AF Mirage pilots )loved that show.
As far as films go The Sound Barrier, remember when the guy puts the Spitfire into a dive and recovers by pushing the stick forward.

[Zoom]

I liked the bits in BoB where, due to an obvious shortage of vintage aircaft, large bomber formations were created by superimposing various bits of film. Unfortunately, some of the formations were filmed in bumpy conditions and others weren't, so half of the aircraft and painted-on flak jogged across the screen and the rest stayed steady. Oh, and the 60s Mae Wests, opened out to look like the WW2 ones!

[Murphy]

Five pages and no-one has mentioned "Wings of the Apache"............................................................ ..................................................... ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ .............I'll get me coat!!

[MightyGem]

For obvious reasons....