Your favorite aviation movie or T.V. series?

My movie would have to be Midway also. Its fantastic. It has been along time since I have seen it but Tora Tora Tora was decent also ( although if I remember correctly not very accurate). Honorable mention to Memphis Belle. Flying scenes would have to be Top Gun. Those 14s are just wicked aircraft. Television series, hard to say but the first one that comes to mind would be one back in the 80s. I cant remeber the name but Craig T Nelson was the star. Had some really great shots of an SR-71. My favorite one to pick on would have to be Top Gun also, it is just so cheesy :)

God Bless
Dave

I can watch 'Memphis Belle' over and over again...in fact i bought the DVD to facilitate just such impromptu viewings...i love it!

'1941'
Tanguy et Laverdure (a french series from the 70s, based upon a graphic novel, starring lots of Mirages..)
Battle of Britain
Airplane
And that absolutely great movie with the race between London and Paris at the beginning of the 20th Century... What is it called!? Can't remember it now! I just loved the Japanese aviator in that movie!

Midway, Tora Tora Tora, Memphis Belle, Always, Black Sheep Squadron, Tuskegee Airmen, Top Gun and Pearl Harbor. Super Carrier was an "ok" show that road on the "coat-tails" of Top Gun.

QUOTE: Originally posted by djmodels1999 And that absolutely great movie with the race between London and Paris at the beginning of the 20th Century... What is it called!? Can't remember it now! I just loved the Japanese aviator in that movie!

The film was 'those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, starring James Fox, Sarah Miles, Tony Hancock, Terry Thomas, John leMesurier, eric Sykes.
It was produced by 20th Century Fox but, as far as I'm aware, has never been released on DVD

I would love to see somebody bring back the "12 'Clock High" series again.

If I'm flipping through the channels and "Top Gun" is on I can't help but watch it even though I have it on tape and it's pretty much just a cartoon. Same goes with "Memphis Belle"(nothing to do with the real "Belle' and crew) and "12 O'Clock High"

"Flying Tigers" with John Wayne is just way too embarassing to watch. Will someone please make a good movie about the AVG?

"Black Sheep Squadron"- fun to watch as long as you remember that it in no way bears any resemblance to reality. It irritates me that the producers of the show portrayed VMF 214 as being made up of a bunch of guys who really belonged in some sort of correctional facility. But Boyington (so-called "technical advisor" to the show) himself was behind the perpetuation of that myth.

Dave, the series with Craig T.Nelson was called "Call To Glory"

My favorite aviatoin TV series were 1. The Whirlybirds 2. Airwolf. #. Chopper one 4. Black Sheep Squadron.
Lee

For me : " Tuskegee Airmen " in the movie category and for series The blacksheep squadron

"Two A-4s, left ten o'clock level, continue left turn."

Ive watched Top Gun around 42 times already. Thats probably why Im sad to see the F-14 being replaced. The media has such an influence on an otherwise objective mind.

Though I've only watched it two or three times, I enjoy the Tom Selleck film " High Road To China ".

I like Tora Tara Tora the best then next to that Top Gun.

I love some of the classics like Tora, Tora, Tora, & Midway but Top Gun would have to top my list- it's what got me (seriously) into modeling! I'm reliving my childhood right now by building Hasegawa's 1/48th kit.

I'm also fond of the modern Pearl Harbor (AFLACK!), the battle scense are spectacular.

As far as TV series goes- The A-TEAM! And I pity the fool who disagrees! :)

Favorite Hollwierd movies:
12 O'CLOCK HIGH ( all-time favorite )
Battle of Britain
Bridges at Toko-Ri
Wing and a Prayer
The Dam Busters
Test Pilot
Dive Bomber
Always
Great Waldo Pepper
Air Force
Tora Tora Tora
The Hunters
The War Lover
Dawn Patrol
Reach for the Sky

Documetaries:
Thunderbolt (friend flew with the 57th FG)
Memphis Belle
Zemke's Way
Thunderbolts - The Conquest of the Reich

TV shows:
Sky King
Whirlybirds
(showing my age with these two !)
Piece of Cake (TV miniseries - I enjoyed the book more)

Jim

I liked "Tora Tora Tora" much more than "Pearl Harbor", none of them being very accurate. Few months ago I watched "Battle of Britain" - Merlin engined 109's are so bizzare . I remember watching "Airwolf", when I was a kid. Back then I was impressed by jet powered helicopter

Movie would have to be "Dark Blue World". Its about CZhek pilots (spellIng?) who escape from their country and join the RAF to fight the Germans at the battle of britain. Best fight scenes and it has an intriguing plot.
TV show would have to be "BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON"

I've yet to see "Dark Blue World" but its been recomended to me by several folks who know I'm a wingnut, so eventually I'll take a look at it.

I liked the Topgun film for the flying scenes alone, the acting was an atrocity and the plot line too thin.

For helicopters, I liked both the "Blue Thunder" film and series that followed it, generally I found the flight scenes in it to be more believable and with better continuity than in Airwolf (plus the Blue Thunder chopper just looked a heck of a lot meaner.)

I also liked "The Right Stuff" enough to watch it a few times over.

I liked "Top Gun" because of the F-14, even though Tom Cruise sucks...

Battle of Britain, Tora, Tora, Tora, Midway are movies I could watch over and over again.

cmtaylor, thanks for the reminder! What a great movie that was! I have it, somewhere on Video, but you are right, it's not yet available on DVD...

A bit off the subject, but I also loved the Captain Scarlet puppet show. Those Angel Interceptors were out of this world...!

Flight of the Intruder.. Loved that.. Memphis Belle.. Hot Shots, flying high..

Never did like Top gun for some reason..

How could I forget: THE RIGHT STUFF

"They all want to see Buck Rodgers and that's what we're going to give'm!"

I understand why some may not have the taste for TOP GUN like myself- yeh it can be pretty cheesy but that's also what makes it ejoyable at times- great quotes in that film and a great (cocky) attitude that the pilots had! It was also the first "modern" air combat film,.

I think TOP GUN does have a lot of historical significance to it. I'm paraphrasing someone else's idea but here it goes... "The Movie TOP GUN single-handedly broke the Vietnam (War) Military mentality/perception America had of the Armed forces. This was the right movie at the right time (The Reagon Era) which made us believe that we were winners again".

Thus I would argue, that America at the time needed a hero- and that was the F-14! The image the movie portrayed helped put behind our shame of the Vietnam Conflict and gave us headstrong, and perhaps careless, vision of the present day Cold War and America's role in the world.

Take that for what you will, but I thought it interesting and thought provoking. wheather the above argument is good or bad/ right or wrong is yet to be determined by history.

There I go geting all philisophical again!

My favorite aviation movie is the Spirit of St. Louis, starring Jimmy Stewart as Lindberg. I'm suprised that no one has mentioned it yet!

God Bless!

Kevin

Empire of the Sun for a movie. There are some great scenes in that film. The one scene that gives me goose bumps everytime I see it is the P51 flying down the street and the kid standing on the roof can look at the pilot face to face as he goes by. Man I love that scene.

TV series.....it was pure fantasy and I loved the characters in that series almost as much as I loved the plane....Tales of the Gold Monkey.

Mike

My fav. series is "Combat" and it is a pretty good show for it to be in black and white most of the time...even though there are some that are in color,and the "Band of Brothers"

And for movies i would say would be "Pearl Harbor" and "A bridge too far"

I really enjoyed the "Wings" series on the Discovery Channel, and the later variants -
"Wings of the Luftwaffe", "Wings of the Red Star", "Wings over the Gulf", etc.

But when I need to escape reality, I must agree with Upnorth - "Blue Thunder" - the movie and the TV series. A truly sinister-looking machine.

Interesting question.
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Dawn Patrol
Dambusters
Reach For The Sky
Apointment in London
and best of all The High and The Mighty (not avbl on video)
TV War in the Air series.
Dai

Dark Blue World is an outstanding film. I would definately recommend it.

Here's my list.The movies are;
Top Gun
Twelve o'Clock High
Strategic Air Command
Spirit of St Louis
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
The Bridges at Toko-Ri
Memphis Belle- the original documentary
The Right Stuff
T.V. series ;
Black Sheep Squadron
Tales of the Gold Monkey
fuzzy

I just remembered some that haven't been mentioned yet.
633 Squadron ( the one with Mosquitos, not sure of the #)
A Guy Named Joe
Bombadier
Yes, Merlin V1650, there IS a good AVG movie : God is My Co-Pilot