Top 5 Aviation Movies

[JG52Uther]

Battle of Britain
Dark Blue World
Aces High
Blue Max
Dambusters

I would love to see a good realistic film about Hartmann,or Rudel, but politics probably says no.

[Spudkopf]

Personally I do not like many of the WWII 50/60's era movies for their cavalier distortion of history, which is sad because the naive think these movies as factual, when really they are no more than comic book stories. One such example is Mosquito Squadron, which badly mixes the unrelated experimental Highball squadrons missions with those of the Amiens prison raiders, as such an actual movie about the many exploits of the Prison raiders may never be told.

However there are some brilliant exceptions like the classic “The Dam Busters” and of course the iconic “The Battle of Britain” and “Tora Tora Tora”.

Some other favourites include:
No highway in the sky (Jimmy Stewart, not as a pilot but IMO a great aviation movie)
Strategic Air Command (Jimmy Stewart)
30 Seconds Over Tokyo
Air America
Both versions of Flight of the Phoenix
Catch 22
....just to name a few.

[JG27_PapaFly]

These get my vote:

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

The Great Waldo Pepper

Hot Shots

[Friendly_flyer]

My votes (in no particular order):

Battle of Britain - For bringing together a classic fleet of planes for a classic drama
Dark Blue World - For the sheer beauty
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines - For the films obvious love of aviation

[major_setback]

Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines

xxx

[Abbeville-Boy]

if I may be allowed, he was really a man to admire Jimmy Stewart


In August 1943 he was finally assigned to the 445th Bombardment Group at Sioux City AAB, Iowa, first as Operations Officer of the 703rd Bombardment Squadron and then as its commander, at the rank of Captain. In December, the 445th Bombardment Group flew its B-24 Liberator bombers to RAF Tibenham, Norfolk, England and immediately began combat operations. While flying missions over Germany, Stewart was promoted to Major. In March 1944, he was transferred as group operations officer to the 453rd Bombardment Group, a new B-24 unit that had been experiencing difficulties. As a means to inspire his new group, Stewart flew as command pilot in the lead B-24 on numerous missions deep into Nazi-occupied Europe. These missions went uncounted at Stewart's orders. His "official" total is listed as 20 and is limited to those with the 445th. In 1944, he twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions in combat and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He also received the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. In July 1944, after flying 20 combat missions, Stewart was made Chief of Staff of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing of the Eighth Air Force. Before the war ended, he was promoted to colonel, one of very few Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years.

[Splitter]

Originally Posted by Abbeville-Boy

if I may be allowed, he was really a man to admire Jimmy Stewart


In August 1943 he was finally assigned to the 445th Bombardment Group at Sioux City AAB, Iowa, first as Operations Officer of the 703rd Bombardment Squadron and then as its commander, at the rank of Captain. In December, the 445th Bombardment Group flew its B-24 Liberator bombers to RAF Tibenham, Norfolk, England and immediately began combat operations. While flying missions over Germany, Stewart was promoted to Major. In March 1944, he was transferred as group operations officer to the 453rd Bombardment Group, a new B-24 unit that had been experiencing difficulties. As a means to inspire his new group, Stewart flew as command pilot in the lead B-24 on numerous missions deep into Nazi-occupied Europe. These missions went uncounted at Stewart's orders. His "official" total is listed as 20 and is limited to those with the 445th. In 1944, he twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions in combat and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He also received the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. In July 1944, after flying 20 combat missions, Stewart was made Chief of Staff of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing of the Eighth Air Force. Before the war ended, he was promoted to colonel, one of very few Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years.

I think he even had to lie about his weight to get into the services. Then the powers that be didn't want to risk him in combat for fear of bad PR is he was killed or captured. He was the real deal and a true hero.

Splitter