Forum: Off-topic

I still think a great Hollywood flying movie was The Final Countdown. Had a great dogfight between 2 Tomcats and 2 A6M Zeros. One scene that really ticks me off though, is when the Tomcat shoots down the Zero with the cannon. They had a realistic firing of the cannon (probably the only time it's been done in a flying movie) but then, the only thing that happens to the plane, is that the engine seizes, and crashes. COME ON! If a 20mm cannon, firing at a rate of 6,000 rpm hit one of those flimsy Warbirds, it would vaporize it!

But the ending of the movie was awesome. When all the planes are loaded up...Tomcats, Intruders, Corsair IIs, Crusaders, and Skyhawks (I think) and they all launch, in a massive strike force to try and stop the Pearl Harbor invasion. Now, thinking about it, it would have been correct. The USS Nimitz of 1980 could have single-handedly stopped the entire Japanese Pearl Harbor task force. Just goes to show the might of contemporary carrier operations.

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Don't know if I missed it in this thread, so many pages I prob missed it. I remember watching a movie... Based at Nellis and then at Hill AFB. IP stole a jet... after getting it armed up and all that. Even stole a NUKE! Ended up parking the jet in a barn. Or half in, then somehow he "backed" it out. The whole intent was to blow up Vegas. Jets were scrambled from HAFB... too funny thing... they had Nellis's numbers on it and were painted camo like the agressors they have there. Can't remember the name... but it has to be the most CHEESY movie around... makes Iron Eagle look like a documentary!

I enjoyed watching "The Final Countdown" when I was a kid. It came on TBS a couple of times.

I think it was a good movie. The special effects in the movie are pretty terrible, but the plot is highly interesting and throught-provoking, and the air-to-air and carrier cinematography is incredible.

Habu wrote:

Des, it was called "Afterburn" and it starred Laura Dern.

About that movie was that a true story? just curious though.

BTW, another movie that irked me a bit was ID4 (Independence Day), i mean were did you ever see an air force airbase, a top secret one a that, which uses f/a-18 as its main complement of fighters, complete with the word or part of the word "AIR FORCE" stamped on it. Rolling Eyes

Of special note: ID4 only show vipers with the israeli air force in one of the scenes and in the scene were the marines' "black knights" attack was being blunted and the alien fighters are going after the el toro base. question, does el toro have vipers, IIRC it is a MC Air station or something right?

TC wrote:

Now, thinking about it, it would have been correct. The USS Nimitz of 1980 could have single-handedly stopped the entire Japanese Pearl Harbor task force. Just goes to show the might of contemporary carrier operations.

True enough. But if ya think about it, had it been done the US either may never have entered WWII at all or entered the war under different circumstances later in the 40's when the Nazis and Japanese were more entrenched than they were, which may have lead to a completely different and nightmare-ish outcome. America may not have become the Western superpower it did, and may not have had the need or even the capability to build a carrier like the Nimitz to begin with. So if the Nimitz was never built, how can it go back in time to stop the attack? See what I mean? It's a scaled up combination of the "Butterfly Effect" and the "Grandfather Paradox".

To answer Link: Yes, I was fully aware of that when I made my post, but personally, not believing in time travel, I only posted that from the aspect of comparing Post-Vietnam v. WWII military might, not the "I have to get my parents to go to the prom together or I won't exist" aspect.

About the post from grss...Yes, the court case from Afterburn really happened. Look it up in the Federal Supplement 2d Series at your local law library, or on the Cornell Law School website.

The name of the case is Harduvel v. General Dynamics.

As for the true cause of the mishap, I'd go with Spatial-D. Not taking anything away from Ted Harduvel. I know he was a very good pilot, but he made a few mistakes that could otherwise have saved his life...and coming from a fmr. Life Support troop, if all else failed, that yellow and black striped handle between your legs is there for a good reason.

My Two Cents

anyway.

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

LinkF-16SimDude wrote:

TC wrote:

Now, thinking about it, it would have been correct. The USS Nimitz of 1980 could have single-handedly stopped the entire Japanese Pearl Harbor task force. Just goes to show the might of contemporary carrier operations.

True enough. But if ya think about it, had it been done the US either may never have entered WWII at all or entered the war under different circumstances later in the 40's when the Nazis and Japanese were more entrenched than they were, which may have lead to a completely different and nightmare-ish outcome. America may not have become the Western superpower it did, and may not have had the need or even the capability to build a carrier like the Nimitz to begin with. So if the Nimitz was never built, how can it go back in time to stop the attack? See what I mean? It's a scaled up combination of the "Butterfly Effect" and the "Grandfather Paradox".

That issue is discussed in the movie when Mr. Lasky (Martin Sheen) discusses the possibility of someone going back in time and killing his father, "if he can never be born, how could he go back in time to kill his own father"

So as i bring a almost dead thread back to life, or try to, i seen a couple of people who where dieing to see the imax RED FLAG. Five years later i still remember seeing that movie with my dad. It was awful, dad and I laughed most of the way through it. The funniest part was the guy who was sopost to be marsheling a jet and they pulled a -60 right behind him. So i don't think that was that great, almost as cheesy as Iron Eagle

I never saw the IMAX film. From what I've been told, it was real footage, and real people, but suffered from lousy editing, and perhaps people who weren't very comfortable in front of a camera?

@ Viperwinder: That film which makes Iron Eagle look like a documentary was "Flight of Black Angel". As I recall, it used a lot of throwaway shots from Iron Eagle. Horrible. Completely horrible...

I do not believe this movie has been mentioned... (Thanks to Netflix Military genre...) Into The Sun. Based on the paint scheme looks like they used some Aggressors. Released in 1992 and still TOP GUN of years before looks more technical and accurate than this low budget movie.

Forum: Off-topic

The Falcons of Iron Eagle/Aviation movies