MY Top 10 Aviation Movies!!!

We all love movies whether the genre is romance, drama, comedy, or action. There are several amazing movies relating to Aviation; from ‘Snakes on the Plane’ to ‘American Made’ to the Animation movie ‘Planes’. Aviation movies created awareness of the many popular traits seen in the aviation world. Movies are one of the mainstream mediums through which aviation has been portrayed as a much desirable field of career choice; it has allowed us to, wonder more about flight, see beautiful and exotic destinations that a lot of us wish we could travel to, and lastly movies have also shown us the lifestyle of the aircrew in a desirable light. I thought of sharing MY favourite ALL TIME Aviation Movies, these movies inspired me in some way or made me laugh.

10. Sully

j“We're going to end up on the Hudson.”
This movie is based off of the real life events that unfolded on US Airways Flight 1549, the movie is scripted according to the records of the event as they are recorded in the ‘Highest Duty’ book. This story of Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks), an American pilot who became a hero after landing a US Airways Airbus A320 on the Hudson River as a result of a dual engine failure due to bird strike on departure from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, resulting in no loss of life. In this movie we see the aftermath of the flight and the events that unfolded, we also get a look into what the Captain and First Officer had to endure during the NTSB investigations that follow the incident. The need to be a quick decision-maker is one of the key factors required to be a captain, and this movie portrays exactly why that is.

jFact: Chesley Sullenberger was the first pilot to successfully land on the Hudson River.

9. Air Force One (1997)

The fate of the nation rests on the courage of one man. Both Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman star in the gripping thriller ‘Air Force One’. After making a speech about never negotiating with terrorists, President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) boards the Presidential Aircraft, known as, Air Force One, with his family and advisors. Terrorists led by Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) hijack the aircraft in flight while Marshall, a former soldier, remains hidden while stealthily moving inside the aircraft to rescue his family and everyone onboard. One of my best scenes from the movie is where Air Force One is attacked by Migs (A fighter aircraft made by Russian MiG company)

8. Amelia (2009)

j“Adventure is worthwhile in itself.”
Amelia Earhart is one of the many aviators that inspire me; Amelia more so with her being a female pilot like myself making this one of my favourite movies. Amelia played by Hilary Swank, feels and knows she is destined to reach great heights in aviation. She feels that the pilot seat is made for her, she sets numerous aviation records and sets many milestones in the aviation world, one of the more known ones being the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, she also sets milestones for flying at certain speeds and altitudes. Amelia wanted to undergo the greatest challenge, she wanted to become the first woman pilot to navigate around the whole globe in an aircraft. This movie inspires me as it shows that anyone can do anything they set their mind to!

7. Apollo 13 (1995)

Apollo 13 is based on the real life events that unfolded on NASA’s 13^th Apollo Mission. The flight to the moon and back becomes harrowing when the mission is compromised due the spacecraft suffering damage resulting in the lives of the astronauts; Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) depend on their desire to live and competency alongside the help of hundreds of personal in Mission Control back on Earth in a desperate attempt to safely get the astronauts back home.

jFact: Apollo 13 was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning two for Best Sound and Best Film Editing.

6. Airwolf (1984-1987)

Airwolf is an American Television Series, now, I know that this is a TV series and not a film, however it is definitely one of my best aviation screen plays. The series focuses on a high-tech military helicopter code named Airwolf, and the crew of this high-tech military helicopter. In the series the crew go on various missions, mainly dealing with the Cold War, this high action series has over four seasons. The main cast of Airwolf is Jan-Michael Vincent, Ernest Borgnine, Alex Cord, and Jean Bruce Scott.

5. Airplane! (1980)

Airplane!’s title doesn’t leave anything to our imagination. This movie is about, guess what? An Airplane. It’s not only the first film that comes to mind when one thinks of the many convergences of flight and cinema; it’s also a great comedy! It features one absurdly funny scene after the other, we see just how funny this movie really is in the scenario where a troubled war pilot tries to overcome his drinking problem while trying to land this multi-engine commercial aircraft safely while the real pilots have all been poisoned by the onboard food. Beef or chicken? In this case NOT the Fish (Movie reference!).

4. Catch Me if You Can (2005)

Based on a true story, 2005’s Catch Me if You Can revolves around a charming cat-and-mouse game between Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays a teen, forgery expert known as Frank Abagnale, and Tom Hanks, playing an FBI agent on his tail. In the film, Frank Abagnale grows up idolising airline pilots. One of his, Frank Abagnale’s, skills involves forging pay cheques from Pan Am Airways, using stickers from Pan Am toy aircraft to make the pay cheques look official. This eventually leads Frank Abagnale to manipulate his way onto actual flights, pretending to be a dead-heading pilot. His dream of living the pilot’s life and walking arm-in-arm with beautiful flight attendants becomes a reality, but it isn’t long before this young, criminal mastermind’s fraudulent lifestyle comes crashing down. This film is truly exciting to watch!

3. The Aviator (2004)

This film is based between the 1930s and 1940s and depicts the exceptional director and aviator Howard Hughes who is played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie was based on the non-fiction book, ‘Howard Hughes: The Secret Life by Charles Higham,’ the film tells us of the life of Howard Hughes, an aviation pioneer and director of the aviation movie ‘Hell's Angels’ (1930). This billionaire, Howard Hughes, helped push the boundaries of aviation, by breaking speed records, expanding airlines and building the splendid Spruce Goose.

2. Pearl Harbour (2001)

‘Pearl Harbour’ is a historical drama, featuring an A-list cast with Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale chosen for the main roles for this jet-fuelled action-filled film. ‘Pearl Harbour’ shows us about the love of flight and the special bond of two best friends during the start of the war that lead to the attacks by the Japanese Military on Pearl Harbour. This emotional roller-coaster is truly one of the best aviation movies. We can see why the movie is one of my top aviation movies with the romance, drama, tasteful legendary, and Oscar winning Best Sound Editing quality. Flying with broomsticks posing as guns. Personally; It’s a truly amazing movie!

1. Top Gun (1986)

j“I feel the need … the need for speed.”
I know I tend to go on and on about ‘Top Gun’ in all my other blogposts, but love it or hate it, Top Gun is one of the most iconic action dramas from the 1980s. In this spectacular film, Tom Cruise plays a military navy pilot named Pete Mitchell, callsign; ‘Maverick’, and Val Kilmer also plays the role of a military navy pilot with the callsign, ‘Ice Man’. As flight students in the U.S. Navy’s elite fighter pilot school, "Top Gun", these two cocky pilots compete to win the top spot. Charlie (played by Kelly McGillis) is a civilian instructor and as the movie unfolds we find that her and Pete's grow more in love with each other. This film has embedded itself into the aviation industry; as well as the world like arguably no other aviation movie in film history has. This movie helped Tom Cruise on his path to superstardom in Hollywood. Top Gun also earned an Oscar for Best Soundtrack, this must have been for the famous romantic song “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin, and the upbeat, fun-filled song “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins.

jFun Fact: The U.S. Navy reported its highest application rates after Top Gun was released; could it have had something to do with this A rated movie or how much fun it looks like to fly the F-14 Tomcat Jet seen in the film.

Please subscribe to my Blog and YouTube Channel

https://youtu.be/pjE4RDPLL1M