Aviation Film and Movie List for the Enthusiast

These comments are from the point of view of the aviation enthusiast. They do not necessarily reflect the artistic and dramatic quality of the work.


The Early Days
World War I
World War II
Korea
Cold War
The Space Race

THE EARLY DAYS

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) Set in the early 1910, this movie contains flying by some real and imaginary airplanes of the era as they race from London to Paris. More Info

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WORLD WAR I

The Blue Max A working class soldier becomes an aviator and top ace. Great flying with aircraft of the day. More Info

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WORLD WAR II

	Tora! Tora! Tora! is a docu-drama of the Pearl Harbor attack. It appears to be mostly historically accurate, with scenes depicting actual events and people. Almost all of the flying was done with real aircraft. Except for the hokey gas flames for muzzle flashes, the flying looks realistic. The Japanese Zeros are modified AT-6s. The Vals were created from a combination of BT-19s and AT-6s. The P-40s on the ground are non-flying relicas. More Info
	Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is a black and white film based on the book by Ted Lawson's personal account of the raid. It looks like actual footage of the B-25s taking off from the carrier Wasp, is included. More Info
	12 O'Clock High show the early days of daylight precision bombing from B-17s. It contains actual combat footage from air battles to add realism to the drama. More Info
	Pearl Harbor More Info
	633 Squadron More Info
	Battle of Britain More Info
	The Flying Tigers More Info
	Wing and a Prayer More Info

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KOREAN WAR

The Bridges of Toko-Ri is based on the novel by James Michner depicting the personal struggles of Naval Aviation personnel and their families. There are some great flying scenes from the dawn of the Jet Age, with jets operating from aircraft carriers designed for an earlier era. More Info

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COLD WAR

	Strategic Air Command – Former WWII bomber pilot (James Stewart) returns to duty with the Strategic Air Command, giving up a promising career in baseball. The story line is said to be pretty boring by non-aviation people that have viewed this. There are some great actual flying scenes in the B36 and B47.
	Jet Pilot More Info
	Bombers B-52 More Info
	Fail Safe – Vindicator bombers (played by B58s) are accidentally sent beyond their fail safe point toward their targets. More Info
	Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb More Info
	War Games – Teens thinking they are playing a computer game almost start World War III. More Info
	No Easy Days: Snakes in the Cockpit is a documentary on U.S. bomber accidents from B-29s to the B-70. Many of these aircraft were carrying nuclear weapons at the time of the accident. More Info

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THE SPACE RACE

	The Right Stuff More Info
	Apollo 13 More Info

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Last modified 02/05/07.