Warbird Information Exchange

When it comes to those old flicks from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, I think most of us were used to seeing the occaisonal aircraft stock footage being used for the wrong aircraft (i.e. Japanese "SBDs"). After all, the average film editor probably couldn't tell the difference between a Val and an Avenger in sillohuette. And the average person isn't likely to notice one or two mix-ups. After all, a plane is a plane, right?

However, I recently watched the Midway movie and was shocked by how badly they really screwed it up. There were some sequences where they used footage of SBDs, Avengers, Helldivers, Hellcats, Corsairs, Wildcats, and Mitchells interchangeably as the SAME aircraft. If it was blue and had American markings on it, it was fair game. It was comical to guess what aircraft would pop up next with each different piece of stock footage they used.

I also recently watched the Flying Tigers movie with John Wayne and couldn't help but notice the mockup P-40s. I think was likely due to a shortage of spare P-40s at the time the picture was filmed (it was still 1942, after all). But at least they knew was P-40s looked like...well, sorta.

Any nominations out there for worst aircraft accuracy in flicks?

I would have said Flying Tigers also.......you gotta love the close ups and the 5' wide cockpit. Also there was another movie........cant remember the name, maybe someone can help.......there was a movie that had N3N's in it that was color..and a Flight Surgon was learning how to fly......I remember one of the flying sequences where they were flying a N3N and he was trying to land and then it showed a Travel Aire "I think" bouncing up and down off the ground with big tires. Though I can understand this because if they used a N with her 30x5 Bendix tires, It would have been a mess.

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Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
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"The Guns of Navaronne" -"german" Piper Cub flies overhead to the Merlin audio of a Mustang/Spitfire.

Your thinking of 'Dive Bomber' with Errol Flynn, Fred McMurray and Ralph Bellamy. Great movie with awesome color footage of pre-war naval aviation.
The worst how about 'Eagle Squadron'. Oscar Coen told me that the Eagles were guests at the premier in London. He said that it was so embarassing they snuck out the back door during the flick with some crawling on their hands and knees!

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Don't touch my junk!!

Doesn't every movie from the 60/70s with a Cub, Auster, Tiger Moth or the like have Merlin sound attached? Better yet, when a twin loses an engine in a movie you suddenly bank at least 40 degrees with people falling around the cabin like crazy. Flying must be dangerous....

T J

Why hasn't anyone mentioned Iron Eagle I-IV?

III is the only one I've seen. P-51A as a bf109, or the 'Messerschmitt 263' *shudder*.

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Dan Johnson

The Flying Leathernecks used wrecked F6F's for Japanese planes!

Chris

First off, I originally LIKED "Midway" - because I was 16, and the theater was equipped with Sensurround, and I hadn't yet seen all the movies they borrowed footage from (frankly I'm surprised they didn't borrow some footage of TBDs from "Dive Bomber"). If they'd spent more time with Henry Fonda as Admiral Nimitz and less with Charlton Heston it might have helped. Watch "Task Force" instead. But back to "least accurate aircraft" - gotta be the Yugoslavian "Battle of the Eagles" hands down. Not a single correct WWII plane in it, mostly '50s/'60s Soko trainers... like having an American WWII movie with T-28s and S2Fs playing the fighters and bombers .

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

I think in the movie "Wild Geese" Roger Moore has the number one engine of the Dak "conk out" (to use movie lingo) so he deals with that by chopping the mixture on number two.

(Not that that's never been done!)

But if you want to see it get done right, watch Jimmy Stewart cage the engine on the C-82 in "Flight of the Phoenix". You can tell that man was the real deal.

Dan

No, no no.

A clear winner has to be the European 'From Hell to Victory' with George Peppard among others. (George, why?)

Many movies have the wrong planes. This is the ONLY movie with a Hispano Buchon (you know, the Spanish 109, right?) pretending to be a Spitfire. Original you'll agree. But the clincher is the Spitfire painted up as a Messerschmitt. Unbeatable combo!

Cheers

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Hey! I worked on IE IV Good food and my very first air-to-air shoots. I have not seen the movie in a long time but from what I remember it was not as bad as the pilot falling out of the Spit in IE III and hanging on to the cockpit. That is a classic. Anyway we sure had fun at the movie company's expense. The flying lasted six weeks. One Harvard we mounted seven cameras externally. I did articles for Air Classics and Texans and Trojans on teh Harvard flying in the movie.

Cheers,

Eric

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The air resounds from the Rolls-Royce roar!
To an enemy the warning is dire: here only eagles soar,
and the last thing he'll see is a mirrored Spitfire!

First, I would not consider Midway as a bad movie as this was an opportunity to watch real WW.2 action color film abstracts which explained that someone take-off in one type of aircraft and lands or ditch in another one.

In my opinion, the forst is Where Eagles dare with the Luftwaffe flying a BEll-47D in German Army markings

Some of you fella's must be real old!
I haven't heard of most of these movies?
John Wayne, is that one or two actors????

Seriously, didn't Midway have a C130 in it too somewhere?
I can recall a Movie that was based on Sabres and Migs in Korea and some of the shoot em down scenes showed prop aircraft hitting the dirt,
Can't recall it but it was something like 30 seconds over somewhere in Korea. I think William Holden was in it, or was it Robert Mitchum..........

Digger

"Fighter Squadron" also has P-51s (A's and D's) painted up as german fighters... shooting at and being shot down by Thunderbolts. That always bothered me as a P-51 fan...

Ryan

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