Aviation History Movies

[Rob Sherlin]

 Despite the movies seen, for those of you who have been in AFJROTC, Aerospace Education Classes, and so forth (you know the ones I'm talking about!....the guys on rocket powered roller skates with wings.....The "flapping" bicycle machines and such).

  Name some movies that give you an actual history of aviation.............

  I will name one off the top of my head that deals with WWI.........."Fly Boys"!

[lordmonar]

12 O'clock High
Stratigic Air Command
Spirt of St Louis
Tuskegee
Memphis Belle
God is my Co-pilot

[jimmydeanno]

Command Decision is a good one too.

[lordmonar]

Forgot about The Right Stuff!

[Rob Sherlin]

Dreams of Flight: The History of Aviation (2001)

Wish they'd do a movie on more specific "aces" in history. It would be interesting to know the thoughts and lives of those pilots (friendly or foe) at different times in history. What ridicule did the "Wrights" actually go through before making people say "WOW!!!"...etc...

[A.Member]

Aerospace related:

• The Right Stuff
• In the Shadow of the Moon
• Apollo 13
• Bat 21
• The Aviator
• The Battle of Britain
• The Blue Max

Boy, looking at this kind of illustrates the need for more/updated aerospace movies out of Hollywood.     There are a lot of amazing stories that should be told.

[MIKE]

• The Blue Max

http://www.hulu.com/watch/24431/the-blue-max

[Gunner C]

Aerospace related:

• The Right Stuff
• In the Shadow of the Moon
• Apollo 13
• Bat 21
• The Aviator
• The Battle of Britain
• The Blue Max

Boy, looking at this kind of illustrates the need for more/updated aerospace movies out of Hollywood.     There are a lot of amazing stories that should be told.

I'd scratch Bat 21 if you're showing it to cadets - it's rated R.

[A.Member]

I'd scratch Bat 21 if you're showing it to cadets - it's rated R.

Good point.  I was just simply listing films without regard as to the intended audience.

[lordmonar]

I'd scratch Bat 21 if you're showing it to cadets - it's rated R.

Good point.  I was just simply listing films without regard as to the intended audience.

I would also scratch BAT-21 due to its gross historical/tactical errors.

[A.Member]

I'd scratch Bat 21 if you're showing it to cadets - it's rated R.

Good point.  I was just simply listing films without regard as to the intended audience.

I would also scratch BAT-21 due to its gross historical/tactical errors.

That's all Hollywood movies though. 

The Right Stuff is full of errors as well.  Nonetheless, the films can serve as a platform for learning.  Perhaps even begin by discussing the factual errors of a film.

[Rob Sherlin]

  I think there's a lot of flaws in a lot of movies. For example: When most people think of the "Red Baron", they think of a WWI German fighter ace, who flies a red DR-1 triwing (this concept comes through missguided media).

  He did fly a DR.1, but most of his fame was in an "Albatross".

http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/richthofen2.php

  Being an illustrator/animator, I'm thinking about putting together a publication about different "famous" pilots through the ages. Nothing to complicated...Maybe a full page about them, and on the opposite page, a portrait of them with the plane they flew in the background.

[Rob Sherlin]

Back to movies.......

  There was some good stuff in "Pearl Harbor" too.

  (thought) I'm suprised I don't see "skip bombing" in movies (except for "Discovery Channel" history)....American Bombers invented that, and were the best at it (other countries have tried....but just weren't as good as our good ol' boys).

[CAPLAW]

What about flight of the intruder?

[A.Member]

What about flight of the intruder?

What would be the history lesson from that movie?

[Timbo]

What about flight of the intruder?

What would be the history lesson from that movie?

The Movie is from the 1980's........that was the past

[jimmydeanno]

What about flight of the intruder?

What would be the history lesson from that movie?

It gives a view of the political climate of the time. 

It's got a heck of a lot more relevance that "Flight of the Navigator" 

[A.Member]

What about flight of the intruder?

What would be the history lesson from that movie?

It's got a heck of a lot more relevance that "Flight of the Navigator" 

The Movie is from the 1980's........that was the past

LOL!

[Cecil DP]

I would definitly have "Spirit of St Louis" in my Aerospace Library. It shows just what Lindbergh had to go through and the actual hazards of the flight. PLus you can always point out that the star was an Air Force Brigadier General

[SarDragon]

"Top Gun" and "Flight of the Intruder" were both crap, the latter being worse.

"Dambusters" was a lot closer to reality, and had a decent depiction of the events.