This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
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Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:53 am

Isn't "kick the tires and light the fires" from Top Gun?

Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:58 am

Django wrote:Isn't "kick the tires and light the fires" from Top Gun?


I laughed out loud when I heard that line, it was so lame.

Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:01 pm

I think my eyebrow twitched a bit on that one as well.......at least they didn't add "Goodness Gracious, Great Balls o' Fire"!!!

Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:23 pm

The death of that WASP in "Cold Case" reminds me of the death of Cornelia Fort, a Womens Auxiliary Ferrying Service (WAFS) pilot.

Depending on the source you read, Cornelia Fort...who had over a thousand hours in the cockpit... OR the Cadet pilot Frank E. Stamme, who had 267 flight hours...was at fault.

That Cornelia flew INTO Stamme's BT-13 while flying formation was Stamme's story, while the fellow WAFS suggest that he attempts at flirting on the ground with Cornelia rose to the heights near Abilene, Texas, where he did an aerobatic attempt to show his prowess to impress Cornelia... caused the death of Cornelia.

The official report is quoted: "... collided with Cornelia's plane. His landing gear and the tip of Cornelia's left wing crashed together. The tip broke away along with six feet of the leading edge. Her plane eventually hit the ground in a vertical position. The engine went two feet into the ground."

Cornelia Fort Air Park, Nashville, TN, is named in memory. Patsy Cline flew FROM there and was returning TO Cornelia Fort Air Park when she was killed.

Cornelia Fort was in an Interstate Cadet above John Rogers Field (now Honolulu International) teaching her student touch and go on Dec 7, 1941.

Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:48 pm

Django wrote:Isn't "kick the tires and light the fires" from Top Gun?


I don't remember that quote being in that movie...but the saying certainly predates the movie by a longshot.

Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:57 pm

"Independence Day".

Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:41 pm

The earliest mention I could find was Korea, but either way, it doesn't matter I guess.

BTW, I edited my post with a much better quality link to the show with no annoying surveys.

Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:19 am

I recorded it on my DVR and sped thpugh it just to see the airplanes.

Unless I'm mistaken, wasn't a WASP doing a blindfold check in a BT-13 and she proudly announced the location of the landing gear switch?

Nice scene near the end with the P-38 on the ramp at night.

The head WASP had a weird uniform. Her hat insignia looks like a USAF emblem off an officers service dress uniform hat.

Non-aviation comment: ...anyone notice how modern TV shows do black and white photograhy?
I'm sure it's just color film with the color taken away in post production. It looks very cheesy compared with the "richer" looking black and white images we see in old films.

Wed Nov 04, 2009 10:31 am

I don't know if her uniform was exactly right, but it was fairly close.

http://www.wingsacrossamerica.us/wasp/g ... iforms.htm

As for the b/w, I don't think anyone shoots even color film anymore, let alone black and white. I think they wanted it to have the soft, almost sepia look. Look at a film like Sin City with super high contrast and vivid whites and blacks. Anything can be done in post, including the look of a real b/w film shot movie, but the director has to specify that it look exactly like that.
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