Favorite (Aviation) Movie

[thaina09123]

Hello all,

As the name suggested, what is your favorite movie? As for myself, Air America is my all time aviation favorite. I love those STOL planes and short fields. Can't beat that adventures.

and yourself?

 

[chris]

There is nothing to argue here- the best aviation movie of all time (without a doubt) is Hot Shots, and Airplane in a close 2nd. I'd probably rank both of these equally though.

 

[PaulRix]

Has to be "Battle of Britain". Favorite quote from that movie - "You can teach monkeys to fly better than that!"

 

[USMCmech]

Memphis Belle, love those old warbirds.


I liked the airplane and battle sceens from Pearl Harbor, especially the Doolitle raid takeoff.

It's a shame the rest of the plot stank so badly.


"Air America" suffered the same fate. Lousy plot, great airplane footage.

 

[Aviator737]

Memphis Belle, hands down.

 

[JC1188]

air force one, with harrison ford

 

[CaptainMatt]

"Iron Eagle" is my all time favorite, a little cheesy, but heck parts of it were filmed at my home airport.


"Damnit Chappy, I'm doing it my way!" (que 80's music).

 

[kellwolf]

[ QUOTE ]
I liked the airplane and battle sceens from Pearl Harbor, especially the Doolitle raid takeoff.

It's a shame the rest of the plot stank so badly.

[/ QUOTE ]

What? You didn't like the "Japenese bomb a love triangle" story?


I gotta go with Memphis Belle, too. I try to get out and see the actual plane as often as I can (esp since the Air Force might exercise the clause that will move it from Memphis to Wright/Patterson

). The plot was WAY "hollywood-ized" from the real thing, but it's still a great movie.

 

[clrd4takeoff]

My favorite movie is Mercy Mission, Rescue of Flight 771.

They played it on TV a fews years back. It's about the New Zeland 308 Captain (Gordon Vetti) that uses several crude navigational techniques to find a pilot (Jay Parkins) lost over the Pacific Ocean. It is based on a true story that happened in the late 70's.

TL

 

[Indigo]

The Blue Max.

 

[Cheechako]

Iron Eagle VI: Chappy's Triple Bypass

 

[SteveC]

Would anyone go for "The Great Waldo Pepper"?

 

[Fearless]

I've suffered through an awful lot of BAD aviation movies. Here's a couple of really good ones:

(1) The original version of "The Flight of the Phoenix". Stellar acting and a fascinating plot. I hear that a new version of this story will be re-released, probably in the next six months or so. It will be interesting to see how this stacks up against the original.

(2) The TV movie "Tuskegee Airmen" (HBO, mid-90's), starring Laurence Fishburne. An amazing story of bravery and honor, set against the horror of WW2 and the racism of American society in the mid-40's.

FFFI

 

[Mr_Creepy]

Great:
Airplane
Always

Ok:
TopGun
Iron Eagle
Executive Decision (except the Remora part LOL)

Sucky:
Pearl Harbor
any Airport movie
Die Hard 2 - Die Harder
Air Force One
Flight of the Intruder

 

[A300Capt]

I always liked Airport '75 (yea, I know...go ahead and laugh and get it out of your system!

) Great aerial shots of a real (not computer generated) B747 flying through the mountains. Efrem Zimbalist Jr made a great salty ole' silver haired 747 Capt.

 

[jetman]

The Great Waldo Pepper
The Blue Max
Flight of the Phoenix

 

[cessna2351]

[ QUOTE ]
air force one, with harrison ford

[/ QUOTE ]

**barf**

Harrison ford is good but every other actor/actress in that movie did a crappy job. Namely Glenn Close and William Macy. I think that is Close's worst movie of all of her's I've seen. Plus the storyline is just a little too farfetched for me.

Airport 75 and Airplane are the two classics in my opinion.

I think the worst aviation movie I've ever seen was a made for cable (USA i think, maybe TBS) movie a few years back where a bomb threat is reported on a plane and at the end of the movie some lethal gas gets into the cabin killing a jumpseating pilot who went to investigate it, hell I can't remember. I can't remember for the life of me what it was the name of it was, maybe this will ring a bell with someone else.

 

[mavsfflife]

[ QUOTE ]
There is nothing to argue here- the best aviation movie of all time (without a doubt) is Hot Shots, and Airplane in a close 2nd. I'd probably rank both of these equally though.

[/ QUOTE ]

tally one more up for airplane..have loved that one for years, and come to think of it, "that was when my drinking probably began" <<spills drink on shoulders>>

 

[tonyw]

Airplane.

 

[Aviator737]

[ QUOTE ]
I think the worst aviation movie I've ever seen was a made for cable (USA i think, maybe TBS) movie a few years back where a bomb threat is reported on a plane and at the end of the movie some lethal gas gets into the cabin killing a jumpseating pilot who went to investigate it, hell I can't remember. I can't remember for the life of me what it was the name of it was, maybe this will ring a bell with someone else.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you're referring to Nowhere to Land, with Jack Wagner. I didn't think it was that bad, for a made-for-TV movie anyway. Nothin' to write home about either.

I agree with Fearless. Flight of the Phoenix is another one of the greats. I'm curious about the new one too, though I don't have my hopes set too high. You know how remakes usually are ...

As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, Fearless, with Jeff Bridges, is probably the best aviation-related movie. It's not directly an aviation story, but rather deals with the post traumatic stress disorder of an airline disaster. Amazing film.