Looking 4 Additional Information on Making of Tora Tora Tora

[gary1954]

Does anyine know if there were Camera Ships used in the making of Tora Tora Tora, and if so, what was used as the flying photo platforms?
Thanks in Advance, Someone in WIX always has the answer.

[Jerry O'Neill]

The camera ship used in Tora, Tora, Tora was a helicopter, but so far I've been unable to confirm what type. I believe it was a SUD Alouette, but I'm not 100% sure. I am also not sure if the helicopter was the same one used during the USS Yorktown takeoff sequence shot off the California coast prior to the aircraft traveling to Oahu.

The use of the helicopter caused some problems for the faster flying aircraft that needed to fly at reduced power levels. The B-17's in particular, had a lot of fouled plugs working around the helicopter's limitations.
I do not believe there were any fixed wing aircraft used as camera ships.

Maybe David Aiken is out there somewhere and can chime in to help out!
Blue skies,
Jerry

[gary1954]

thanks Jerry, I appreciae you getting back with me

[Chris Brame]

I'll doublecheck, but I believe the original Air Classics article mentioned a Bell JetRanger as the camera ship. Must have been fun filming the dogfight sequences with that!

[Dave Homewood]

There's a wonderful sequence in the film where the P-40's are tail chasing some Zero's and you see the sequence looking back at a head on shot of these aircraft. I'm not convinced that was filmed from a helicopter, more like a camera mounted beneath a fixed-wing aeroplane pointing backwards I would think. I may be wrong of course but that's the impression I get.

[gary1954]

Thanks guys, I was wondering if there was ever a definitive listing of the aircraft used in the film too include camera ships choppers or whatever was flying. Wouldn't these all fall under the control of the Property Master?

[Dave Homewood]

There was a very good article on the making of the film in FlyPast magazine in the 1990's, with a full list of aircraft used (I think it did include camera ships but I'm not certain). I don't have a copy to hand but someone on the FlyPast Forum may be able to find it. I think the subject has been discussed there before too of camera aircraft, not certain but hit rings a bell.

[gary1954]

IF anyone can run across the list/post and can drop it in the Forum, I'd appreciate it,

[Jerry O'Neill]

The Flypast article is indeed a good source of info, but it only mentions the helicopter in the article and doesn't list it with the participating aircraft. It does leave out a third P-40 that I believe was John Paul's and didn't fly in the film. Also, they do mention the A-24 being there but have a question mark about it being in the film. (It wasn't)
In addition, there are no specific numbers or ID's for the 21-25 T-6's modified in Japan for use in the film. There were no Vals constructed or seen in the sequences filmed in Japan, and many of the shots in the film have unmodified T-6's in the background just painted as Kates. They did have a handful of Tora replica's built, both some Zeroes and at least three Kates, just no record of the actual ID's. I also don't believe that used any of those Kates in Japan on the Carrier set, just the modified T-6 Zeroes and un-modified T-6's

If you PM me with your e-mail, I can send you a scan of the Flypast List.
Jerry

[David_Aiken]

Thanks, Jerry,
for the kind words. As much as I would like to help...I do not have that answer. Fred Maupin did a study of the TORA movie aircraft for a monograph thus I asked him to weigh in...

Fred...Where are you?

Cheers,
David Aiken