Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

[speeddemon]

Okay, you have to limit your answer to ONE SCENE and ONE SCENE only from any theatrical aviation movie. I don't want entire movie names listed, or a list of a whole bunch of scenes grouped together from the same movie. It has to be one scene (or sequence) from the movie (i.e. Frank Tallman flying the Beech 18 through the billboard in MMMMW, or the P-51 'attack' sequence out of Empire of the Sun) No CGI crap either.

What is THE BEST aviation/flying sceen you've ever seen, and why? And the first wisecrack that says the 'elephant gun' scene out of Iron Eagle III gets a smack upside the head.

I nominate the 'take-off' scene from Catch-22. Nuff said.

[SCEPTER]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

P-51 'attack' sequence out of Empire of the Sun) Nuff said.

What he said.

[Warren_C]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

Flying - McQueen buzzing the field to make a point. the "War Lover"
Non-flying - The "Right Stuff, scene in bar with Pancho, describing the difference between pilots.

Also one of my favs - the Stearman flying in Capricorn One, Savalas (Albain) is classic

Robert Caulfield: You in charge here?
Albain: See that sign there?
Robert Caulfield: Yes.
Albain: Well, read it.
Robert Caulfield: I did.
Albain: Out loud.
Robert Caulfield: A&A Crop Dusting Service.
Albain: You wanna know who I am?
Robert Caulfield: I bet you're one of the A's.
Albain: But which one? I bet you can't answer that question, smartass.
Robert Caulfield: The first one.
Albain: Wrong.
Robert Caulfield: Can I have one more guess?
Albain: You got it.
Robert Caulfield: The second one.
Albain: Wrong. I'm both of them. My name is AlBaine. Now, I got a son. You know, the other A was for him but he don't like to fly. He became a lawyer. I think he's a pervert so I took the A away from him. You want to speak to someone in charge, you're speaking to the both of them.
Robert Caulfield: My name is Caulfield.
Albain: Hey, I can't help that.
Robert Caulfield: Mr Albaine, how much do you charge to dust a field?
Albain: Twenty five dollars.
Robert Caulfield: I'd like to hire your plane.
Albain: That'll be a hundred dollars.
Robert Caulfield: You said you charged twenty five?
Albain: Twenty five dollars to dust a field, but you ain't got no field because you ain't no farmer, which means you ain't poor and I think you're a pervert!
Robert Caulfield: Okay, one hundred.
Albain: One hundred and twenty five.
Robert Caulfield: What?
Albain: Because you said yes to a hundred too quick, which means you can afford a hundred and twenty five.

[MustangFan]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

the P-51 'attack' sequence out of Empire of the Sun

Yeah, I gotta go with that one as well. The look on the kid's face is priceless...

[Leo]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

Peter O'Toole teaching himself to fly in the Grumman Duck in "Murphy's War" great Frank Tallman flying.

The opening to "Always"

All the B-36 scenes in "Strategic Air Command" Sorry can't name just one.

The whole sequence with Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett in MMMW, some great lines!
"You down there on the ground, this is us up here in the air!"
"I gotta fly and handle the radio? What are you, the hostess?"

[ignomini]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

MMMMW was great stuff, but....

1941 - a classic

Tim Matheson attempting to molest Nancy Allen in the B-17 cockpit - eye candy

The bomb rolling across the hardstand as Robert Stack says "There will be no bombs dropped on LA." - priceless

[MRussell]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

MMMMW was great stuff, but....

On that note, I'd say pretty much anything that involved Art Scholl. I would also nominate the "combat" scenes from Top Gun, on the basis of pure cinematic merit.

[SpinB]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

The Rocketeer when all the little repli-racers broke formation for the Jenny(?).......oh jennifer connelly didn't hurt my feelins' either.... (C)

The A-26 'bombing' the PBY in the 'Always' opening sequence.....(B)

Dawn's Early Light B-52 dropping a Nuke on the Great White North to get the Soviet fighters.....Rebecca blind in one eye may have 'other' meanings for Powers Boothe (uh, that's not the gear handle ,dear)... (B.5)

The YB-49 sequences in the War of the Worlds......that 'Dog Hunts'..(A-)

This REALLY isn't a fair question, Speed.....there IS TOO many.....

[Leo]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

In Iron Eagle (1) there WAS that C-150 vs. motorcycle scene, flown by Art Scholl...
(ducking)

[MRussell]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

In Iron Eagle (1) there WAS that C-150 vs. motorcycle scene, flown by Art Scholl...
(ducking)

"He's gonna fly The Snake!"
"The Snake!?!? Oh no! That's where the (lastname) boy bought it!"
"What are you doing to my plane?"
"I'm adjusting your mixture."
"Why?"
"With the mixture set that lean, when you fly The Snake it will stall out and you'll bite it."
"Is that what happened to (other kid's name)?"
"That's what happened to him all right."

GREAT ONE! No need to duck, as that scene was cinemagraphically superb! It also featured a Tomahawk and a Decathalon. IIRC the Tomahawk ("murderhawk" I call them) did an amazing aileron roll right over the top of a ridge... awesome stuff by the late, great Art.

[rscott78]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

I say any of the crash scenes from "Air America"

[Apteryx]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

Helicopter chase in "Bird's of Prey", (it even stands up to slo-mo). Awesome flying!

Paul

[Peashooter]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

What, nothing from "ConAir", or "Out of Africa"? Actually, those Tiger Moth scenes in OOA were pretty nice, in spite of Meryl Streep. The DP gets major props!

Don't forget "Dam Busters" or "660 Squadron"!

On the funniest scene side, there's the scene in "Earthquake" where the runway splits open and what was an Amrican 707 on approach turned into an Eastern 727 on go-around. Even my wife caught that one!

[jarrodeu]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

Belly landing of a B-17 in 12 O'clock high (Mantz?). At least I thought it was pretty neat.

Jarrod

[Leo]

Re: Best Hollywood Aviation scene of all time?

"High Road to China" has some real nice Tiger Moth stuff.
Not a "scene" like asked for tho.
How about Paul Mantz' opening crash landing in 12 o Clock High?