Aircraft in fiction

This article is about real-world aircraft appearing in works of fiction. For fictional aircraft, seelist of fictional aircraft.

Various real-worldaircrafthave long made significant appearances in fictional works, including books, films, toys, TV programs, video games, and other media.

Real military aircraft, such as thisGrumman F-14 Tomcat,frequently appear in works of fiction.

History

The first aviation film was the 1911William J. Humphrey–directed two-reeler,The Military Air-Scout,shot after anAero Club of Americaflying meet atLong Island,New York. The stunt flying was done by Lt.Henry H. Arnold,"who picked up 'a few extra bucks' for his services" and "became so excited about movies that he almost quit the Army to become an actor."

The years betweenWorld War IandWorld War IIsaw extensive use of aircraft, a new technology, in film, a new medium.In the early 1920s, Hollywood studios made dozens of now-obscure "aerial Westerns" with leads such asTom MixandHoot Gibson,where the role of the horse was taken by aircraft, or used aircraft as nothing more than vehicles for stunts to excite audiences.In 1926, the first "proper" aviation film was made;Wingsis a story of two pilots who sign up to fly and fight in the First World War.Made with the cooperation of theUnited States' then-Department of War(a relationship that continues to this day), it used front-line military aircraft of the day such as theThomas-Morse MB-3andBoeing PW-9,flown by military pilots.Future U.S. Air Force generalsHap ArnoldandHoyt Vandenbergwere among the military officers involved with the production: Arnold as a technical consultant and Vandenberg as one of the pilots.Wingswas a box-office hit when it achieved general release in 1929 and went on to win the award for Best Production at the firstAcademy Awards.

InFascist Italyin the 1930s, aviation-themed films were used as propaganda tools to complement the massed flights led byItalo Balboin promoting the regime domestically and abroad.One such film was the most successful Italian film of the pre-World War II era;Luciano Serra pilota(Luciano Serra, Pilot) was inextricably linked to the Fascist government viaMussolini'ssonVittorio,who was the driving force behind the film's production.The film, set between 1921 and theItalo-Abyssinian War,was used to compare the allegedly moribund state of aviation in pre-Fascist Italy with the purported power of theRegia Aeronauticaand Italian aviation in general in the 1930s.However, by the time thatLuciano Serra pilotawas shown at the 1938Venice Film Festival,the link between aviation and Fascism had already been firmly established in the minds of the Italian people through widespread depictions of aircraft in a variety of media.For example, there was an entire branch of theFuturist Art movementdevoted to aviation, known asAeropittura( "Aeropainting" ).While many of theAeropitturaworks were devoted to flight rather than aircraftper se,some did celebrate Italian aviation exploits, such as Alfredo Ambrosi'sIl volo su Vienna(The Flight over Vienna) which depicted in Futurist style theWorld War I exploitofGabriele d'Annunzio;although the city of Vienna is shown in abstract in accordance with the aims ofAeropittura– namely to show the dynamism and excitement of flight – theAnsaldo SVAaircraft are carefully and accurately rendered.

The U.S. military controls whether its aircraft may be used for movie or video production. Requests for such use must be accompanied by the proposed production's script, allowing military officials to withhold aircraft when they believe the work will not portray the U.S. military in a sufficiently positive light. Because alternatives to using real military aircraft can be expensive, films that do not get U.S. military approval often do not get financed or made. Sean McElwee, writing forSalon,concluded of this problem,

This is aprima faciecase for de facto censorship...If the government wants to allow its equipment to be used by studios, it needs to grant access to anyone who wants to use it – that is the meaning of pluralism. The Pentagon fears that some of the movies may hurt the military's reputation and recruiting efforts. These concerns are legitimate, but it's more important that we allowJohn Stuart Mill's 'market place of ideas' to be a place for free trade, rather than favoring some over others.

Aircraft have also appeared in televisionminiseriesandseriesaround the world. These include the American productionsTwelve O'Clock High,Airwolf,Baa Baa Black Sheep,Sky KingandWings;the Australian seriesBig Sky,Chopper SquadandThe Flying Doctors,and the miniseriesThe Lancaster Miller Affair;British shows such asAirline,Piece of CakeandSquadron,the Canadian seriesArctic Air;JETS – Leben am LimitandMedicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zähltfrom Germany; and the Canadian–British–German co-productionRitter's Cove.

A

A-1 Skyraider

In the 1953James A. MichenernovelThe Bridges at Toko-ri,Douglas AD-1 SkyraidersflyRESCAPmissions over a downedMcDonnell F2H BansheeandSikorsky HO3S-1during theKorean War.In the 1954 film of thesame name,the Banshee was replaced by aGrumman F9F Panther.

Two privately owned Skyraiders depicted U.S. Air Force "Sandy" search-and-rescue escort aircraft in the 1991 filmFlight of the Intruder.

The Skyraider was among the many aircraft shown providingclose air supportduring theFirst Battle of the Ia Drang Valley CampaigninMel Gibson's 2002 filmWe Were Soldiers,based on the non-fiction bookWe Were Soldiers Once... And Youngby retired Lieutenant GeneralHal Mooreand reporterJoseph L. Galloway.

The Skyraider appeared in the 2006Werner HerzogfilmRescue Dawn,which was based on the true story of German-AmericanNavalaviatorDieter Dengler.After his Skyraider was shot down in 1966 overLaos,Dengler endured months of captivity and torture before he escaped and was rescued.

A-6 Intruder

The 1986Stephen CoontsnovelFlight of the Intruderis about twonaval aviatorswho take theirGrumman A-6 Intruderon an unauthorized bombing raid onHanoiduring the Vietnam War. It was made into a 1991 filmof the same name.

A-10 Thunderbolt II

A-10 Thunderbolt II

TheA-10 Thunderbolt IIis among the player-flyable aircraft in the 1989 video gameU.N. Squadron.The aircraft is also featured in the 1989 video gameA-10 Tank Killer.It has since appeared in theAce Combatseriesand is astudy-levelaircraft in the combat flight simulatorDCS World.

In the 2005 filmJarhead,A-10s attack U.S. Marine forces in afriendly fireincident.

Most incarnations of theAutobotPowerglide, who first appeared inHasbro'sTransformerstoy line in 1985, transform into an A-10.

The A-10 is featured in the 2007 Michael Bay movieTransformers,in a battle in Qatar between U.S.SOCCENTsoldiers and the Decepticon Scorponok.

In the 2009 filmTerminator Salvation,several A-10s are sent to support the ground troops led byJohn Connorin the opening sequence of the film. Later, two Resistance A-10s are shot down when trying to intercept the machine transport in which Marcus Wright andKyle Reesewere captive.

In the 2013 filmMan of Steel,three A-10s are sent toSmallvilleto killSupermanandGeneral Zodand his henchmen, who destroy two of the jets.

A-26/B-26 Invader

TwoA-26firebomberswere featured in the 1989Steven SpielbergfilmAlways.Attempts to use radio-controlled models for special effects shots were abandoned as unworkable; instead, models were "flown" from wire rigs.

A6M Zero

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

TheMitsubishi A6M Zerowas featured in the filmsThe Final Countdown,Pearl Harbor,andTora! Tora! Tora!.The Zero was also depicted in the 1976 filmMidway;however real Zeros were not used. ModifiedT-6 Texanswere used inTora! Tora! Tora!,Midway,andThe Final Countdownto depict A6M2 Type 21 Zero fighters, and some footage from the former was reused in the latter.ThreeType 52Zeros were used inPearl Harbor.Two restored aircraft operated by Flight Magic, and one in thePlanes of Fame Air Museumcollection were barged to Hawaii where "all three aircraft were extensively flown with few problems until NX6528L suffered a gear-up landing. Fortunately, this was near the end of filming. NX6528L was shipped to Pete Regina Aviation atVan Nuys, Californiawhere it was returned to flying condition. This aircraft is now with theCommemorative Air ForceSouthern California Wing atCamarillo Airport."

The A5M and A6M are both featured inThe Wind Rises,a 2013Studio Ghiblianimated fictionalized biopic of Zero designer Jiro Horikoshi.

Zero fighters are shown in the 2013 Japanese novelEien No Zero(The Eternal Zero) byNaoki Hyakuta,which was made into a 2013film of the same namedirected byTakashi Yamazaki.

Aero L-29 Delfín

The hungarian mini-series Őrjárat az égen (1970) depictsAero L-29 Delfín.

Aérospatiale Gazelle

A heavily modifiedAérospatiale Gazellewas the centerpiece of the 1983John Badhamaction filmBlue Thunder.Thesame helicopterappeared in the short-lived 1984TV series by the same namestarringJames Farentino.The modified Gazelle went on to be used in the TV mini-seriesAmerika.

Aérospatiale Puma

ModifiedAérospatiale SA 330 Pumaswere used to depictMil Mi-24helicopter gunships in the filmsRed Dawn(1984),Rambo: First Blood Part II(1985), andRambo III(1988).

AgustaWestland AW101

At the climax of the 2012James BondfilmSkyfall,an armedAgustaWestland AW101 Merlintransport helicopter is used in the main villain Silva's assault on Bond and M at Bond's childhood home.

AH-64 Apache

TheBoeing AH-64 Apachehad a major role in the 1990 action-thriller filmdirected byDavid Green,Fire Birds(orWings of the Apache).

The 1992 shooter gameDesert Strikehas the main character flying the AH-64 to complete various missions.

Gunshipis an AH-64 Apache helicopter simulation that was released by Microprose in 1986.The sequelGunship 2000was released in 1991.Since then, the helicopter has also made an appearance in the hardcore study-level simDCS: World,being praised for its accurate depiction of the systems and procedures.

In the 2008 filmThe Incredible Hulk,an AH-64 was used in an attempt to kill the Hulk with the unusual configuration of twin, pylon-mountedminiguns.

In the 2009 filmG.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,Apaches provideair coverfor a convoy carryingnanotechnology-based weapons.

Airspeed Horsa

The assault on what would later be known as thePegasus Bridgeover theCaen Canalin France by British commandos landing inAirspeed Horsagliders was depicted in the 1962 war epicThe Longest Day.Only one Horsa replica was actually constructed.

Ten non-flyable Airspeed Horsa mockups were fabricated for the filming of the 1977 filmA Bridge Too Far.

Albatros fighter (generic)

AnAlbatrosfighter appears in the 1966 novelIn the Company of EaglesbyErnest K Gann.The novel is set in 1916 during the First World War and features a German ace pilot Lt Sebastian Kupper of Jasta 76 who, flying an Albatros scout, pursues a burning French aircraft and, in what was intended as an act of mercy, kills the pilot so as to spare him from slowly burning to death. The gesture is misinterpreted as an act of murder by one of the French pilot's comrades, Sgt. Paul Chamay who vows to seek and kill the German pilot.

American Eagle A-1

At least twoAmerican Eagle A-1swere employed in the production of the 1930 filmYoung Eagleswhich was directed byWilliam A. Wellmanand starredBuddy RogersandJean Arthur.The film portrayed American pilots serving in France during the Great War. Although the A-1 was a post-WW1 trainer, the filmmakers considered it suitable to portray wartime aircraft. One Eagle was painted with USAS insignia while a second was painted with German markings. Stunt pilotDick Gracewas hired to deliberately crash-land both of them in separate scenes, which severely damaged both aircraft. Grace escaped injury on both occasions.

Avro Anson

ThisAvro Ansonwas used in the Australian television miniseriesThe Great Air Raceas a "stand-in" to represent theBoeing 247flown byRoscoe Turnerin theMacRobertson Air Race.

Avro Ansons featured in the 1940 novelLandfallbyNevil Shute,a story about a young British pilot named Chambers flying with RAF Coastal Command in the early months of the Second World War. Flying patrols over the English Channel, he attacks and sinks what he believes to be a German U-boat but he is accused of mistakenly sinking a British submarine.

AnAvro Ansonwas used as a "stand-in" to represent theBoeing 247Race 57flown in the 1934 England-to-AustraliaMacRobertson Air RacebyRoscoe Turner,in the 1991 Australian television miniseriesThe Great Air Race.Turner was played byBarry Bostwickin the miniseries.

Avro Ashton

AnAvro Ashton,in its six-engined, Olympus testbed form, appeared as the fictitiousPhoenixairliner inCone of Silence(1960), based on the novel of the same namebyDavid Beaty,a formerBOACpilot. This concerned the takeoff problems of thePhoenix,and the subsequent accident investigation; it was based on two takeoff accidents to thede Havilland Comet.

Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow

TheAvro Canada CF-105 Arrowmakes a prominent appearance in Daniel Wyatt's 1990 novel,The Last Flight of the Arrow.In the novel, the real-life destruction of the fighter is a cover for a secret U.S.-Canadian continental air-defense initiative that fields a fleet of Arrows. A Polish-CanadianRoyal Canadian Air Forcepilot flies one Arrow on a high-speed reconnaissance flight over Russia to find proof that the Soviet Union is planning an airstrike on North America.

Avro Lancaster

Avro Lancaster

TheAvro Lancasterwas the best-knownRoyal Air Forceheavy bomber of World War II.As such it has appeared in many works of fiction related toBomber Commandand its night raids over Germany and occupied Europe.

Lancasters appeared in the 1952 British war filmAppointment in London(released in the US asRaiders in the Sky) directed byPhilip Leacockand starringDirk Bogarde.Three Lancasters were used in the production—NX673, NX679, and NX782, the same three that were used in the filming ofThe Dam Bustersthree years later.

The Lancaster was central to the second half of the 1955 British filmThe Dam Busters.This is a dramatisation of the real-lifeOperation Chastise,which included the forming ofNo. 617 Squadron RAFcommanded byWing CommanderGuy Gibson,who was awarded theVictoria Cross(VC), and the bombing of theMöhne,EderandSorpe Damsin Germany to interrupt water andhydro-electricpower supplies to German munitions factories.The film is based on the booksThe Dam BustersbyPaul BrickhillandEnemy Coast Aheadby Guy Gibson. A number of B VII Lancasters in storage were modified to the original configuration of the B III (Special) for use on screen.

The Lancaster also appeared inThe Guns of Navarone(1961).

A 1989 British commercial forCarling Black Labellagerreused Avro Lancaster footage in a Dam Busters parody sequence where a German soldier on top of a dam catches the Lancaster's bombs like afootball goalkeeper.The pilot of the attacking Lancaster then delivers the brand slogan: "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label!" The commercial ran for many years, frequently appearing in commercial breaks during broadcasts of bothThe Dam Bustersand documentaries aboutOperation Chastise.

Len Deighton's 1970 novelBomberdescribes an attack byRoyal Air ForceLancasters onKrefeld,Germany, during which a series of unplanned incidents leads to thecarpet bombingof a small town nearby.

The Avro Lancaster was also featured in the UK television seriesPathfinders,aired in 1972, concentrating on the lives of the aircrew of a fictional Pathfinder squadron during the Second World War.

Lancasters appear in the 2011 novelDambusterby Robert Radcliffe.

The 2019 budget independent filmLancaster Skies(also titledOur Shining Sword) centres on a loner who takes over as leader of a Lancaster crew.

The Avro Lancaster was the preferred aircraft of the fictional war hero pilotMatt Braddock,who first appeared in the British story paperThe Rover,and later in comic strips in British action comicsThe VictorandWarlord.

Avro Vulcan

Avro Vulcansare central to the 2008 aviation novel by English authorDerek Robinson,titledHullo Russia, Goodbye England.A BritishRAFpilot named Silk, a veteran of Bomber Command in the Second World War, rejoins the service at the height of theCold War.

The 1965James BondfilmThunderballportrays the hijacking of an Avro Vulcan for its nuclear bombs.

B

B-1 Lancer

AB-1 Lancerwas portrayed as the laser weapon's test bed in the closing scenes of the 1985 filmReal Genius.

A B-1B drops bombs during the climactic battle scene in the 2009 filmTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

The B-1 is referenced inTyler Childerscountry hit "Rocks and Relics".

B-2 Spirit

TheNorthrop Grumman B-2 Spiritis featured in the 1996Independence Dayfilm, where it fires a nuclear missile at an antagonist alien spaceship.In the movieCloverfield,the aircraft bombs a monster that is destroyingManhattan.

In the 2016 JapanesetokusatsufilmShin Godzilla,theUnited States Air Forcedeployed three B-2s toTokyo,deployingMassive Ordnance Penetratorsto bomb the creature. Then two bombers circle in and drop payloads one at a time, but the creature uses its atomic breath and dorsal plates to annihilate the bombs and the planes in the process.

InShin Ultramanthe bombers deploybunker busterbombs onGaborato no avail, but they are out of ammo after the attack.

B-17 Flying Fortress

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortressesof the132nd Bomb Squadron,9th Bomb GroupfromMarch Field,California, ( "Land of the Flying Fortress" ) were featured in the 1941Paramount PicturesfilmI Wanted Wings,based on the novel of the same title by 1st Lt.Beirne Lay Jr.

InWilliam Wyler's 1946 filmThe Best Years of Our Lives,B-17s are prominently featured. The primary male characters hitch a cross country ride in a B-17E Flying Fortress early in the story, and at the conclusion the scrapyard atChino, California,is shown full of disposal B-17s andYB-40gunshipversions of the B-17.

B-17s also figured prominently in the Oscar-winning 1949 filmTwelve O'Clock HighstarringGregory Peck.The film concerns aviation leadership and the human toll in the USAAF strategy of daylight precision bombing.The US Air Force cooperated in the production of the film, lending aircraft to the producers and allowing filming atEglin Air Force Baseand atOzark Army Air Field.The film featured an actual crash landing of a B-17, piloted by veteran stunt pilotPaul Mantz.

B-17s appear in the 1951 novelThe Sun is SilentbySaul Levittwhich traces the journey of a B-17 crew from their training through to daylight bombing missions over Germany. The author himself had served as a radioman/gunner in a B-17 during the war.

For the 1954 filmThe Glenn Miller Story,directed byAnthony Mann,a wartime performance set in a UK air base hangar was shot in Hangar No. 1 atLowry Air Force Base,Colorado, on 10 July 1953, with the late-production B-17G command aircraft of Gen.John G. Sprague,commanding officer of Lowry, as a backdrop. It received a wartime coat of olive drab paint for the appearance, but the chin turret was removed. Anachronistic B-29 engine cowlings line the back wall of the hangar, although B-29s were not used in theETO.

The 1962 filmThe War Loverfeatured a B-17G and two former Coast Guard PB-1G rescue aircraft restored cosmetically to the appearance of B-17Gs. These planes were flown from the US toRAF Bovingdonfor filming by a group including authorMartin Caidin,who documented the journey in his bookEverything But The Flak.One of the three planes now resides at theLyon Air MuseuminSanta Ana, California.

Five flyable B-17s were secured by producerElmo Williamsfor use in the filming of the 1970 motion pictureTora! Tora! Tora!.During filming, one B-17 suffered alanding gearmalfunction, forcing it to land on one wheel. Williams ordered a camera crew to film the landing and incorporated the footage into the film's script.

The B-17 Flying Fortress was the subject of the 1990Warner Bros.filmMemphis Belle.During filming, one of the five vintage B-17s was destroyed in an accidental crash and a second was damaged when an engine cowling detached in flight, tearing a chunk out of the aircraft's tail. There were no injuries in either incident.

B-17s are the main aircraft featured in two novels depicting fictional characters in the US daylight bombing offensive over Germany and Occupied Europe, American writer Sam Helpert'sA Real Good War(1997)and UK author Robert Radcliffe'sUnder an English Heaven(2004).

ForGeorge Lucas' 2012 filmRed Tailsabout the332d Fighter Group,theTuskegee Airmen,the B-17G "Pink Lady" operated by theAssociation Forteresse Toujours Volante,appeared as a351st Bomb Groupaircraft named "Yankee", coded ED-N. Filmed in theCzech Republicin 2010, the film company funding allowed the warbird to fly for an additional year before being retired to museum status. Other Flying Fortresses were rendered throughCGI.

B-17s appear in the 2014 graphic novel mini-seriesCastles in the Sky,published byAvatar,written byGarth Ennisand illustrated by Matt Martin & Keith Burns. The story features a gunner named Leonard Wetmore who is one of the crew of the B-17 'Buffalo Gal' during the U.S. daylight bombing offensive against Germany. The story was one of Ennis'War Storiesseries.

B-17s are featured prominently in the 2024 TV miniseriesMasters of the Air.The series recounts the story of the100th Bomb Groupin Europe during World War II.

B-18 Bolo

Douglas B-18 Bolosare prominently featured in the 1943RKOpictureBombardier,filmed atKirtland Field,New Mexico.

In the film49th Parallel,a German U-boat is sunk by RCAF Digby in Hudson Bay, leading to a cross-Canada manhunt for the surviving crew members, who are desperate to reach the then-neutral U.S. and get back to Germany.

B-24 Liberator

Consolidated B-24 Liberator

AConsolidated B-24 Liberatorwas featured in the 1977 TelemovieYoung Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy.

B-24s appear in the 1944 20th Century Fox filmWinged Victorywhich was directed byGeorge Cukorand which portrayed cadets undergoing training as aircrew in theU.S. Army Air Forcesduring WW2. The AAF detached several B-24s to the production, which was filmed at Santa Ana Army Airfield in California.

The novelFace of a Hero(1950) tells the story of a B-24 crew operating from an airport inApulia, Italy,in 1944; it is based on the real experiences of its author, Louis Falstein, who had been a tail gunner on a USAAF B-24. The novel describes in detail the raids of the B-24 bombers onRomania,Yugoslavia,northern Italy, southern France, and Germany.

B-24s are a central feature in the 1952 novelAngle of Attackby Joseph Landon. The story concerns navigator Irwin 'Win' Hellman, whose B-24 is attacked by enemy fighters and badly damaged over Vienna. The B-24's pilot signals to the enemy fliers that he wishes to surrender but Hellman, who is Jewish and dreads being captured alive, believes they can still escape and, with the backing of the other crew, he takes command.

B-24s appear in the 1957 novelThe Damned Wear Wingsby David Camerer, a work that portrays B-24s of the 473rd Bomb Group based in Italy tasked with bombing the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania.

The 1961 novelGoodbye to Someby Gordon Forbes portrays Lt Carl Iverson, a pilot of a B-24 of VPB-400 US Navy Air Wing, a unit that flies patrols from a base in the Sulu Sea during the Pacific War in WW2.

The story of the "Lady Be Good"inspired a 1970 television movie titledSole Survivor,with aNorth American B-25 Mitchellplaying the B-24D role.

In the young adult novelUnder a War-Torn Sky,the main character Henry Forester co-pilotsOut of the Blue,a US B-24 Liberator serving in the Royal Air Force.

B-24s appear in the 1979 novelThe White Sea BirdbyDavid Beaty,a story about an RAF bomber unit whose commander becomes obsessed with hunting a German surface raider lurking in a secret base in a Norwegian Fjord and menacing Allied convoys at sea.

B-24s are a major feature of the 1979 novelRider on the WindbyDavid Westheimer.The novel portrays a B-24 pilot of the USAAF stationed in Palestine during the Second World War and who meets a Jewish resistance-fighter. The author himself served as a navigator in a B-24 with the 98th Bomb Group stationed in Palestine & Egypt in 1942.

B-25 Mitchell

North American B-25 Mitchell

TheNorth American B-25 Mitchellhad feature roles in the filmsThirty Seconds over Tokyo(1944) (pilotTed Lawson's account of theDoolittle Raid),Hanover Street(1979) based on a fictional B-25 unit stationed in England,andForever Young(1992), following a B-25 test pilot's story both in the past and present.

A B-25 features in the 1965 World War II filmIn Harm's Waydirected byOtto Premingerand starringJohn WayneandKirk Douglas.

The Sole Survivor,a 1970 telemovie, was also based loosely on the "Lady Be Good", and also featured a B-25 in the Liberator role. It first aired on 9 January 1970.

The B-25 is featured in the 1970Mike NicholsfilmCatch-22,which had 17film unitB-25s in flying condition.Like theBattle of Britain's resurrection and ultimate preservation of German and British aviation combatants, theCatch-22air force helped form a nucleus of the nascentwarbirdsmovement. Fifteen of the 18 bombers used in the film remain intact, including one on display at theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Air and Space Museum.

B-25s appear in the 1976 novelWhipbyMartin Caidin,which portrays a B-25 unit based in Australia and commanded by Captain 'Whip' Russell and they are employed in low-level bombing missions against Japanese convoys carrying reinforcements to Guadalcanal and Rabaul in 1942.

The B-25 was the focus of the second half of the 2001 filmPearl Harbor,although critics complained that the bomber and its role were being depicted inaccurately.

The bulk of the action inCraig Johnson's 2013 novelSpirit of Steamboattakes place on an old Mitchell VB-25J nicknamed "Steamboat", as it is flown through a snowstorm on a rescue mission over theGreat Plains.

A B-25 is used in the 2011 filmSucker Punch.

B-25s appear in the 2019Hulumini-seriesCatch-22directed byGeorge Clooney.Two vintage B-25s were used in the productionand other B-25s were re-created with CGI.

B-29 Superfortress

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

TheBoeing B-29 Superfortresshas played an important role in several Hollywood films, particularly theEnola Gay,which dropped the first atomic bomb. The Enola Gay was depicted inAbove and BeyondandThe Beginning or the End.

The first Hollywood retelling of the509th Composite Group's preparation for the atomic missions wasAbove and Beyond,released byMGMin 1953, withRobert Taylorportraying Col.Paul Tibbetts,andJim Backusas Gen.Curtis LeMay.Filmed atDavis-Monthan Air Force Base.

The B-29 also played the titular role in the 1980 Disney filmThe Last Flight of Noah's Ark.

Film makers also used the only flight-worthy B-29 (FIFI) at the time in 1983 in the filmThe Right Stuffto recreate the launch of the Bell X-1 for the first supersonic flight.

B-36 Peacemaker

TheConvair B-36featured prominently in Paramount's 1955 filmStrategic Air CommandstarringJames Stewart,who plays a World War II bomber pilot and member of theAir Force Reserveand is forced to crash land in the Arctic. The film features many good aerial shots of B-36s and was primarily filmed atCarswell AFB,Texas, andMacDill AFBinTampa, Florida,andAl Lang Fieldin nearbySt. Petersburg, Florida.One particularly difficult shot was that of Stewart's character, a baseball player, standing on the baseball field at Al Lang Field while a B-36 flies overhead and casts a shadow over him, foreshadowing his imminent recall to active service.

B-47 Stratojet

B-47 Stratojet

TheBoeing B-47 Stratojetgets a secondary role in Paramount's 1955 filmStrategic Air Command(SAC), starring James Stewart, as the new jet that is nothing like the old Convair B-36 he is used to. The film features good aerial footage of both the B-47 and the B-36. The majority of B-47 scenes were filmed atMacDill Air Force Base,Florida, using aircraft from the306th Bombardment Wing.

Ejection seat testing of B-47s performed atEglin AFB,Florida, in 1953 and 1954 as part ofaeromedicalresearch was recreated in the 195520th Century FoxfilmOn the Threshold of SpacestarringGuy Madison,and in a 1957Pine-Thomas ProductionsdramaBailout at 43,000.

The 1957Warner Brothersmelodrama filmBombers B-52featuresCastle Air Force Base,proudly sporting its slogan "Home of the B-47", and its transition from the Stratojet to the new B-52.

B-52 Stratofortress

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

The 1957 filmBombers B-52focused on the introduction of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber by the U.S. Strategic Air Command (SAC) in the 1950s, using extensive footage of early model B-52s.

The 1963 filmA Gathering of Eaglesfocuses on the stresses of aB-52wing commander at the height of the Cold War. Some excellent visuals of the B-52 including a complexinflight refuelingoperation which nearly ends in disaster.

The B-52 was also a key part ofStanley Kubrick's 1964 black comedy filmDr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

A B-52 was a focal point of the 1983 novelTrinity's Child,byWilliam Prochnau,and the 1990 telemovie adaptation,By Dawn's Early Light.

Bell 47

Bell 47

The 1950s syndicated American television seriesWhirlybirds,produced byDesilu Studios,starred a pair ofBell 47helicopters. The association withWhirlybirdscontinues to be used to promote helicopters and the Bell 47 in particular.A Bell 47 was also one of the 'stars' of the Australian television seriesSkippy the Bush Kangaroo.

In the opening scenes ofFederico Fellini's 1960 comedy-drama filmLa Dolce Vitaa Bell 47 transports a statue of Christ across the city of Rome. A second Bell 47 in pursuit contains the reporter Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) and his sidekick Papparazo.

A Bell 47J equipped with floats was used in the 1965James BondfilmThunderball.The helicopter lands on the water as Bond searches for anAvro Vulcanbomber that has gone missing.

A Bell 47G3B-1 was used as the "Batcopter"in the 1966Batmanfilm. This airframe had previously appeared inLassie Come Home.

A Bell 47 depicted a supposed German helicopter in the 1968 action filmWhere Eagles Dare.Although experimental German helicopter types did exist in this time period, theFocke-Achgelis Fa 223was a larger, twin-rotor machine, which was used on only a limited basis.

The Bell 47, in its military configuration as aH-13 Siouxregularly appeared in theM*A*S*Hfilm (1970) andtelevision series(1972-1983).

In the 1979Norman Jewisonfilm...And Justice For All,the main characters go for a ride in a Bell 47G-2 that ends up ditching inBaltimore'sInner Harborwhen it runs out of fuel.

Bell 206

Chopper Squadwas a 1970s Australian television series about aBell 206 JetRangerused for rescue work in Sydney. The helicopter used was an actual rescue helicopter operated by theWestpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service.

A Bell 206B was one of the helicopters that attacks the oil rig control center ofErnst Stavro Blofeldin the climactic scenes of the 1971James BondfilmDiamonds Are Forever.A JetRanger also appeared in the 1977 Bond filmThe Spy Who Loved Me.This aircraft was destroyed in 1997, killing its pilot.

The 1982 movieThe Thingfeatures two Bell 206s used by the teams from a Norwegian and American research base. Only one helicopter was used, with Norwegian markings on the left side and English markings on the right side, then only shown with the Norwegians flying it from the right side of the screen to the left and only shown with the Americans flying it from left to right. One very brief sequence shows both helicopters at once and had to be shot six months after the rest when the crew was able to secure a second helicopter.Kurt Russellactually flew this 206 for some scenes and one point the helicopter wobbles when Russell was not entirely prepared to take the controls. The crew kept this in to develop his character (a former Vietnam War helicopter pilot) as having shaky hands as a result of hard drinking and PTSD.

In the 1983 filmBlue Thunder,a JetRanger is portrayed as aLAPDhelicopter flying for theAstro division.Also appears in the 1991 filmTerminator 2: Judgment Day,as another LAPD helicopter, which is stolen by theT-1000Terminator and flown under an expressway to pursueJohn Connor,Sarah Connorand theT-800Terminator protecting them.

Bell 222

ABell 222A was featured in the telemovieAirwolf,which starredJan-Michael VincentandErnest Borgnine.Within the year, the film was made into aTV serieswhich aired from 1984 to 1986.

In the 1991 filmHarley Davidson and the Marlboro Man,a Bell 222UT is used to eliminate the antagonists in a high rise building near downtown Los Angeles.

Bell AH-1 Cobra

In the 1990 filmFire Birds,aBell AH-1 Cobraof theUnited States Armyemerges in the opening sequence, when it is ambushed by a drug runner's Scorpion helicopter portrayed by aMcDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender.

A pair of AH-1s appear inSimon West's 1997 filmCon Air.The helicopters are used in an attempt to bring down a hijackedJustice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System(JPATS) aircraft.

InJ. J. Abrams's 2006 filmMission: Impossible III,theImpossible Missions Force(IMF) team use aBell 204to escape after rescuing one of their team members. They must evade an AH-1 Cobra, which pursues them through awind farm,firingheat seeking rocketsat them.

Bell UH-1 Iroquois

Bell UH-1 Iroquois

TheBell UH-1 Iroquois(commonly called theHuey) was the most common helicopter during theVietnam War,as an aircraft used to insert and remove troops from the field, transport casualties for medical treatment and as a gunship.As such, it has appeared in many works of fiction related to the war.

The UH-1 was an important part of the 1968 filmThe Green Berets.The production company paid $18,623.64 for the material, the 85 hours of flying time by UH-1 helicopters, and 3,800 man-days for military personnel taken away from their regular duties.

Two UH-1H Hueys make up part of the attack package onErnst Stavro Blofeld's oil rig command center at the climax of the 1971James BondfilmDiamonds Are Forever.

The UH-1 was inFrancis Ford Coppola's 1979 filmApocalypse Now.Several Hueys were rented from the Philippine Air Force.The distinct and iconic sound of the helicopters was featured prominently in the film'ssound designof the soundtrack.

UH-1s were prominently featured inOliver Stone's 1986 filmPlatoon.

The 1990 filmAir America,about theCIA's proprietary airline during the war in Southeast Asia, featured the ubiquitous Huey helicopter.

A Bell 205 is used as amountain rescue helicopterin the 1993 filmCliffhanger.The aircraft is used to locate a missing jet and then employed to find stolen money. Towards the film's end the helicopter is dangling upside down against a cliff, where the hero (Sylvester Stallone) and villain (John Lithgow) brawl on the belly of the aircraft.

The UH-1 is a central part of the 2002 Vietnam war filmWe Were Soldiers.The helicopter is shown ferrying troops into theIa Drangvalley as part of the then-new concept ofair cavalry.The film particularly focused on the flights of MajorBruce Crandall,who was later awarded theMedal of Honorfor his actions while piloting his UH-1 during the battle depicted in the film.Four of the UH-1s used were provided by theGeorgia Army National Guard.

The slaying of Israeli athletes byBlack Septemberterrorists and the destruction of aBundesgrenzschutzBell/Dornier UH-1Dduring the 1972 Summer Olympics was depicted in the 2005Steven SpielbergfilmMunich.

UH-1D helicopters are seen as the primary transport aircraft in the 2017 filmKong: Skull Island,and are attacked by Kong after launching seismic bombs in an attempt to map the Island's caves. Most are equipped with the M134 and FFAR pod armament.

Bell X-1

Bell X-1

TheBell X-1was depicted early in the filmThe Right Stuff.The film showed the historic flight of the X-1 becoming the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight under its own propulsion. This achievement helped usher in the US space program that was the subject of the rest of the film.A mock-up built for the film is now displayed at thePlanes of FameMuseum, Chino, California.

Bell X-2

ABell X-2mock-up was built for the pilot-film of the TV seriesQuantum Leap.It is now on display at thePlanes of FameMuseum, Chino, California.

Boeing 247

The 1935 mystery novelObelists Fly Highby C. Daly King features a detailed description of a transcontinental flight on a Boeing 247, including an interior floor plan and passenger operations. The characteristic wing spar obstructions in the Boeing 247's passenger aisle figure in the novel's opening page plot action.

The 1936 movieWithout Orderscenters on the emergency landing of aBoeing 247by the stewardess.

The 1936 movie13 Hours by Airtakes place largely aboard a transcontinental Boeing 247 flight and includes significant historically interesting second-unit footage of actual terminal facilities onUnited Air Lines'sthen-new transcontinental route network.

Boeing 707

The 1961 episode "The Odyssey of Flight 33"of the television seriesThe Twilight Zonetakes place on aBoeing 707with the aircraft traveling through various periods of history.

A Boeing 707-349C leased fromFlying Tiger Lineportrayed two aircraft in the 1970 filmAirport,based on the 1968Arthur Haileynovel of the same name.

The Boeing 707 is featured as the titular aircraft inAirplane!,a 1980 disaster-parody film byJon Davison.

In 2011, the American television seriesPan Amtook place in the early and mid-1960s and featured interior sets and exterior CGI representations of the 707 on the ground and in flight; it was Pan Am's flagship airliner during that time. Additional footage of John Travolta's Boeing 707 in Pan Am livery has also been used in the TV series.

Boeing 727

Industrial Light and Magicconstructed a large-scale model of aBoeing 727of fibreglass and aluminum for use in the 1990action filmDie Hard 2.

The 1996 filmEraserincludes an elaborate action sequence involving a parachute jump from a crippled Boeing 727.

The 1998 filmU.S. Marshalsdepicts the crash of a 727 from theJustice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System(JPATS).

Boeing 737

In the 2008 TV seriesBreaking Bad,the mid-air crash between twoBoeing 737soverAlbuquerque,referred to as the Wayfarer 515 disaster, takes an important part in the plot. Because of it, this model is featured and mentioned several times during the second season. Also, the episode "Seven Thirty-Seven"is named for the aircraft; it is the first of several episode titles that collectively foreshadow the Wayfarer 515 disaster. When placed together, they read" Seven Thirty-Seven Down Over ABQ ".

Boeing 747

Boeing VC-25Air Force One

A redressedBoeing 747ofAmerican Airlineswas featured extensively in the 1974 filmAirport 1975,and the sequelAirport 77.

The 1983TBSdrama seriesスチュワーデス vật ngữ(Stewardess Monogatari - A Stewardess' Tale)focuses on 19-year-old Chiaki Matsumoto (played byChiemi Hori) and her path to becoming aJapan Airlinesflight attendant. The series was filmed in cooperation with JAL, which allowed filming at their actual base atNarita International Airport.Many shots are filmed of 747 revenue flights at Narita, and a few episodes were produced inside the maintenance hangar as Chiaki and her classmates perform various training classes and exercises to learn about the aircraft.

In the 1990 action filmDie Hard 2,a 747 that has been hijacked by terrorists is destroyed byJohn McClane.Three 23-foot models were fabricated byIndustrial Light and Magicwith one destroyed during filming done at a remote airstrip in theMojave Desertof California. The effects were matched to a real 747 filmed taxiing atAlpena, Michigan.The cost of the special effects pushed the film's production costs towards the then-record of $70 million.

A 747-212B, rented fromKalitta Air,was the title subject of the 1997 filmAir Force One,portraying the real 747-200-basedVC-25that transports the US president. The film shows characters firingM4A1 carbineson board a number of times (and hitting the cabin walls), but the5.56x45mmFMJ roundsused at the time would easily have torn holes through the plane, leading to explosive depressurization.

The 747 was also prominent in the novel and the 2002 filmThe Sum of All Fearsas theNational Airborne Operations Centerduring a nuclear showdown with Russia.

A 747 in-flight is also the setting for the 2006 horror-thriller filmSnakes on a Planein which a large number of venomous snakes wriggle loose on the large jet.

AnAll Nippon AirwaysBoeing 747-400was featured in the 2008 Japanese movieHappy Flight.

Boeing 757

The Boeing 757 that served as United Airlines Flight 93, days before its hijacking.

ABoeing 757is the setting of the 2006 filmUnited 93,that is based on the events on boardUnited Airlines Flight 93which was hijacked during theSeptember 11 attacksin 2001.

Boeing 767

An Air New ZealandBoeing 767-200was featured in the 1993 TV movieMercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771,whereby its crew lead a lost Cessna 188 to a safe landing place. The movie is based on theCessna 188 Pacific rescuethat took place in 1978. The plane in the actual rescue was a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 and the Boeing 767 was not introduced into Air New Zealand's fleet until 1985.

The Boeing 767 is the setting of the 2014 action filmNon-Stopin which a killer onboard is executing the aircraft's passengers and crew.

Boeing 777

A modifiedBoeing 777was used as theUnited States Air Forcemothership for an experimentalNASAspaceplanein the 2006 filmSuperman Returns.

Boeing-Stearman Model 75

In 1950,Paul Mantztore the wings off aBoeing PT-13D (Model 75) Stearmanby flying between two oaks for the 1950 filmWhen Willie Comes Marching Home.A crop-dusting Stearman, N6340, was featured early in the 1963Elvis PresleyfilmIt Happened at the World's Fair.

A Boeing Stearman appears in the climactic scene of the Disney Sci-Fi filmThe Cat from Outer Space(1978). The scene involves a mid-air transfer of characters between the Stearman and a Gazelle helicopter. The Stearman is a wreck but is flown by the powers of the magic necklace belonging to the cat Jake.

More recently, Model 75s have appeared in a number of films includingIndependence Day(1996),The English Patient(1997),andPearl Harbor(2001).

Breda-Zappata BZ.308

TheBreda-Zappata BZ.308makes a brief appearance inWilliam Wyler's 1953 romantic comedy "Roman Holiday"starringAudrey Hepburn.

Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufighter

Comics writerGarth Ennis' 2007 revival of the old British war comic heroBattler Britton:Bloody Good Show,featured the ace fighter pilot commanding a squadron ofBristol Beaufightersin North Africa during the Second World War.

Bristol Blenheim

Bristol Blenheimsappear in the 1945 British filmThe Way to the Stars(released in the US asJohnny in the Clouds). In the early part of the film, Pilot Officer Peter Penrose (John Mills), a '15-hour sprog' (rookie) arrives at Halfpenny Field, a Royal Air-Force aerodrome, in the summer of 1940 and joins B-Flight of No 72 Squadron, equipped with Blenheims and commanded by Flight-Lieutenant David Archdale (Michael Redgrave).

A Bristol Blenheim IV, restored from aBolingbroke IVT,appeared in the 1995 filmRichard III,an adaptation of Shakespeare's play directed by and starringIan McKellen;who set the play in an imaginary 1930s England ruled by a fascist-style Monarch.

Bristol Britannia

ABristol Type 175 Britanniaairliner was the central feature of the 1959 filmJet Over the Atlantic(also released asHigh Over the Atlantic), a drama directed byByron Haskinand starringGuy MadisonandVirginia Mayo.The film's plot is about an airliner en route from Spain to the United States. Among the passengers is an American who has been arrested for murder and is being extradited back to the US. Another passenger, rendered mentally unstable by the loss of his daughter, releases a toxic gas on board the aircraft, rendering the flight crew unconscious, and leaving the prisoner as the only person capable of flying the aircraft. Despite the film's title, the Bristol Type 175 was a turbo-prop engined aircraft rather than a jet-powered plane.

Bristol F2B

Bristol F2B

In the long-running British First World War comic stripCharley's War,published inBattle Picture Weekly1979–1986 and written byPat Millsand illustrated byJoe Colquhoun,the storyline goes on a tangent when Charley Bourne's younger brother Wilf enlists under-age and becomes an observer/gunner in aBristol F2Bsquadron in France in early 1918.

A replica Bristol F2B mounted on skis was featured in the 1981 filmDeath Huntwhich starredCharles BronsonandLee Marvin.The replica, which was constructed in the US and had an inverted Ford Ranger engine instead of a Rolls-Royce, was originally commissioned in 1979 to appear in the filmHigh Road to China(1983), but was not used in that production.

The fictional RFC unit featured in Derek Robinson's 1999 novelHornet's Sting,set in 1917 over the Western Front, exchange their outdated Sopwith Pups for the new Bristol F2Bs.

Bristol Tourer

A flying replica of aBristol Tourer,a civil utility biplane developed from the Bristol F2B, appeared in the 1985 Australian TV mini-seriesA Thousand Skies,a dramatisation of the career of famous Australian aviatorCharles Kingsford Smith.

Bristol Type 170 Freighter

ABristol Type 170 Freighter Mk. 11Aplayed a major role in the 1957 British filmThe Man in the Sky(distributed in the U.S. asDecision Against Time)directed byCharles Crichtonand starringJack Hawkins.In the film, one of the engines catches fire during a test flight, and Hawkins' character struggles to use up enough fuel to make an emergency landing. During filming, the aircraft was damaged in a crash, but was repaired and returned to service withSilver City Airwaysuntil it was retired and scrapped in 1962.

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander

In the 2015James BondfilmSpectre,Bond pilots aBN-2 Islanderthrough the Austrian Alps to rescueMadeleine SwannfromSpectregang members.

Bücker Bü 181

In the 1963epic filmThe Great Escape,theprisoners of warplayed byJames GarnerandDonald Pleasencesteal aLuftwaffeBücker Bü 181.No aircraft were involved in the actual escape fromStalag Luft III.Pleasence, who had been an aircraft wireless operator withNo. 166 Squadron,was imprisoned inStalag Luft Iafter hisLancasterwas shot down over Germany on 31 August 1944.

C

C-2 Greyhound

In the 2003 filmTears of the Sun,aSEALteam performs a parachute jump from aGrumman C-2A Greyhoundto begin a mission inNigeria.

C-17 Globemaster III

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

In the 2018 filmMission: Impossible – Fallout,Ethan Huntperforms aHALOjump from aBoeing C-17 Globemaster IIIbelonging to theUAE Air Force.

In the TV seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,a heavily modified C-17 serves as the team's "Bus".

C-47 Skytrain / C-53 Skytrooper / Dakota

See also:Douglas DC-3section for the civilian aircraft on which the Dakota was based

Douglas C-47 Skytrain

A ski-equippedDouglas C-47 Skytrainis featured inHoward Hawks' 1951 science-fiction thriller,The Thing From Another World,based on the 1938 novellaWho Goes There?byJohn W. Campbell, Jr.

In the 1955 British filmThe Night My Number Came Updirected byLeslie Normanand starringMichael RedgraveandDenholm Elliott,a man tells guests at a dinner party of a dream he had of a Tokyo-bound Dakota that crashes in the Japanese mountains. Some of the guests board such a flight the next day and they begin to fear the dream is coming true.

Eleven aircraft were gathered for airdrop scenes in the 1977 filmA Bridge Too Far,all of which had to be of a paratroop configuration, representing the C-53 Skytrooper variant.

A Douglas C-47 DL Skytrain featured in the climactic scenes of the 1978 filmThe Wild Geesewhich starredRichard BurtonandRoger Mooreas the leaders of a group of British mercenaries sent to rescue a deposed African leader. The C-47 used in the film belonged to United Air of South Africa and was nick-named 'The Wild Goose' after its film role. The aircraft was destroyed in a crash in South Africa in 1988 which claimed the lives of all 24 people on board.

Indiana Jones travels from New York City to Venice in the 1989 adventureIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

C-54 Skymaster

The20th Century FoxproductionThe Big Lift(originally titledQuartered City), set during theBerlin Airlift,was filmed in Berlin at a former German studio nearTempelhofin 1949 andDouglas C-54 Skymasterswere prominently featured. Military personnel fromRhein-Main Air Baseappeared as extras.

C-82 Packet

The crash of aFairchild C-82 Packetin the North African desert is central to the plot of the 1965 filmThe Flight of the Phoenixdrawn from a 1964 novel byElleston Trevorof the same title.

C-119 Flying Boxcar

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar

TheFairchild C-119 Flying Boxcarwas the subject of the 2004remake ofFlight of the Phoenix,using the descendant design of theC-82 Packetof the original.

C-121 Constellation

Lockheed C-121A Constellationtail number 48-615 was used in the 1977 filmMacArthur,starringGregory Peck,painted inSupreme Commander for the Allied Powers(SCAP) markings.

C-123 Provider

Fairchild C-123 Provider

In the 1990action filmDie Hard 2,John McClaneejects from the cockpit of a groundedFairchild C-123 Providerfor a parachute recovery just before terrorists destroy it. A full-scale fuselage mock-up, molded from a real Provider, was rigged with 3,000 bullet hits, each one drilled and loaded with a charge, tapped, and wired to discharge in sequence. Actual pyrotechnics work was done atIndian Dunes, California,with actorBruce Willis' ejection composited into the shot later.

The 1990 filmAir Americaloosely recounted the exploits of theCentral Intelligence Agencyproprietary airline in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and early 1970s and featured Fairchild C-123K Providers leased from theRoyal Thai Air Force.

The C-123 was featured in the 1997 filmCon Air,with much of the film's action taking place in and around the aircraft.Three C-123s were used in the production of the film. One aircraft was used for all of the flying sequences. Another was used for thetaxiingscenes and the third Provider, non-airworthy and in poor condition, was dismantled and its fuselage was used for the filming of the climatic crash scene.

C-130 Hercules

The 1976 filmRaid on Entebbewas based on a real-life Israeli military rescue mission which relied on the unique short-field capabilities of theLockheed C-130.

In the place of a Soviet transport plane, a C-130 Hercules (orLockheed L-100 Herculescivilian model in military markings) was featured in the 1987James BondfilmThe Living Daylights;aC-123K Providerwas used for some tail ramp fight scene close-ups.

The special operations variant, theLockheed MC-130Combat Talon, was featured as the rescue aircraft in the 1997 filmAir Force One,performing a daring mid-air rescue of the President and his family as Air Force One is failing and going into the water.

Lockheed AC-130

In the 2007 filmTransformersaclose air supportvariant of the C-130, theAC-130gunship, is used to drive off the Decepticons after the military base in Qatar is attacked, by executing apylon turnto deliver ground fire.

In the 2007 gameCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,the player uses an AC-130H for support. The AC-130H is also playable during the mission "Death from Above".Since its initial inclusion, it has become a staple of the series, making further appearances inModern Warfare 2,Black Ops,Modern Warfare 3,Black Ops 4,the 2019Modern Warfareremake andits sequel,Black Ops Cold War,and theOnlineandHeroesmobile games.

In the 2013 filmOlympus Has Fallen,a C-130 armed withmulti-barrel cannonsattacks Washington, D.C., and shoots down two USAF F-22 Raptor fighters sent to intercept it. The C-130 is shot down by another F-22 and crashes into theWashington Monument,causing part of it to collapse.

In the 2013 filmLone Survivor,an AC-130 variant provides firepower as Luttrell is extracted from the village towards the end of the film.

The 2020 filmOperation Christmas Drop,a romantic comedy loosely based on the actual annual USAF humanitarian missionof the same name,features Alexander Ludwig as a C-130 pilot as he prepares and conducts the long-running mission in his C-130J.

CAC Wirraway

A restoredCommonwealth Aircraft Corporation Wirraway,an Australian production variant of the North American NA-16 Harvard, appeared in the beach landing scenes in the 1998 war filmThe Thin Red Linedirected byTerrence Malickand based on the 1962James Jonesnovel of thesame name.In the film, the aircraft is painted to depict aDouglas SBD Dauntlessdive bomber.

Caproni Ca.60

TheCaproni Ca.60 Noviplano,a nine-wing flying boat of which only a single prototype was constructed and which crashed on its first test flight in 1921, features in the 2013 Japanese animated featureThe Wind Rises,a romantic dramatization of the life of Japanese aircraft designerJiro Horikoshi.In the film, the Italian aeronautical designerGiovanni Caproniappears as a mentor to Horikoshi in several dream sequences, one of which features a tour of the Ca.60.

CASA 2.111

Several ex-Spanish Air ForceCASA 2.111swere used as "stand-ins" to depict GermanHeinkel He 111bombers in the 1969 filmBattle of Britain.

Four ex-Spanish CASA 2.111s, playing the role of Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111s, were also used in the production of the 1970 Oscar-winning filmPatton,starringGeorge C. Scott.

Caudron 277

ACaudron 277was used to play the role of both British and German two-seaters in the 1966 First World War aerial epicThe Blue Maxdirected byJohn Guillerminand based on the 1964 novel of the same name byJack D. Hunter.

Cessna 310

The protagonist of the 1950s American television showSky King,played by actorKirby Grant,flew aCessna 310in later episodes.

Cessna 402

ACessna 402,operated by the fictional small airline Sandpiper Air at Tom Nevers Field airport,Nantucket,was featured in theNBC-TVsitcomWingswhich ran for eight seasons, 1990–1997.

Cessna T-50

The protagonist of the 1950s television showSky Kingflew aCessna T-50in early episodes; the aircraft was later replaced by a Cessna 310.

CG-4 Haig / Hadrian

CrashedWACO CG-4Agliders of the99th Troop Carrier Squadronwere depicted by replicas in the filmSaving Private Ryan.These were recreated using measurements taken from a surviving example at theMuseum of Army Flying,Middle Wallop,Hampshire,England.

CH-34 Choctaw / Westland Wessex

A surplus US ArmySikorsky S-58DT(a convertedUH-34D) was prominently featured asScreaming Mimiin the 1984–86 television seriesRiptide,and remains in service.

Westland Wessexhelicopters portrayed CH-34 Choctaws inStanley Kubrick's 1987 filmFull Metal Jacket.

Turbine-repowered Sikorsky S-58Ts portrayed CH-34 Choctaws in the 1990 filmAir Americaabout the exploits of theCentral Intelligence Agencyproprietary airline during the war in Southeast Asia.

CH-46 Sea Knight / Boeing-Vertol 107

In the 1967James BondfilmYou Only Live TwiceaKV-107has anelectromagnetslung loaded underneath, and is used to airlift an antagonist's car off the road, thereby freeing up007from their pursuit.

A Kawasaki-built KV-107 portrays aUH-46 Sea Knightof theUnited States Navythat airlifts a team of hijackers aboard theUSSMissouriin the 1992 filmUnder Siege,and is later depicted being blown up on the ship'sfantail.Filming was done aboard theUSSAlabamamuseum ship.

CH-47 Chinook / Boeing-Vertol 234

In the 2000 filmRules of EngagementtwoBoeing-Vertol 234 Chinookhelicopters are portrayed asBoeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knightsof theUnited States Marine Corps.The helicopters transport a rescue team to evacuate personnel from a fallen embassy inYemen.

A CH-47D performs the rescue mission by pulling up a wreckedSuper Pumain the filmRescue Under Fire.

Cirrus SR22

Starting in 2007, theCirrus SR22became one of two aircraft (along with theF-16 Fighting Falcon) to be featured inGoogle Earth Flight Simulator.

The SR22 was also featured in the final scene of the 2010 romantic comedy filmShe's Out of My League.

Concorde

Concorde

TheConcordewas the title aircraft and star of the 1979 filmThe Concorde... Airport '79in which it was flown primarily byAlain DelonandGeorge Kennedy's characters.The aircraft used crashed twenty-one years later asAir France Flight 4590,killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground.

The same year saw the release of the Italian action thrillerConcorde Affaire '79,an attempt by producers to take advantage of the success of theAirportfilms of the 1970s.

In the 1982 serial "Time-Flight"of theBBCsci-fi seriesDoctor Who,a Concorde, its passengers, and crew are pulled through time to a prehistoric version of Earth, and the Doctor commandeers a second Concorde to follow it.

TheAerialbotSilverboltof the Transformers turns into a Concorde.

In the 2010Charles StrossnovelThe Fuller Memorandum,the occult arm of the British government maintains four Concordes for use as supersonic reconnaissance aircraft to monitor theSleeper in the Pyramid.In the event of the Black Pharaoh awakening, the Concordes are to be used as nuclear bombers to attempt to contain the threat before it manifests on Earth.

In the 2017 filmThe Wife,two significant scenes, including the final one in the movie, take place on Concorde flights transporting a Nobel Prize winner. They were shot in the aircraft displayed at Scotland'sNational Museum of Flight.

Legoreleased a set based on the Concorde. The set has 2083 pieces and features the iconic design plus inside area of the plane.

Consolidated NY

United States NavyConsolidated NYtrainers fromFloyd Bennett Fieldappeared as some of the biplanes that attackKing Kongatop theEmpire State Buildingin the1933 original film.

Convair XF-92

TheConvair XF-92,an experimental delta-wing interceptor, played the role of anF-102 Delta Daggerin the 1956 filmToward the UnknownstarringWilliam Holden.

Curtiss JN-4 Jenny

Curtiss JN-4 Jenny

A pair ofCurtiss JN-4 Jennybiplanes featured in the 1919 silent filmThe Grim Gamewhich starredHarry Houdini.In the film, the script originally called for a mid-air transfer of one of the characters between the two Jennys but while filming the scene, the two aircraft collided. Both pilots managed to safely crash-land and there were no injuries. The producers subsequently altered the script and incorporated the footage into the final cut.

A Curtiss JN-4 featured in the 1921 silent filmStranger than Fictionwhich starredKatherine MacDonald.The Jenny features in a major sequence in which the aircraft takes off from the roof of a 10-storey building in downtown Los Angeles. To film the scene, stunt pilotFrank Clarketook off from a wooden ramp. Prior to launching, the Jenny was fixed to an anchor with a rope which was cut after Clarke revved the engine to full power. Nonetheless, the Jenny dropped five storeys before Clarke was able to level out and fly along the length of Broadway street. It is not known if the producers asked permission from city officials prior to performing the stunt.

A pair of JN-4s also featured in the 1925 filmThe Cloud Rider.In one major scene, one of the Jennys flown by the film's female lead (played byVirginia Lee Corbin) loses a wheel (her plane having been sabotaged by the film's villains) and has to be assisted mid-air by the male lead (played byAl Wilson) who has another JN-4 pilot fly him alongside so he can climb onto the former's wing to render assistance. To film the scene, pilot Frank Clarke wore a wig to resemble the actress and after the aerial shots were completed, he was required to safely land his JN-4 with only one wheel.

A JN-4 appeared in the 1926 filmThe Woman With Four Facesdirected byHerbert Brenon.Once again, Frank Clarke was employed as a stunt pilot. For one scene, he was required to double as the male lead and, while landing his aircraft, wave at actressBetty Compson.However, when Clarke took his eyes off the runway, his Jenny crashed into a tree but the pilot escaped without injury.

Curtiss RC-1

The rare US Marine CorpsCurtiss RC-1air ambulance, made an appearance in the 1935Warner Bros.filmDevil Dogs of the AirstarringJames CagneyandPat O'Brien.

D

Dassault Mirage III

The Mirage III was flown almost exclusively by the lead characters in the 1960s' French TV show "Les chevaliers du ciel" some of which was broadcast in the UK in the early 1970s as "The Aeronauts" as part of the "Banana Splits" show, dubbed into English.

Dassault Mirage 2000

TheDassault Mirage 2000is prominently featured in the 2005 French movieSky Fighters(Les Chevaliers du ciel) about two air force pilots preventing a terrorist attack on theBastille Daycelebrations in Paris.

de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

The 1982 filmMother Lodemade use of ade Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaveron floats as the neglected mount of character Jean Dupré (Nick Mancuso), who embarks on a search for a missing friend in northernBritish Columbia.During the filming the aircraft actually crashed while landing on a lake and sank. This accident was not in the original script, but the footage was retained and incorporated into the film's plot. The aircraft was recovered from the lake, repaired, restored and exported to the US.

The DHC-2 was central to the 1998 filmSix Days Seven Nights.The actual flying in the film was done by its star,Harrison Ford,who enjoyed flying the Beaver so much that he bought one after filming was completed.Three flying Beavers and four non-flyable were used in the production, all detailed to exactly match one another.

de Havilland Comet

Thede Havilland Cometairliner is featured in the 1952 British filmThe Sound Barrier.

de Havilland DH.4

The 1927William WellmanfilmWingsfeaturedde Havilland DH.4samong many types depicting World War I aircraft.

de Havilland DH.9/DH.9A

Ade Havilland DH.9featured in the 1928 filmThe Legion of the Condemnedwhich was directed byWilliam A. Wellmanand starredGary Cooper.The film portrayed an RFC pilot named Gale Price (Cooper) who, heartbroken over what he believes to be his unrequited love for a French woman, volunteers for a special unit tasked with flying dangerous missions during the Great War. However, during a mission behind German lines, Price discovers the woman Christine is working as an Allied spy and is still in love with him. In the film, Price lands a DH.9 in enemy territory to rescue Christine from her German captors. The film also made extensive use of leftover aerial footage fromWingswhich Wellman had directed the previous year.

de Havilland DH.88 Comet

Grosvenor HouseandBlack Magic,together with their crews, feature prominently in a 1990 TV two-part Australian dramatisation of the 1934 London toMelbourneMacRobertson Trophy Air Race,titledHalf a World Awayand later released on DVD asThe Great Air Race.Non-flying replicas were constructed, that of G-ACSS being taxi-able.

ADH.88 Cometnamed Bulldog and voiced byJohn Cleeseis one of the characters inDisney's 2013 animated filmPlanes.

A de Havilland Comet appears in 1952 British movie,The Sound Barrier

de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide

Thede Havilland Dragon RapideVH-BGP portrayed Rapide, ZK-ACO, "Tainui", race number 60, in the 1991 Australian mini-seriesThe Great Air Race,about the 1934 London toMelbourneMacRobertson Trophy Air Race.It is also known asHalf a World Away.

A de Havilland DH-89A Dragon Rapide 6 featured in the episode "Out of Time" in Season 1 (2006) of the BBC sci-fi seriesTorchwood.The episode features a DH-89 carrying three occupants, landing at Cardiff airport in the present day after being mysteriously transported in time from 1953.

de Havilland Fox Moth

de Havilland Fox Moth

The 1951 novelRound the BendbyNevil Shuteis the story of two men, both BritishLicensed Aircraft Engineers.A large number of different aircraft types, both fictitious and real, appear in the book. The narrator and one of the protagonists of the story is Tom Cutter, and the novel details his efforts to establish anair charterbusiness inBahrainimmediately after World War II. His first aircraft is ade Havilland Fox Mothand is later joined by several other aircraft as the business expands, mostly fictitious, but among them aPercival Proctor.

de Havilland Hornet Moth

The novelHornet Flightby Ken Follett is a thriller ofthe Resistance against the Nazi occupation of Denmarkin World War II. In the novel ade Havilland Hornet Mothis used by the protagonists to fly from Denmark to the United Kingdom with information about a German radar system. The author drew inspiration from an actual flight that took place during World War II.

de Havilland Mosquito

de Havilland Mosquito

In the 1954 British filmThe Purple PlainwithGregory Peck,a Canadian Second World War pilot crashes ade Havilland Mosquitoon the Burma plain and struggles to survive.Two flying Mosquito PR.34s fromNo. 81 Squadron RAF,Seletar,Singapore, and a "disused" T.3, which arrived in pieces at the film site atNegombo,Ceylonto represent the wrecked aircraft, were used in filming, all with fictional serial numbers. Flt. Sgt. (later Squadron Leader) "Chick" Kirkham flew for the flight sequences shot from aHarvardcamera ship. The film received two nominations for the British Academy Awards.

Mosquitos are featured prominently inThe Adventures of Tintin1958 comic book albumThe Red Sea Sharks.They drive the plot in various ways, first as war-surplus equipment offered for sale by anarms dealerearly in the story, and later in combat.

The military unit in the 1964 film633 Squadronis equipped with de Havilland Mosquitos. The film makes use of genuine, airworthy aircraft, rather than models, for many of the scenes.

Mosquitos also play the title role of the 1969 filmMosquito Squadron,starringDavid McCallumandCharles Gray.

The Mosquito plays an important role with thede Havilland VampireinFrederick Forsyth's 1975 novellaThe Shepherd.

Scott Summersand his younger brotherAlex Summers,members ofMarvel Comics'X-Men,are orphaned as children after parachuting out of their father's Mosquito when it is set ablaze by an alien attack.

Mosquitos play a central role in the 2019 graphic novelOut of the Bluewritten byGarth Ennisand illustrated by Keith Burns. The story features a young pilot Jamie Mckenzie who joins a Mosquito fighter-bomber unit of the Royal Air Force and clashes with his CO.

RAF Mosquitos are heavily featured (via CGI) in the 2021 Danish filmSkyggen i mit øje(also released in English asThe Bombardment), depicting tragic events surroundingOperation Carthagein 1945.

de Havilland Puss Moth

Ade Havilland Leopard Mothwas painted asde Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth,VH-UQO, "My Hildegarde", race number 16, for the 1991 Australian mini-seriesThe Great Air Race,about the 1934 London toMelbourneMacRobertson Air Race.It is also known asHalf a World Away.

de Havilland Tiger Moth

Ade Havilland DH.82 Tiger Mothappears in the 1952David LeanfilmThe Sound Barrier.In the film, Christopher Ridgefield (Denholm Elliott) is killed in a crash while nervously trying to fly his first solo in a Tiger Moth to meet the approval of his stern father Sir John (Ralph Richardson).

A Tiger Moth appears in the opening scene of the 1996 filmThe English Patient,flying over the Sahara Desert, carrying a man and a woman. The aircraft is shot down in flames, leaving the pilot with horrific burns. The film is based on thenovel of the same namebyMichael Ondaatje.

A Tiger Moth, G-ANFM, piloted by former ATA pilotJoan HughesMBE appears in the 1968 filmThunderbird 6.During filming, the aircraft was flown under a motorway bridge over the M40 near High Wycombe, resulting in the prosecution of Hughes and the Production Director, Norman Foster.

de Havilland Vampire

Ade Havilland Vampire

De Havilland Vampiresappear in the 1954 British motion pictureConflict of Wings,a drama about the conflict that arises when an RAF squadron based in Norfolk is allocated a small island to use as a range for low-level attack training only to encounter the protests of nearby villagers who want the island preserved as a bird sanctuary.

Vampires appear in the 1966 novelShooting Scriptby former RAF pilot and thriller writerGavin Lyall.

The Vampire is central to the plot of the 1975 novella,The Shepherdby British novelistFrederick Forsyth,the story of an RAF pilot attempting to fly home for Christmas fromRAF Celle,Germany, toRAF Lakenheathon Christmas Eve 1957. The fact that the DH.100 was not fitted withejection seatsuntil about ten years later, and hence was a major challenge to bail out of, is an important element of the story.

A de Havilland Vampire 113 is also in the 1952 British movie,The Sound Barrier

Douglas DC-2

Douglas DC-2,PH-AJU, "Uiver", race number 44, was depicted byDouglas DC-3,VH-ANR, in the 1991 Australian mini-seriesThe Great Air Race,about the 1934 London toMelbourneMacRobertson Trophy Air Race.It is also known asHalf a World Away.

Douglas DC-3

See also:C-47 Skytrain / Dakotasection for military versions of the DC-3

ADouglas DC-3painted inRuskin Air Servicesfictional markings during filming atDuxford Airfieldin 1982 for the British television seriesAirline.

ADouglas DC-3AofCentral Airlinesappears in the 1954 filmStrategic Air Commandas the transport that conveys a security check team intoCarswell AFB,Texas.

The 1961 episode ofThe Twilight Zoneentitled"The Arrival"features a DC-3 on Flight 107, which arrives at its destination with no one on board. It originally aired on 22 September 1961.

The chief character of the 1965 novelHigh CitadelbyDesmond Bagleyis an alcoholic former Korean War fighter pilot who flies a Douglas DC-3 for a small airline in a fictional Andean country in South America. He is forced at gunpoint by his co-pilot—a Communist agent—to crash-land the DC-3 at a remote abandoned mine in the Andes so that Communists planning a coup can capture and kill a politician travelling as a passenger.The 1966 suspense novelFlying FinishbyDick Francisfeatures a DC-3 being used to transport race horces.

A DC-3 starred in the 1982 British television seriesAirline.The aircraft used to depict the DC-3 of the fictionalRuskin Air Serviceswas also used in the 1980s television seriesTenkoand the 2001 seriesBand of Brothers.

In the 1985 two-part episode of the television seriesMagnum, P.I.entitled "All For One", the four main characters (Thomas, Rick, T.C. and Higgins) fly fromHawai'itoCambodiain a DC-3 (c/n N162E) to carry out a personal mission. Several scenes are filmed both inside and outside of this aircraft.

In the 1989 comedy filmMajor League,the hard-luckCleveland Indiansbaseball team is "upgraded" to a DC-3 for their transportation to away games.

In the 1994 filmRichie Rich,the Rich family own and pilot a DC-3, named "Billion Dollar One", which crashes in the Atlantic due to a bomb on board.

The DC-3 features in a chase scene in the 2008James BondfilmQuantum of Solace.

The 2012Canadian Broadcasting Corporationtelevision seriesArctic Airfeatures aYellowknife-based airline that relies on DC-3s.

The 2016 filmRules Don't Applyfeatures a DC-3 in two sequences on land and one in air.Howard Hughespilots the DC-3 in a risky manner while two other passengers are aboard, shutting off the engines in-air and performing a "proper glide".

Douglas DC-4

Douglas C-54 Skymasterlands in Berlin during theBerlin Airlift

TheDouglas DC-4appears in theErnest K. GannnovelThe High and the Mighty.A former USAFDouglas C-54 Skymasteroperated byTransocean Airlinesportrayed the Douglas DC-4 in the John Wayne 1954film of the same name.Ironically, this airframe was lost over the Pacific on 28 March 1964 with an engine fire just as depicted in the film. There were no survivors of the nine "souls on board" and the wreckage was never found.

Douglas DC-8

In the 1990action filmDie Hard 2,aDouglas DC-8is given false landing instructions by terrorists and crash lands in a blizzard, resulting in fatalities to all on board.Industrial Light and Magicused a 23-foot-long model to shoot the effects of the crash and explosion. Filming was done at a remote airstrip in theMojave Desertof California. "However, shots of the passengers' frightened reactions to the initial impact, which had been shot on a set and originally cut into the movie, were so terrifying (made all the more authentic by preproduction research ofFederal Aviation Administrationtest crashes and data from real aircraft crashes) that they were ultimately cut before the film's release. "ILM constructed five DC-8 models for the production.

E

EB-66 Destroyer

The filmBat*21featured an EB-66 variant of theDouglas B-66 Destroyerbeing shot down over North Vietnam in the beginning of the film.

English Electric Lightning

The 1976 children's bookThunder and LightningsbyJan Markis about the relationship of two boys – otherwise outsiders – who share an interest in aeroplanes, in particular theEnglish Electric Lightningsflown by the local squadron. The author was awarded theCarnegie Medalin 1978 for the book.

Eurocopter Tiger

AEurocopter EC665 Tigerattack helicopter has a starring role in the 1995James BondfilmGoldenEye.

Three Eurocopter EC665 Tigers save the day in the 2017 filmRescue Under Fire.

Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma

AEurocopter AS332 Super Pumabecomes the main protagonist of the filmRescue Under Fire.The unit used for filming in the movie was the same as in the real events.

F

F2H Banshee

Protagonist Lt. Harry Brubaker flew aMcDonnell F2H Bansheein the 1953James A. MichenernovelThe Bridges at Toko-ri.In the subsequent 1954film adaptation,his aircraft was changed to aGrumman F9F Panther.

F3F

Grumman F3F

Flight Command,released byMGMin 1940, featured theGrumman F3F,filmed atNAS North Island,San Diego, California. Flying by Frank Clarke andPaul Mantz.

The 1941Warner Bros.filmDive Bombershowed Grumman F3Fs.F3F-2, BuNo0989,'6-F-4', of VF-6, assigned toUSSEnterprise,is one of the best-known F3F-2's due to the fact it is the aircraft thatFred MacMurray"crashed" in this movie.Filming began atNAS North Island,San Diego, California, on 20 March 1941.

F-4 Phantom II

F-4 Phantom

US Marineaviator Lt. Col. Wilbur "Bull" Meecham flew aMcDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIin the 1979 filmThe Great SantinistarringRobert Duvallas Meecham.

The Richard Herman Jnr bookWarbirdsset around the fictious USAF 45 Tactial Fighter Wing and their struggle with a near par stength adversary. The main characters Lt Jack Loooch and his backseater (WSO) with a number of others.

The Gobots character Mach 3 and the Transformers characterFireflightboth turn into F-4 Phantom IIs.

In the 1988 filmIron Eagle II,F-4s appear as Soviet MiGs. The aircraft were provided by the Israeli Air Force for the production.

F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcatswere shown in the critical aerial battle scenes in the filmMidway.

F4U Corsair

F4U Corsair

Vought F4U Corsairsfeatured in the latter part of the 1951 RKO war movieFlying Leatherneckswhich was directed byNicholas Rayand starredJohn WayneandRobert Ryan.The film's fictional Marine Air Corps unit exchange their older fighters for new F4Us as they support the drive across the Pacific in the latter stages of the war. For the film, the producers borrowed a number of flying F4Us which were then serving as trainers at the Marine Air Base at El Toro, California, and they also incorporated some wartime colour footage of F4Us taken during WW2.

F4Us also featured in the 1952MonogramfilmFlat Topwhich was directed byLesley Selanderand starredSterling Hayden.In the film, Hayden plays Commander Dan Collier who takes command of a squadron of un-disciplined fighter pilots on board an aircraft carrier and is tasked with getting them combat-ready before the invasion of the Japanese-occupied Philippines in 1944. The film made extensive use of colour wartime footage of carrier-borne F4Us.

The F4U Corsair was a regularly featured aircraft ofVMF-214in the 1976–1978 television seriesBaa Baa Black Sheep,based on the experiences ofPappy Boyington.The series was later renamedBlack Sheep Squadron.

Computer-generated images of F4U Corsairs appear in the 2006 Second World War dramaFlags of Our Fathersdirected byClint Eastwood.

An F4U Corsair named Skipper Riley (voiced byStacy Keach) is one of the characters in Disney's animated TV series and films "Air Mater"(2011),Planes(2013).

The F4U Corsair is also featured in the 2022 Korean War drama filmDevotion.

In the aviation comic strip "Chicken Wings" by Michael and Stefan Strasser, the rather incompetent (but in his own mind brilliant) pilot Chuck of the "Roost Air" flight charter company, is building his own F4U out of spare parts, acquired from an unknown place, and with tools pilfered from his hard-tested flight mechanic, Julio.

F-5 Freedom Fighter/Tiger II

Northrop F-5splayed the part of the fictional MiG-28 enemy aircraft in the 1986 filmTop Gun.

F5F Skyrocket

The soleGrumman XF5F-1 Skyrocket,which never entered production or squadron service, was incorporated as the primary mount forBlackhawkand the Blackhawk Squadron in wartime editions of the anthology seriesMilitary Comicspublished byQuality Comics,the first issue of which was published in August 1941. The long-running title was later acquired byDC Comics,with the squadron upgrading to more modern types.

F6F Hellcat

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat

Grumman F6F Hellcatsappeared in the 1951 motion pictureFlying Leathernecksdirected byNicholas Rayand starringJohn Wayne.One of the pilots who flew aircraft for the aerial scenes in the production was Marine Captain Phil De Groot who, after completing work on the film, flew in the Korean War and was wounded in action. The production was filmed at a small airstrip atCamp Pendleton,California. De Groot said, "They put some sand all over the strip, and some palm trees, and built a little pagoda there, simulating Guadalcanal".

F6Fs appear in the 1964 novelThe Last TallyhobyRichard Newhafer,a work inspired by the author's real-life experiences as a Hellcat pilot during WW2.

F6Fs appear in the 1978 novelWingmenbyEnsan Case,a novel depicting US Navy fighter pilots serving on a fictional aircraft carrier- the 'USSConstitution'.The carrier's fighter squadron- VF-20- takes part in the Pacific War 1943-1944 and it centres on the experiences of two of its members- ensign Fred Trusteau and the squadron-commander, Lt Jack Hardigan.

Computer-generated images of F6F Hellcats appear in the 2002 Second World War dramaWindtalkersdirected byJohn Wooand starringNicolas Cage.

F8F Bearcat

TheF8F Bearcatare to appear in the 2022 Korean War drama filmDevotion.Two flyable Bearcats were used.Footage of actors flying the aircraft was created using a two-seatHawker Sea Furywith its rear seat modified to resemble a Bearcat cockpit and visible portions of the airframe painted like aVF-32Bearcat.

F9F Panther

Grumman F9F Panthers

TheGrumman F9F-2 Pantherwas prominently featured in the 1954 filmsMen of the Fighting LadyandThe Bridges at Toko-Ri.The latter film was based on the 1953novel of the same name,whose protagonist flew aMcDonnell F2H Banshee.

Footage of the F9F-5 Pantherramp strikeaccident of 23 June 1951 aboardUSSMidwayhas been used in several films, includingMen of the Fighting Lady,Midway(1976), andThe Hunt For Red October(1990). The footage shows Commander George Chamberlain Duncan crash BuNo 125228, then the forward fuselage breaking away and rolling down the deck. Duncan survived the crash.

F-14 Tomcat

F-14 Tomcat

TheGrumman F-14 Tomcatwas central to the 1986 filmTop Gun.The U.S. Navy provided F-14s at $7,600 per flight hour for a total bill of $886,000 ($2,463,000 today).The aviation-themed film created such interest in naval aviation that the Navy set up recruitment desks outside some theaters.The F-14 also appears in the climax of the 2022 sequelTop Gun: Maverick.

Two F-14As ofVF-84fromUSSNimitzappeared in the 1980 filmThe Final Countdown.Four VF-84 planes appeared in the 1996 releaseExecutive Decision,the Jolly Rogers' final film appearance before being disestablished.

The military legal drama TV seriesJAG(1995–2005) featured lead characterHarmon Rabb,a Tomcat pilot-turned-lawyer,and recurring scenes with the Tomcat.

The Tomcat was also a central part of theStephen CoontsnovelFinal Flight.

The F-14 is the primary focus of the 1987Williamspinball machine "F-14 Tomcat"and theAfter Burnervideo game series bySega.

F-15 Eagle

F-15 Strike Eagle

TheMcDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagleis one of the most recognized modern fighters; this has led to, or perhaps even been aided by, its common use in children's toys.Leader-1of theGobotsturns into an F-15.The Transformers toy line and media have featured numerous characters who turn into F-15 Eagles, the most notable being the villainStarscreamin 1984and a group of similar Decepticons, theSeekers:Acid Storm,Thundercracker,SkywarpandSunstorm.Although a completely unrelated design to the others, the Aerialbot Air Raid also disguises himself as an F-15.

F-15s appear in the 1980 novelEaglesby M. H. Davis, a work which portrays pilots of the USAF.

The F-15 is featured in the 1997 filmAir Force One.The Eagle was also shown in advertisements for the 2000 filmThirteen Days.The ads were withdrawn when it came to the attention ofNew Line Cinemathat the F-15, which first flew in 1972, was out of place for a film set in 1962. This was problematic for New Line, who had termed the film a "by-the-numbers recreation" and "close to perfect". A New Line spokesman said the advertisement was created by an outside agency.

F-15Js and F-15DJs of theJASDFappear prominently in the 2004 filmUltraman: The Next.The film's protagonist, Shunichi Maki, is a prestigious pilot of the F-15, and encounters the Enigma ticUltraman 'The Next'while flying the aircraft.

The F-15 has appeared in numerous video games, including the 1985MicroprosetitleF-15 Strike Eagleand its two sequels, 1989'sF-15 Strike Eagle IIand 1992'sF-15 Strike Eagle III.F-15 also appears in three ofJane's Combat Simulationsgames: 1998'sF-15andIAF,and 1999'sUSAF.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

F-16 Fighting Falcon

A number of video games have featured theGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon:theFalconseries (1984-2005),F-16 Combat Pilot(1989),Street Fighter II(1991, featured at Guile's stage as part of the background),F-16 Multirole Fighter(1998),F-16 Aggressor(1999) and many others.

The TransformersAerialbotSkydive and Decepticon Dreadwind disguise themselves as F-16 Fighting Falcons.The Transformers characterNeedlenosedisguises himself as an F-16XL.

The Falcon was one of the stars of the 1986 filmIron Eagle.The US Air Force refused to assist with production of the film because it found the plot about a teenager flying an F-16 into a foreign country to be "a little off the wall".

The 1986 action-adventure romantic comedy filmThe Jewel of the Nilefeatured a brutal dictator's personal F-16 as the key element in the protagonists (played byKathleen TurnerandMichael Douglas) escaping from a fortified town.

The aircraft was also featured in theHBO1992 productionAfterburn.A dramatization of true events, the F-16 was the subject of a protracted legal battle over the safety of the design.

The F-16 was featured in the 2002 filmThe Sum of All Fears.

Starting in 2007, the F-16 became one of two aircraft (along with theCirrus SR22) to be featured inGoogle Earth Flight Simulator.

F/A-18 Hornet

TheMcDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornetappears in the 1994 filmClear and Present Dangerwhich was directed byPhillip Noyce.The jet drops alaser-guided bombon a car at a drug lord's villa, being laser designated by a special forces team.

In the 1996Michael Bay-directed filmThe Rock,F/A-18s attack the prison onAlcatraz Islandin the final scenes.

The F/A-18 Hornet was prominently featured in the 1996 filmIndependence Dayand was filmed using F/A-18 squadrons belonging to the 3rd Marine Corps Aircraft Wing at El Toro and Miramar, in California.

F/A-18A Hornets play a crucial role in the climax of the 1998 filmGodzilla,in which the planes first destroy the Baby Godzillas inMadison Square Gardenby demolishing the building withAGM-84 Harpoonmissiles, then killGodzillahimself by firing additional Harpoon missiles at the monster after he became entangled in the cables ofBrooklyn Bridge.

The F/A-18 Hornet appeared in the 2003 filmTears of the Sunduring the final, climactic battle, helping to save the surviving SEAL team members.

F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

The aircraft appears in the 2000 video gameF/A-18,part ofJane's Combat Simulationsseries.

The two-seaterF/A-18F Super Hornetwas featured in the 2001 filmBehind Enemy Lines,directed byJohn Mooreand starringOwen WilsonandGene Hackman.The plot begins with a Super Hornet being shot down overBosnia.

In the 2013 Disney animated filmPlanes,the characters Bravo and Echo are based on the F/A-18E Super Hornet.

F/A-18E and -F Super Hornets appear in the 2022 filmTop Gun: Maverick.

F-20 Tigershark

TheNorthrop F-20 Tigersharkappears a number of times inKaoru Shintani's manga/animated franchiseArea 88,as a personal unit of main character Shin Kazama.

Although the F-20 never entered service, inBarrett Tillman's 1991 novelWarriors,theRoyal Saudi Air Forceorders over a hundred of them. The RSAF assigns the fighter to select pilots who graduate from a localized version of Top Gun established by former USAF and USN pilots. The bigger plot of the novel involves the Saudi pilots joining a pan-Arab attack against Israel.

F-22 Raptor

F-22 Raptor

After appearing briefly in the 2003Hulkfilm, the F-22 made its major Hollywood debut in the 2007 filmTransformersand its2009 sequelas the form taken by theDecepticoncharacterStarscreamin addition to numerous USAF fighters that engaged during the initial and climactic battles. The film crew was allowed to film actual Raptors in flight, unlike previouscomputer-generatedappearances, because of the military's support of directorMichael Bay.The Raptors were filmed atEdwards Air Force Base.

Toys released for Starscream were replica F-22 Raptor models. These models were reused for other characters in the line, likeThundercracker,SkywarpandRamjet,that also turned into F-22 Raptors.

Although the live-action 2007 filmTransformersmade Starscream the best-known Transformer that turns into an F-22, there were other F-22 Transformers before it. For instance the 1997Machine Warsversions ofMegatronand Megaplex transformed into F-22s.

The real Raptor made its next big screen appearance inIron Man,in which a Raptor call sign "Whiplash 1" lost its left wing during a mid-air collision with the Iron Man armor.

In the 2013 filmOlympus Has Fallen,computer animation was used to depict F-22 Raptors intercepting an armedAC-130attacking Washington, D.C.; two F-22s are shot down before a third hits the AC-130 with a missile, causing it to crash.

The plane is the subject of a flight-simulation video game,F-22 Interceptor,which was released byElectronic ArtsandIngram Entertainmentfor theSega Mega Driveconsole in 1991.

The F-22 Raptor, specifically the F-22A variant, is a major aircraft in theAce Combatseries, being prominently featured on the box art of several entries and being usable in a majority of the games in the series; one appearance is in7: Skies Unknown,which displays the F-22 on its box and used it in pre-release marketing.TheFB-22also appears in several other games in the series, starting with5: The Unsung War.

The F-22 is used at the basis for theArchangelexperimental fighters inEvan Currie's Holy Ground Tie in series (prologue).

F-35 Lightning II

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

The first major film appearance of a representation of aLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIwas 2006'sSuperman Returns.During this film, a pair of F-35A fighters escorted the modifiedBoeing 777mothership for an experimentalNASAspaceplane.This visualization was a combination of an actual cockpit andCGIfor the aircraft in flight.

The next major film appearance of an F-35 was inLive Free or Die Hard(released asDie Hard 4.0outside North America) in 2007. The film used a combination of a full-scale model and CGI effects.

The Transformers character of the AutobotBreakawayand its redeco the DecepticonThrustfrom theRevenge of the Fallentoy both disguise themselves as F-35s. Breakaway appears as a playable character in the 2009Revenge of the Fallenvideo game.

F-35s are depicted in the 2012 filmThe Avengers.The film was originally intended to include real F-35s, but theUnited States Department of Defenseobjected to the depiction of F-22s and F-35s as under the control ofS.H.I.E.L.D.,a covert, "extra-governmental" organization whose loyalties are unclear, so CGI aircraft were substituted instead.

Hal JordanandCarol Ferrisfly F-35s in a simulateddogfightagainst theUCAVsCarol's company is trying to sell to the US Department of Defense in the 2011 filmGreen Lantern.

A squadron of F-35s engagesGeneral Zod's ship in the 2013 filmMan of Steel.

F-84 Thunderjet, Thunderstreak

For the 1955 biographical filmThe McConnell StoryaboutaceJoseph C. McConnell,eightRepublic F-84sof the614th Fighter-Bomber Squadrondonned dark blue paint with red stars to portrayMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15sdoing mock battle for the cameras withF-86 Sabresof the366th Fighter-Bomber Squadron,both units based atAlexandria AFB,Louisiana. Air Defense Command headquarters notified its pilots in January 1955 that the mock MiGs would be operating over portions of the southwestern US.

F-84F Thunderstreakswere also used to portray North Korean MiG-15s inThe Hunters,a 1958 film starringRobert MitchumandRobert Wagner.They were painted flat grey with red star emblems, and the top North Korean pilot had a pair of dice and "7-11" nose art.

F-86 Sabre

F-86A Sabre

TheNorth American F-86 Sabreappears in the 1956 novelThe HuntersbyJames Salter,and the1958 film of the same name,set in Korea, featuresNorth American F-86 Sabres.

F-86s appear in the 1957 junior fiction novelSabre PilotbyStephen W. Meaderabout a youngster named Kirk Owen who enlists in the USAF and serves as a fighter pilot in the Korean War.

F-86s were a feature in the 1958 filmJet Attackwhich was directed byEdward L. Cahnand starredJohn AgarandAudrey Totter.The film, also released asJet AlertandThrough Hell to Glory,was a drama set in the Korean War about a pair of pilots who parachute behind North Korean lines to rescue a captured scientist. The film, a low budget production, relied heavily on stock footage of F-86s for the aerial scenes.

F-86s appear in the 1959 novelMiG Alleyby Robert Eunson which portrays a pilot Captain Homer 'Mac' McCullough who flies F-86s during the Korean War and is frustrated at being forbidden to engage enemy MiGs beyond the Yalu River.

Desmond Bagley's 1965 novelHigh Citadelfeatures F-86 Sabres, which make up the frontline equipment of the air force of the fictional South American country in which the book is set. There are four squadrons of Sabres; two are loyal to the current corrupt government; one is secretly loyal to a reformist politician who is returning from exile to take over the country; and the fourth is secretly loyal to Communist forces who are attempting to kill the politician. The latter part of the novel features adogfightbetween a Sabre flown by one of the main characters—a CIA agent and former Sabre pilot who fought in the Korean War—and aircraft of the Communist squadron.

Mitsubishi F-86F Sabres of the JASDF regularly appear in the Showa era ofkaijufilms produced byToho,with the aircraft appearing most prominently during a sequence inGodzillawhere two Sabres attack the titular monster after he leaves the devastated city of Tokyo.

In the 1981 dystopian filmThe Last Chase,retired pilot J.G. Williams (played byBurgess Meredith) and his F-86 Sabre play the antagonist in attempting to track down and destroy the protagonist Franklyn Hart (played byLee Majors). After becoming sympathetic to Hart's cause, Williams sacrifices himself in a kamikaze-style attack against a laser installation to protect Hart.

A Sabre plays an important role in the 1999 film comedyBlast from the Pastwhich starsBrendan FraserandChristopher Walken.During theCuban Missile Crisis,a Sabre pilot is forced to eject over a residential area in the US and the aircraft just happens to crash onto the house of an eccentric father who is sheltering with his family in a large underground bomb shelter he has constructed. Believing the crash to be the impact of a nuclear bomb, the family remain underground for 35 years.

F-101 Voodoo

McDonnell F-101B Voodoo

A pair ofMcDonnell F-101B Voodoosfly over the Russian submarineСпрутat the end of the 1966 comedyThe Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming,directed byNorman Jewison.Although the film is set in New England, it was filmed on the West Coast and the fighters were from the84th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron,based at the now-closedHamilton Air Force Base,California.

F-104 Starfighter

A formation ofLockheed F-104 Starfighters

Gen.Charles "Chuck" Yeager's 10 December 1963 flying accident during a test flight in a modified rocket-boostedLockheed NF-104AStarfighter was featured inThe Right Stuffmotion picture. The aircraft used for filming was a standard GermanLuftwaffeF-104G, flying with its wingtip fuel tanks removed; it otherwise lacked any of the NF-104A's modifications, most visibly the rocket engine pod at the base of the vertical stabilizer.

The F-104 is featured heavily in the 1964 filmThe Starfighters,directed by Will Zens and starring future US CongressmanBob Dornan.The film later appeared on theComedy CentralseriesMystery Science Theater 3000as the subject of episode #612.

An F-104 Starfighter flown by Captain John Christopher, USAF, intercepts the USSEnterpriseafter the ship is thrown back in time by an encounter with a previously unmapped "black star" inStar Trekfirst-season episode 1/19, "Tomorrow Is Yesterday",as the starship is struggling to climb out of Earth's atmosphere over Omaha, Nebraska.

Footage of an F-104 featured in the opening scenes of the science-fiction motion pictureThe Bamboo Saucer(1968), playing the role of an experimental jet called the "X-109" whose pilot Fred Norwood (John Ericson) encounters a UFO while carrying out a test flight.

An F-104 made regular appearances on the 1960s television sitcomI Dream of Jeannie.Leading man Major Anthony Nelson (Larry Hagman), a pilot in the US Air Force, was often to be seen landing and climbing out of the cockpit of an F-104A. That particular aircraft (56-817) later became part of the collection of thePacific Aviation MuseumonFord Island,Oahu,Hawaii.

Captain Lockheed and the Starfightersis a 1974satiricalconcept albumbyRobert Calvertand others, telling a fictionalized tale of theF-104G's acquisition by and service with theGerman Air Force.The album included tracks with names such as "The Widowmaker" and "Catch a Falling Starfighter".

F-111 Aardvark

In the climax of the 1982 filmTurkey Shoot,severalRAAFF-111andMirage IIIfighter-bombers are used to quell a prison revolt.

F-117 Nighthawk

Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

TheLockheed F-117 Nighthawkwas the subject of the 1991 MicroProse gameF-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0and the 1993Sega Mega Drive-exclusiveF-117 Night Storm.

The plane also appeared in the 1996 action movieExecutive DecisionstarringKurt Russell,Steven Seagal,Halle Berry,John Leguizamo,Oliver Platt,Joe Morton,David Suchet,andB.D. Wong.In this movie, the plane is called an experimental "Remora F117x" aircraft and is capable of carrying passengers and transferring them in-flight onto another aircraft.

In 2005, the fourth season of24featured an episode in which a terrorist hijacks an F-117A and uses it to shoot downAir Force One.

Fairchild UC-61 Forwarder

TheFairchild UC-61A Forwarderwas featured in a 1964 episode ofMichael Bentine'sBBC TVcomedy programme,It's a Square World,about a shoestring airline with a staff of two. Filming took a day atElstree Aerodrome,Herts. In 1965, it appeared in an episode of theITVprogramme,The Moonraker.

Fairchild Hiller FH-227

When theFairchild Hiller FH-227Doperating asUruguayan Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya) Flight 571T-571crashed in the ArgentineAndeson 13 October 1972, it began a tale of amazing human survival for the 16 of the 45 on board who were rescued over two months later, after two passengers walked to civilization. The survivors' story was published inAlive: The Story of the Andes Survivors,a critically acclaimed book byPiers Paul Read,in 1974. When the story was filmed in 1992 asAlive,directed byFrank Marshall,a similar FH-227 marked as the doomed aircraft was used for some shots, whileIndustrial Light & Magicdepicted the crash using an eight-foot breakaway model, designed to shear at mid-fuselage. The nose and tail were heavily reinforced while a non-reinforced midsection was built up of plastic, foil, wires and metals so that when it broke it would have the layered metal look of a real airframe breaking up. A cable system was rigged to fly the model, which was on an aligned track, into the miniature mountain, hitting the "sweet spot" on the fuselage, a weakened area barely three inches long.

Fairey Fox

TheFairey Fox I,G-ACXO, race number 35, which participated in the 1934 London toMelbourneMacRobertson Trophy Air Race,was portrayed in the 1991 Australian mini-seriesThe Great Air Race,also known asHalf a World Away,by an unlikelyBoeing Stearman.

Fairey Swordfish

Fairey Swordfish

TwoFairey Swordfishstarred in the 1960 filmSink the Bismarck!.Swordfish LS326 was marked as "5A" of825 Naval Air Squadron,while NF389 was marked as LS423 / "5B".

Fairey Swordfish of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm are a central feature in the 2020 graphic novelThe Stringbagswritten byGarth Ennisand illustrated byP J Holden.The story is about a reserve FFA crew who take part in the three most famous actions of the Swordfish during the Second World War including the attack on the Italian Fleet atTarantoin 1940, the attack on theBismarckin 1941 and theChannel Dashin 1942.

Fairey Battle

SomeFairey Battlesappear in the 1942 movieCaptains of the Clouds.The movie is in colour and features scenes ofJames Cagney's character flying one.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190

Focke-Wulf Fw 190sappear in the 1980 novelBetrayed Skiesby Rudolf Braunburg which depicts a Luftwaffe fighter unit based in Poland in 1944.

ModifiedNorth American T-6 Texansportrayed Focke-Wulf Fw 190s in the 1977 filmA Bridge Too Far.

A new-build Fw 190 A-8/N participated in the 2007 Finnish war filmTali-Ihantala 1944,painted in the same markings asOberstErich Rudorffer's aircraft in 1944.

Fw 190s appear in the French graphic novelThe Grand Duke(2012) written by Yann, illustrated by Romain Hugault and depicting aerial combat between the Soviet air force and the German Luftwaffe over the Eastern Front in the latter stages of the Second World War.

Focke-WulfTriebflügel

AFocke-Wulf FwTriebflügelaircraftwas featured in the 2011 Americansuperhero filmCaptain America: The First Avenger,with thesupervillainRed Skullmaking his first escape in this rocket-aircraft. The scene accurately depicts the rocket and ramjet start and initial climb out of theTriebflügel.Historically, theTriebflügelhad only reached wind-tunnel testing when the Allied forces reached the production facilities, and no complete prototype was ever built.CGIvehicles designed for the film were based on real historical aircraft such as theTriebflügel.

Fokker Eindecker

AFokker E.III Eindeckerappeared in the BBC TV seriesWings(1977–1978), a drama series about pilots of theRoyal Flying Corpsin the First World War.

Fokker Dr.I

Fokker Dr.I

A scarlet-paintedFokker Dr.Itriplane featured in the DC comicEnemy Aceand was the mount of the central character Baron Hans von Hammer, a German fighter pilot in the First World War. Debuting in 1965, the comic was written byRobert Kanigherand drawn byJoe Kubertand the character has been revived several times since by other writers & artists.

A pair of Dr.Is appear in the 1966 film epicThe Blue Max,directed byJohn Guillerminand based on the 1964 novel of the same name byJack D. Hunter.In the film, rival pilots Bruno Stachel (George Peppard) and von Klugermann (Jeremy Kemp) try to out-do one another in a test of nerves by flying their triplanes under a bridge. The scene was filmed at Fermoy Viaduct in Ireland and stunt pilotDerek Piggottwas obliged to fly a Dr.I under the bridge, through either the wide or narrow spans, a total of 32 times.

A Dr.I appears in the 1971 filmVon Richthofen and Brown(released in the US asThe Red Baron) which was directed byRoger Cormanand starredJohn Phillip Lawas the famous German ace. The aircraft makes its first appearance at a cocktail party thrown by the aircraft's designerAnthony Fokker(played byHurd Hatfield) who shows off his creation to guest of honourManfred von Richthofen(Law) but the latter's eyes are drawn more to Fokker's attractive mistress.

Fokker Dr.Is appear en masse in the 2006 aerial filmFlyboysdirected byTony Billand starringJames Franco.

Fokker Dr.Is also appear in the 2008 German filmDer Rote Baron,a biopic about the famous First World War aceManfred von Richthofen.

Fokker D.VII

The 1927William WellmanfilmWingsfeatured aFokker D.VIIamong many types depicting World War I aircraft.

AFokker D.VIIis flown in a dogfight by Baron Heinrich von Frohleich versusRace Bannonin aSPAD S.XIIIin episode 10 ofJonny Quest,"Shadow of the Condor",first aired 20 November 1964.

Ford Trimotor

Ford Trimotor

John Waynewas depicted piloting aFord Trimotorin several episodes of the 1932serial filmHurricane Express.A Ford Trimotor appeared in Chapter 1 ofFlash Gordon(Universal, 1936).DirectorHoward Hawks' 1939 filmOnly Angels Have Wingsfeatures a Trimotor that catches fire after a freak accident with acondor,eventually performing an emergency landing on an airfield. A real and a model Trimotor were used for the sequence.

A Ford 4-AT-E Trimotor, N8407, appeared in the 1965 comedyThe Family Jewels"flown" byJerry Lewis.This aircraft is now owned by theExperimental Aircraft Association.

The Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor currently owned byKermit Weeks'Fantasy of FlightMuseum was featured early in the opening of the 1984 filmIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

A Trimotor was also featured inBrian DePalma's 1987 version ofThe UntouchableswithKevin CostnerandSean Connery.

A Ford Trimotor 4AT-B featured in the 2009 filmAmelia,a biopic of aviatorAmelia EarhartstarringHilary SwankandRichard Gere.The aircraft featured in the film belonged to theGolden Wings Museum,Minnesota.

G

GAF Nomad

TheGovernment Aircraft Factories (GAF) Nomad,an Australian-built twin-engineSTOL(Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft, was a regular feature on the successful Australian TV seriesThe Flying Doctorswhich aired on theNine Network1986–1993.

Gee Bee Racer

TwoGee Bee Model Z Super Sportsterracing aircraft were featured in the 1991Walt DisneyfilmThe Rocketeer.

Kermit Weeks,founder ofFantasy of Flight,used a Gee Bee Model Z as his main character "Zee" in a 2008 series of children's books set in theinterwar period.

A Mexican Gee Bee Racer named "El Chupacabra" is one of the characters in the 2013Disneyanimated filmPlanes.

Gloster Gladiator

Gloster Gladiatorsappear in the Second World War novelSigned with their Honour,written in 1942 by Australian author and war correspondentJames Aldridge.The novel is set during the Axis invasion of Greece in 1940–41 and the central character is a British pilot named John Quayle who flies Gladiators withNo. 80 Squadron RAF.An attempt in 1943 to make a film based on the novel was abandoned when two Gladiators were destroyed in a mid-air collision during the production.

Gloster Meteor

A privately ownedGloster Meteor TT20,N94749 appeared in the two-part 1976 episode, "The Feminum Mystique", of the first season of theWonder Womantelevision series, as the experimental "XPJ-1" fighter which is stolen by the Nazis. This airframe has been donated to theEdwards Air Force BaseFlight Test Center museum.The episode title was borrowed fromBetty Friedan's 1963 bookof a similar title,which is widely credited with sparking the beginning ofsecond-wave feminismin the US.

AGloster Meteor T.7,either WA634 or WA638, owned byMartin-Bakerappeared in the episode "Many Happy Returns" of the 1967 British TV seriesThe Prisoner.

Goodyear Blimp

Goodyear Blimp

The 1977John FrankenheimerfilmBlack Sundayfeatures theGoodyear Blimpas the vehicle whichBlack Septemberterrorists plan to hijack and attack theSuper Bowl,played in theOrange Bowlin Miami.

Gotha G.IV

AGotha G.IVappears in the 2006 First World War aerial filmFlyboysdirected byTony Billand starringJames Franco.To depict the bomber, the producers used both computer-generated imageryand a replica of the forward fuselage of a Gotha, now displayed in a museum at RAF Manston.

Grumman G-21 Goose

AGrumman G-21 Goose,painted red, white and black, named "Cutter's Goose", was the main transport of protagonist Jake Cutter (played byStephen Collins) in the early 1982–83 adventure television series,Tales of the Gold Monkey,and used to transport Cutter and his allies among various south Pacific islands in the late 1930s setting of the show.

Grumman HU-16 Albatross

The 1964 filmFlight from Ashiya,starringRichard Widmark,Yul BrynnerandGeorge Chakiris,follows the crews of twoGrumman HU-16 Albatrossof the USAF Air Rescue Service as they attempt to rescue the survivors of a Japanese shipwreck in the North China Sea.

The late 1970s Australian television seriesBailey's Birdfeatured an Albatross operated by the main characters as an air charter operation in Malaysia.

The 2010 filmThe Expendablesalso features an Albatross as the protagonists' private airplane.

Grumman J2F Duck

AGrumman J2F Duckwas the primary plot device of the 1971United ArtistsfilmMurphy's War,starringPeter O'Tooleas the title character. Stunt flying was done byFrank Tallman.The J2F-6 which starred in the film, BuNo33587,afterwards resided in the Weeks Air Museum in Florida, USA (now the Fantasy of Flight Museum).

Grumman TBF / TBM Avenger

The 1944 filmWing and a Prayeris the fictional account of a torpedo squadron equipped withGrumman TBF Avengersin early 1942. The movie culminates when the squadron fights at theBattle of Midway.

A group ofAvengersappears in the opening scene ofSteven Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi filmClose Encounters of the Third Kind.In the scene, a group of officials arrive at an isolated cantina in Mexico's Sonora Desert where the five Avengers of 'Flight-19' have mysteriously appeared overnight.Flight 19was the infamous training flight of five TBMs that vanished without trace after taking off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 5 December 1945.One of the TBMs featured in the scene was the TBM-3E (BuNo53503) now owned and flown by the Rocky Mountain Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF).

Grumman Widgeon

AGrumman G-44 Widgeonopened each week's episode of the 1978–1984 television seriesFantasy Island.

Grumman X-29

The Transformers Autobot named Dogfight disguises himself as aGrumman X-29.

In Kaoru Shintani's manga seriesArea 88,main character Shin Kazama pilots an X-29 during the final battles.

H

HAL HF-24 Marut

The Bollywood war filmBorderis a fictionalized account of the 1971Battle of Longewalabetween India and Pakistan. In the film a formation ofHAL HF-24 Marutfighter-bombers of theIndian Air Forcebomb Pakistani armoured ground forces consisting of 300 tanks and Armored Personnel Carriers.

Harrier family

AV-8B Harrier II

The Gobots character Royal-T and the Transformers Aerialbot named Slingshot disguise themselves as aHarrier.In theRevenge of the FallenDecepticon characterDirgealso became a Harrier. This design was later used for theDecepticonJetblade.

ARoyal Air ForceHarrier was used byMI6in the 1987James BondfilmThe Living Daylightsto smuggleKGBdefector Georgi Koskov out of Austria.

TwoAV-8B Harrier IIswere used in the 1994 filmTrue Lies.The aircraft was prominent in the latter part of the film, being used byArnold Schwarzenegger's character to rescue his daughter from terrorists in a Miami high rise and shoot down their helicopter.

The Harrier was one of the aircraft types featured in the short-lived 1982 BBC-TV seriesSquadronwhich was a drama about a fictional Royal Air Force unit, 373 Squadron. The unit was a Rapid Deployment Force and featured an unusual mix of aircraft including Harriers, C-130 Hercules and Puma helicopters. The series ran for ten episodes.

An 8-bit shooter computer gameHarrier AttackbyDurell Softwarewas published in 1983.

Handley Page Halifax

The novelA God in Ruins(2015) byKate Atkinsonfeatures theHandley Page Halifaxheavy bomber. The central character, Teddy Todd, is a Halifax pilot serving with RAF Bomber Command during WW2 and flies over 70 night-bombing missions over Germany.

Handley Page Victor

The 1962 British filmThe Iron Maidenfeatures aHandley Page Victorbomber as a fictional supersonic passenger-carrying airliner designed by the protagonist. At the end of the film, this fictional airliner is named after the eponymous traction engine.

Hawker Hunter

The 1952 British filmThe Sound BarrierfeaturesHawker Hunterfighters.

Hawker Hunter Mk 4s play a major role in the 1957 British Cinemascope motion pictureHigh Flightdirected byJohn Gillingand starringRay Milland.

A formation of Hawker Hunters of theChilean Air Forceappeared in the 2004 Chilean filmMachucain which they bomb thePalacio de La Moneda.

The music video for the 2000 electronica single "Sunset (Bird of Prey)"byFatboy Slimfeatures aHawker Huntertrainer inUnited States Air Forcelivery, as the titular "Bird of Prey".

Hawker Hurricane

Hawker HurricaneMk.I

Along with theSupermarine Spitfire,theHawker Hurricaneis very strongly linked to theBattle of Britainin summer 1940, where theRoyal Air Forcefought the GermanLuftwaffeover the skies of Britain for air superiority.As such it has been featured in many works of fiction related to the Battle of Britain.

A number ofHawker Hurricanes,including the last one built, registered G-AMAU, "The Last of the Many", and five provided by thePortuguese Air Force,which flew the type until mid-1954, were used in the making of the Templar Productions Ltd. production provisionally titled "Hawks in the Sun",based on the bookWhat Are Your Angels Now?by Wing Commander A. J. C. Pelham Groom, then released in March 1952 asAngels One Five.

Hurricanes were shown in the 1956 British filmReach For the SkystarringKenneth Moreand directed byLewis Gilbertand based on the biography ofDouglas BaderbyPaul Brickhill.One Hurricane which featured in a static role in the film was the Mk. I, P2617, now preserved at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon. Another, which flew in the aerial scenes, was the Mk-IIc, LF363, now operated by theBattle of Britain Memorial Flightbased at Conningsby, UK.

TheHawker Hurricanewas shown in the 1969 filmBattle of Britain.Three airworthy Hurricanes were located and used for the filming.

A Hawker Hurricane was the fighter flown by the Second World War character Johnny Redburn in the long-running British comic stripJohnny Redwhich was published inBattle Picture Weekly1977–1987. The storyline featured Redburn, having been discharged from the RAF and joining theMerchant Navy,commandeers aCAM ship's Hurricane during an attack on a convoy (after the official pilot is killed), and ends up stranded in Soviet Russia at the height of the war against the Germans in which he fights alongside Russian pilots. The comic was written byTom Tullyand illustrated byJoe Colquhoun,John Cooper and Carlos Pino.The character was revived in 2017 for the graphic novel mini-seriesJohnny Red: The Hurricanewritten byGarth Ennisand illustrated by Keith Burns.

The Hawker Hurricane Mk. I is the aircraft for the fictional RAF pilots depicted in the 1983 novelPiece of Cakeby Derek Robinson.The 1988miniseriesbased on the novel usedSupermarine Spitfiresinstead of Hurricanes.

The 2006 novelBlue Man FallingbyFrank Barnardalso featured Hurricanes.

Heinkel He 111

TheHeinkel He 111has a prominent role inBattle of Britain.

Hiller UH-12 / OH-23 Raven

AHiller UH-12appears in the 1951 sci-fi filmWhen Worlds Collidedirected byGeorge Paland based on the1933 novelof the same name. The helicopter is used to render assistance to flood-stranded refugees and to rescue a young boy stranded on a rooftop.

A UH-12C was used to attackJames Bondin the 1963 filmFrom Russia with Love.

A Hiller UH-12E suffered a tail-rotor strike during filming of the 1978 filmAttack of the Killer Tomatoes.Footage of the crash was used in the film. The helicopter pilot and actors on board escaped without serious injury, but the helicopter was destroyed.

Hindenburg

TheZeppelinLZ 129 Hindenburgwas the subject of the 1975 filmThe Hindenburg,which speculatedsabotageas the cause of the 1937 disaster atNaval Air Station Lakehurst,New Jersey.The studio model of the airship is now displayed in theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Air and Space Museumin Washington, D.C.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112

Hispano Aviación Ha 1112 Buchón

Twenty-eight former Spanish Air ForceHispano Aviación HA-1112swere used in the 1969 filmBattle of Britainas "stand-ins" to depictMesserschmitt Bf 109fighters of theLuftwaffe,These aircraft included 27 single-seat M1Ls and one two-seat M4L.Eighteen were flown, six could taxi, the rest used to dress sets.In the mid-1960s at the time aircraft began to be collected for the film to be made, the only genuine Bf 109s known to exist were unairworthy examples in museums such as theImperial War Museumand theSouth African National Museum of Military Historyor in private hands; whereas the HA-1112 was just being retired from service with the Spanish Air Force and several airframes in flyable condition and some 50 dismantled Buchóns were up for disposal bid.The four airframes acquired by theConfederate Air Forcejust prior to the start of filming "were the first Buchóns in truly civilian ownership, early members of the fledgling warbird preservation movement."

Several Buchóns were painted in RAF markings for the 1969 Italian "macaroni combat"war filmEagles Over London,also known asBattle SquadronandBattle Command(Italian:La battaglia d'Inghilterra), directed byEnzo G. Castellari."In 1979, much of the footage shot forEagles Over Londonappeared in the direGeorge PeppardfilmHell to Victory".

Three of the Buchóns were "hastily converted intoP-51B Mustangsfor the 1970 filmPatton.This involved the attachment of a large Mustang-esque fibreglass air intake to the underside of the fuselage. "

One CAF Buchón flew as a Bf 109B inCondor Legionmarkings for the filmThe Hindenburgwhich began filming in August 1974.

Buchóns, again depicting Bf 109s, made an appearance on the 1980 ABC-network TV sci-fi seriesGalactica 1980,a short-lived spin-off from the originalBattlestar Galacticaseries. The heroes travel back in time in their space Vipers to Earth during the Second World War and encounter theLuftwaffe.The footage of Buchóns consisted of out-takes from the 1969 filmBattle of Britain.

One Buchón, which had taxied inThe Battle of Britain,flew in the 1988LWTminiseriesPiece of Cake,and was one of three flyable HA-1112s used to depict Bf 109s in the 1990 filmMemphis Belle.ThePiece of CakeBuchón also appeared in the 1991ITVtelevision miniseriesA Perfect Hero.

A Buchón now with thePlanes of Fame Air Museum,Chino, California,is under repair after a landing accident atLyddin Kent during filming of the 2001 filmPearl Harborin 2000.

A former training airframe that did not appear in theBattle of Britainbut which was restored to Bf 109G-10 standard in the early 1990s, and operated by the Old Flying Machine Company, appeared in the 1995 telemovieOver HerestarringMartin Clunes.

A Buchon appears in the 2017Christopher NolanfilmDunkirk.

Hughes 500 / OH-6 / MH-6 / MD 500

In the 1983 filmBlue Thunder,the antagonist Colonel Cochrane flew a heavily armedMD 500.

ThreeHughes OH-6A Cayusehelicopters make up part of the strike package againstErnst Stavro Blofeld's oil rig command center in the 1971James BondfilmDiamonds Are Forever.

AHughes 500Ctakes part in the 1973 telemovieBirds of Prey,in which a traffic reporter, played byDavid Janssen,gets into an aerial duel with a gang of bank robbers, who have their own getaway helicopter, anAérospatiale Lama.

A pair of Hughes 500 helicopters appear in the 1978 filmCapricorn One,near the climactic ending where they get entangled with a crop duster biplane.

240-Robertis an American television series that ran on ABC from 1979 to 1981. The series was about a specialized unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), that used four–wheel drive vehicles and a Hughes 500 helicopter.

In the 1980s television seriesMagnum, P.I.,Thomas Magnum's friend and fellow war veteran T.C. (for Theodore Calvin) flies a civilian Hughes 500D as a tourist charter Island Hoppers business.

MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Birdhelicopters provided air support for the downed Blackhawk's crash site in the 2001 filmBlack Hawk Down.

In the filmFire Birds(1990), a drug runner's Scorpion helicopter (portrayed by anMD 500) ambushes a US Army AH-1 Cobra during the opening sequence.

Hughes H-4 Hercules (Spruce Goose)

The soleHughes H-4 Hercules

TheHughes H-4 Hercules,also known as theHercules HK-1and"The Spruce Goose",is a largeflying boatwhich has made a number of appearances in fiction. The aircraft was central to the plot of the 1987Hanna-Barberaanimated filmYogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose.

In the 1988 biopicTucker: The Man and His Dream,a pivotal meeting between automakerPreston TuckerandHoward Hughestakes place in front of the Hercules, within its hangar, where Hughes briefly tells Tucker that whether the Hercules flies is not the point, as well as how to circumvent the "establishment" and SenatorFerguson.

In the 1991 adventure filmThe Rocketeer,hero Cliff Secord uses a large-scale model of the Hughes H-4 Hercules to escape some eager federal agents and Howard Hughes himself. After Secord glides the model to safety, Hughes expresses relief that the craft would actually fly.

In the video gameL.A. Noire(2011) the player is able to enter the aircraft. Additionally, exterior and interior views of the H-4 Hercules aircraft appear in the opening introduction of the DLC mission, "Nicholson Electroplating".

The aircraft was the center of a con job inTNT's drama seriesLeverage,Episode 5.01 "The Very Big Bird Job", which aired 15 July 2012, involved "selling" the Hercules. Part of the con involves convincing the mark that Hughes secretly gave the aircraft stealth capabilities.

Hughes XF-11

The 7 July 1946 maiden flight of theHughes XF-11reconnaissance design which ended in a crash inBeverly Hills, California,severely injuring pilotHoward Hugheswas depicted in a 1977 telemovie,The Amazing Howard Hughes(with aP-38 Lightningstanding in for the XF-11), and again in the 2004Martin Scorsesefilm,The Aviator,with the aircraft depicted by a mock-up with flight rendered through CGI.

I

ICON A5

ICON A5

TheICON A5is the starter aircraft in the 2012 gameMicrosoft Flight,and is included in all of the editions ofMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2020andMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2024.

Ikarus Kurir

The 1973 filmThe Fifth Offensive,starringRichard Burton,had anIkarus Kurir Lplaying the part of a LuftwaffeFieseler Storch.

J

Junkers Ju 52/3m

A Swiss Air ForceJunkers Ju 52/3mwas used in the 1968 action thrillerWhere Eagles Dare.The opening scene of the film shows the camouflaged Ju-52 flying at night over and through the Bavarian Alps en route to where the team of Allied infiltrators are dropped by parachute. The same aircraft rescues the main characters at the conclusion of the film.

A Ju-52 appears in the 1973 novelBand of BrothersbyErnest K. Gannin which an abandoned example is resurrected and flown on two engines by a team of pilots.

Two Ju 52s appeared in one of the early scenes in the 2008 Second World War filmValkyriedirected byBryan Singerand starringTom Cruise.One aircraft was painted in a Luftwaffe scheme, the other in an all-silver finish.

In the second season of the television seriesBabylon Berlin,characters Gereon Rath and Reinhold Gräf use a Ju 52 to inspect the then-secret German-operatedLipetsk fighter-pilot schoolin the Soviet Union. The appearance is anachronistic, as the episode takes place before the aircraft entered production.

Junkers Ju 87

The 1941 Nazi propaganda filmStukas,produced byKarl Ritter,described the wartime exploits of a squadron ofJunkers Ju 87"Stuka" dive bombers and their pilots during the Invasion of France during World War II.

Junkers W 33

Junkers W 33

A replicaJunkers W 33appears in the 1985 Australian TV mini-seriesFlight into Hell,a dramatisation of the1932 Kimberley rescueof German aviatorsHans Bertramand Adolph Klausmann who, during an attempt to circumnavigate the world, crash-landed in a remote region of North-West Australia.

K

Kaman SH-2 Seasprite

The Transformers Combaticon namedVortexdisguises itself as anSH-2G Super Seasprite.

Kamov Ka-27

A pair ofKa-27 Helixhelicopters appear throughoutMartin Campbell's 1994 filmNo Escape.The helicopters transport inmates to a prison island, and patrol the shoreline for would-be escapees.

Kellett K-3 Autogyro

In the 1934 screwball comedyIt Happened One Night,thefoppishbridegroom "King" Westley (Jameson Thomas) arrives at his own wedding "piloting" aKellett Autogiro CorporationK-3autogyro,c/n 16, NC12691,(although the real pilot can be seen crouching in the cockpit after Westley deplanes).The same autogyro appeared in the 1933W. C. FieldsfilmInternational House.

L

L-5 Sentinel

AStinson L-5 Sentinelwas shown in the 1969Mike NicholsfilmCatch-22as the aircraft that a pilot commits suicide in after accidentally killing another squadron member with his propeller.The title ofJoseph Heller's 1961satiricalnovel of the same namehas entered the lexicon.

Lamson Alcor

The one-of-a-kindLamson L-106 Alcorpressurized high-altitude researchsailplaneplayed a key role in the 1977 bookSierra Sierra,by John Joss. In the novel, Marine fighter pilot Mark Lewis saw his best friend, John O'Halloran, killed on the last day of theVietnam War.When he travels toSeattle,Washington, to explain O'Halloran's death to his family he discovers that O'Halloran's father and sister are engaged in building a research glider, the Alcor, in which O'Halloran was to have set world records for altitude and distance, when he returned from Vietnam. Instead Lewis takes O'Halloran's place in the project, while trying to put his own life back together after the war, flying the Alcor in themountain waveof theSierra Nevada.

Lockheed Constellation

Lockheed ConstellationsofTrans World Airlineswere depicted in the 2004Martin ScorsesefilmThe Aviator.The preserved Super Constellation, "Star of America", N6937C, of theAirline History Museumwas filmed atSan Bernardino International Airport,California, for thisHoward Hughesbiopic. A fleet of grounded Connies was rendered in CGI.

The same aircraft (N6937C) was also used in the 1992 filmVoyagerwhich starredSam Shepardand was directed byVolker Schlöndorff.

Lockheed C-141 Starlifter

Lockheed C-141 Starlifter

In Jimmie H. Butler's 1991 novelRed Lightning, Black Thunder,the US deploys aLockheed C-141 Starlifterout of Hawaii in a mission to launchASATmissiles against a Soviet network of killer satellites.

Lockheed P-3 Orion

TheHainan Island incidentwas referenced in the television seriesJAG,in the 2001 episode "Dog Robber"during season 7. In this episode based on the real incident, a US NavyLockheed EP-3 Orioncollides in mid-air with a Chinese fighter. The EP-3 crew then make an emergency landing atFuzhou air basein China. The crew and aircraft are detained as in the real incident. A US delegation led byAdmiral Thomas Booneflies to the base and secures the release of the crew, but the aircraft remains in Chinese custody. Against orders a Navy Lieutenant flies into Chinese airspace and destroys the EP-3 before the Chinese have a chance to study it in detail. This leads to him being court-martialed.

Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star

Lockheed F-80 Shooting Starsappear in the 1953 novelTroubling of a Starby Walt Sheldon which portrayed a USAF unit stationed in occupied Japan during the Korean War.

Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior

ALockheed Model 12 Electra Junior,registration NC17342 appears in the 1940 filmFlight Angelsas an experimental aircraft called the "Stratosphere". This particular aircraft also appears in the filmsRosalie,Nick Carter, Master Detective,Secret Service of the Air,andMurder Over New York.

A Model 12 Electra Junior appeared as the French airliner in the climactic final scene from the 1942 filmCasablanca.(The aircraft carries theAir Franceseahorse logo,although Air France did not operate the type.) A "cut-out" stood in for a real aircraft in many shots.

A pair of restored Lockheed Model 12 Electra Juniors was used in the filming of the 2009 movieAmelia,a biopic of aviatorAmelia Earhartwhich starredHilary SwankandRichard Gere.One of the aircraft was repainted to resemble aLockheed Model 10which was the aircraft in which Earhart and her navigatorFred Noonanwere flying when they disappeared in 1937. The owner and restorer of the latter aircraft, pilot Joe Sheppard, flew the plane during filming and he had to shave off his moustache and wear a wig to resemble Swank.

Lockheed Hudson

Lockheed Hudsonsappeared in the filmsA Yank in the R.A.F.(1941) andCaptains of the Clouds(1942)

A vintage flying Lockheed Hudson IV appeared in the 2005 Second World War filmThe Great Raiddirected byJohn Dahl.The film was based on the book byWilliam Breuer.The Hudson now resides in theTemora Aviation Museumin Australia.

Lockheed Hudsons appeared in the 2006 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) mini-seriesAbove and Beyondwhich portrayed the work of theAtlantic Ferry Organisationin flying military aircraft across the North Atlantic from Canada to deliver them to the RAF in Great Britain during the Second World War. An actual Hudson appeared in the series along with a number of others recreated with CGI.

Lockheed JetStar

Auric Goldfinger's private aircraft in the 1964James BondfilmGoldfingeris aLockheed L-1329 JetStarwith "Auric Enterprises" on the nose. A similar version designated C-140 in US military service appears without markings as a U.S.Military Air Transport Serviceplane to transport Bond to Washington to meet the US president before the film's climactic showdown between Bond and Goldfinger.

In the 1968John WaynefilmHellfighters,the JetStar is featured prominently.

The demise of a Lockheed JetStar and its passengers features prominently in the opening chapters ofCormac McCarthy's 2022 novelThe Passenger,forming a plot point around which the majority of the book revolves.

Lockheed L-1011 TriStar

SeveralLockheed L-1011 TriStarswere depicted in the 1990action filmDie Hard 2,with two large models constructed byIndustrial Light and Magic"flown" on wires for the cameras through "storm clouds" made of non-toxic vaporizedmineral oil.Filming was done at a remote airstrip in theMojave Desertin California. Whipped by theSanta Ana windscoming through theTehachapi Passinto the valley, the smoke effect contributed convincing heavy weather to the shots.

The Lockheed L-1011 Tristar appears in the 1992 filmPassenger 57as the location of a terrorist hijacking.The aircraft, registration N330EA, was formerly operated commercially byEastern Airlinesand was painted in the livery of the fictional airlineAtlantic Internationalfor the film.

An L-1011 is used in the Stephen King TV miniseriesthe Langoliers.Registration N31018, c/n 193B-1065 built in 1974. Formerly of TWA-Trans World Airlines.

InFinal Approachterrorists take over an L-1011, the actual plane being N140SC currently operated asStargazer.

Although aBoeing 777is mentioned as aircraft for the ill-fatedOceanic AirlinesFlight 815 central to the ABC television seriesLost,the fuselage used to represent the wreckage on the beach was aLockheed L-1011-385formerly operated byDelta Air Lines.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

In the 1985 filmD.A.R.Y.L.the protagonist steals anSR-71 Blackbirdfrom an air base while trying to escape from government agents.

In Payne Harrison's 1990 novelStorming Intrepid,the US deploys an SR-71 over the USSR on anELINTmission to record communications between the hijacked shuttleIntrepidand Soviet commanders on the ground. The Soviet air defenses attempt to shoot down the aircraft as it tries to get out of Soviet airspace. The aircraft briefly flames out, but successfully recovers and narrowly escapes a missile trap byMiG-31interceptors.

Although already retired from service for around a decade at the time of the film's release, the SR-71 Blackbird appears as the alt-mode of the characterJetfire,an over-the-hill Transformer near the end of his days, in the 2009 filmTransformers: Revenge of the Fallenand its toy line.

Lockheed T-33 T-Bird

ALockheed T-33,the trainer version of theLockheed F-80 Shooting Star,appeared in the 1955 science-fiction filmThis Island Earth.In one of the early scenes of the film, the hero scientist Cal (played byRex Reason) is about to land his T-33 at the desert airfield near his government-owned laboratory when the aircraft becomes ensnared by some unknown alien force. The film achieved renewed fame when it was spoofed in the 1996 comedyMystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie.

A T-33 played the role of a Soviet "Yak-12" in the 1957 Cold War romantic/dramaJet Pilotwhich starredJohn WayneandJanet Leighand was directed byHoward Hughes.

Lockheed U-2

Lockheed U-2

In 2015,Steven Spielberg's filmBridge of Spiesrecreated the 1960 events of aLockheed U-2piloted byFrancis Gary Powersbeing shot down while on a reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union.

The U-2 made an important appearance in the 2000Beacon PicturesdocudramaThirteen Daysas the aircraft that initially detected Soviet missiles being deployed in Cuba in October 1962, and was later shot down, killing pilot Maj.Rudolf Anderson, Jr.(played byCharles Esten),the only combat casualty of theCuban Missile Crisis.

In the 1980s television seriesCall to Glory,the U-2 was the "main ride" of U.S. Air Force Colonel Raynor Sarnac from the October 1962 Cuba Crisis to 1979.

Lockheed Vega

ALockheed Vega DL-1B Special,one of only two that remain in flying condition, was used in the 1976 television miniseriesAmelia Earhart,starringSusan Clarkas Earhart.

AStinson Reliantstood in forLockheed Vega DL-1 Special,G-ABGK, c/n 155,Puck,race number 36,in the 1991 Australian mini-seriesThe Great Air Race,about the 1934 London toMelbourneMacRobertson Trophy Air Race.It is also known asHalf a World Away.

M

Martin MB-2

The 1927William WellmanfilmWingsfeaturedMartin MB-2samong many types depicting World War I aircraft.

McDonnell Douglas DC-10

MD DC-10

InMichael Crichton'sAirframe,one of the characters uses the crash ofAmerican Airlines Flight 191which involved aDC-10to describe how a highly publicized accident can destroy a good airplane's reputation because "a media industry that has grown hostile and shallow with the ascendancy of television always jumps to the wrong conclusion."

MBB Bo 105

James Bondfights the crew of theMBB Bo 105helicopter as it flies overMexico City'sDay of the Deadparade in the 2015 filmSpectre

Messerschmitt Bf 108

Messerschmitt Bf 108

TwoMesserschmitt Bf 108 TaifunsdepictedMesserschmitt Bf 109fighters in the 1962 filmThe Longest Day,and the type substituted for unavailableLuftwaffefighters again in the 1964 film633 Squadron.

Messerschmitt Bf 109

27 SpanishHispano Aviación HA-1112 M1L 'Buchon'single-engined fighters,Messerschmitt Bf 109sbuilt under license in Spain, were used in the 1969 filmBattle of Britain.The Buchons were altered to look more like correct Bf 109Es, adding mock machine guns and cannon, redundant tailplane struts, and removing the rounded wingtips.

Computer-generated images of Bf 109Gs appear in the 2012 Second World War aerial filmRed Tailsdirected byAnthony Hemingwayand produced byLucasfilm.

A computer-generated Bf 109 also appears in the 2002 war filmHart's Warwhich starredColin FarrellandBruce Willisand was based on the 1999 novel of thesame namebyJohn Katzenbach.In the film, a Bf 109 engages in a dogfight with a P-51 above the POW camp where the film is set and the former is shot down, crashing into one of the camp's guard posts.

Messerschmitt Bf 110

AMesserschmitt Bf 110appears in the 1952 British war filmAngels One Five.In the film, the Luftwaffe raids 'Pimpernel' Squadron's airfield at Neethly. During the attack, Pilot Officer 'Septic' Baird (John Gregson), although not yet an operational pilot, runs to a spare Hawker Hurricane fighter and takes off. He engages and shoots down a Bf-110 over the airfield and is later seen proudly inspecting the crashed aircraft although Baird is later reprimanded by his CO because during the battle, he carelessly left his radio stuck on 'transmit', preventing other pilots from communicating.The Messerschmitt used in the film was a captured Bf-110G-4 which was later scrapped after filming.

Messerschmitt Me 262

Messerschmitt Me 262replica

In the 2000 alternate history novelFox on the Rhine,byDouglas NilesandMichael Dobson,theLuftwaffe,underAdolf Galland's command, prioritizes the development of theMesserschmitt Me 262.A number of squadrons are used to maul a heavy bomber raid in concert with other, propeller-driven, fighters, but worker sabotage of the engines affects their operational performance.

In the second and last issue of the 2001 DC Vertigo miniseriesEnemy Ace: War in Heaven,lead character Hans von Hammer leads aLuftwaffeflight against USAAF bomber formations with him piloting a scarlet red Me 262 that has no swastika tail insignia. Seeing the hopelessness of the war, he and his men later destroy the remaining 262s in their control before surrendering to a US Army unit.

MiGs

As was common in the 1950s, "MiGs"(presumablyMiG-15s,as the story is set in Korea) appear in the 1956 novelThe HuntersbyJames Salterabout USAF fighter pilots.As was common in the 1950s, the MiGs are portrayed byRepublic F-84F Thunderstreaksin the 1958 filmThe Hunters

MiGs were also played on screen by theF-5 Tiger IIin 1986'sTop Gunand the 1998JAGepisode 3.24.

MiGs appear in the 2007 novelAscentby UK authorJed Mercurio,a fictional work about a Soviet pilot Yefgeni Yeremin covertly flying MiGs during the Korean War.The book was later adapted into a graphic novel in 2011, illustrated by Wesley Robins.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15

A flyableMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15appears in the 2022 Korean War drama filmDevotion.

The hungarian mini-series Őrjárat az égen (1970) depicts MiG-15Bis variant.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19

The hungarian mini-series Őrjárat az égen (1970) depicts MiG-19PM variant.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

The Indian (Hindi) filmsSilsila(1981),BorderandRang De Basanti(2006) depicted theMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21.

The hungarian mini-series Őrjárat az égen (1970) depicts MiG-21F-13, MiG-21PF variants.

Mikoyan MiG-29

TheMikoyan MiG-29is the alternate form of the figureDreadwingas well as itsredecosOvercastandFearswoopfrom the 2007 and 2009Transformersfilm toy lines.

The MiG-29 also appears as Big Jet, the main antagonist in the children's showLittle Einsteins.

Mil Mi-8/-17

AMil Mi-17is used in the 2001 filmBehind Enemy Linesas aNATOcombat search and rescue(CSAR) helicopter that makes an attempt to rescue a downed airman.

At the beginning of the 2002 filmDie Another Day,aMil Mi-8T is commandeered byJames Bond,to infiltrate the antagonists' base.

The aircraft also appeared in the 2006 filmBlood Diamond,directed byEdward Zwick;it was used by the protagonist to reach a refugee camp.

A Mil Mi-8 helicopter appears in a major sequence in the 2019 Netflix filmTriple Frontierdirected byJ C Chandorand starringBen Affleck.It is portrayed as an insufficient, shabby old helicopter, and the only thing that the protagonists could get their hands on in short notice, despite the Mi-8's rarity in the west and notable reliability.

Mi-8s appear in the 2019 HBO mini-seriesChernobyl.Mi-8s were among the Soviet helicopters used to firefight and monitor the exploded reactor in 1986.In the series, helicopters are seen dropping sand-bags onto the fire and one helicopter is destroyed in a crash. The series portrays the incident as taking place shortly after the initial explosion at the reactor but in reality, the crash occurred some weeks later.

Mil Mi-24 'Hind'

Mil Mi-24helicopter

AMil Mi-24helicopter appears in the 1997 filmAir Force One.The aircraft is used to retrieve a Russian prisoner in exchange for theUS President,who is being held captive.

The Mi-24 appears numerous times in theMetal Gearvideo game series, starting from the 1987 MSX original.Its appearance as a Boss battle in the 1998 gameMetal Gear Solidis probably the most famous instance.

The helicopter is used extensively in the 2005 filmThe 9th Company,which fictionally depicts theBattle for Hill 3234whereSoviet Army paratroopersdefend their post againstMujahideenfighters. It was especially employed to eliminate the Mujahideen's last wave of attack in the film's climactic battle.

In the 2006 filmBlood Diamond,a Mi-24 is employed to attack a rebel village.

The 2007 filmCharlie Wilson's Warportrays the Mi-24 as used in theSoviet–Afghan War.MujahideenuseFIM-92 Stingermissiles supplied through US CongressmanCharlie Wilson's efforts to shoot downSovietMi-24s.

The helicopter is used by the antagonist to flee a Moscow rooftop in the 2013 filmA Good Day to Die Hard.

In the 2022 filmTop Gun: Maverick,a Mi-24 is used by the enemy in an attempt to kill Pete "Maverick" Mitchell after his aircraft was shot down, only for the hostile Mi-24 to be shot down by Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw.

Mil Mi-26

In the 2013Bruce Willisaction filmA Good Day to Die Hard,aMil Mi-26T, leased from theBelarusMinistry for Emergency Situations and painted in washable military camouflage, was used in various scenes.

Miles Falcon

For the 1991 Australian mini-seriesThe Great Air Race,about the 1934 London toMelbourneMacRobertson Trophy Air Race,also known asHalf a World Away,Miles Falcon,VH-AAT, played Miles M.3 Falcon, G-ACTM, the prototype fitted with extra fuel tanks, race number 31.

Mitsubishi A5M

TheMitsubishi A5MType 96 fighter, known to the Allies as the "Claude" ", features prominently in the 2013Studio Ghiblianimated featureThe Wind Risesdirected byHayao Miyazaki.The film is a semi-fictionalised lyrical portrayal of the famous Japanese aircraft designerJiro Horikoshiand depicts him designing the A5M in the 1930s.

Moller M400 Skycar

TheMoller M400 Skycarappears in the 2010 telemovieThe Jensen ProjectwithLeVar BurtonandKellie Martin.It also appears inClive Cussler's novelAtlantis Found,where it is flown byDirk Pitt.

Morane-Saulnier MS.230

TheMorane-Saulnier MS.230appears as the fictional "new monoplane" in the 1966 World War I epicThe Blue Maxand was the aircraft in which the central character Bruno Stachel (George Peppard) meets his demise.Peppard purchased the aircraft and took it back to the US where it joined the collection of the San Diego Aerospace Museum.The plot, which has Stachel wringing-out a new design until it sheds its wings, is based on the experience with the late-warFokker E.V,a parasol design, three of six of which crashed within a week of being delivered toJasta 6in August 1918. Grounded for investigation, the problem was traced to shoddy workmanship at theMecklenburgfactory where defective wood spars, water damage to glued parts, and pins carelessly splintering the members instead of securing them were discovered. Upon return to service two months later, the design was renamed theFokker D.VIIIin an effort to avoid the type's reputation as a killer.

N

N3N Canary

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N Canaryswere shown in the 1941 Warner Bros. filmDive Bomber.

Nakajima Ki-27

Nakajima Ki-27

Nakajima Ki-27s,lifted from Japanese film, appeared in the 1942RepublicfilmFlying Tigers.

Nakajima Ki-43

A replica of aNakajima Ki-43 Hayabusaappeared in the 2007 Japanese motion pictureFor Those We Love,a drama about WW2 Kamikaze pilots.

Nieuport 17

TheNieuport 17was one of the main aircraft in the 2006 filmFlyboys.

Nieuport 28

An authenticNieuport 28was provided and flown byFrank Tallman,a Hollywood film pilot, forThe Twilight Zoneepisode"The Last Flight"in which a World War I Royal Flying Corps pilot is transported in time in a cloud to the 1960s.Norton Air Force Base,California, was the filming site. The episode first aired on 5 February 1960.

Noorduyn AT-16

Canadian-built variants of theNorth American T-6 Texanare seen in the 1943RKOfilmBombardier,filmed atKirtland Field,New Mexico.

Noorduyn Norseman

TheNoorduyn Norsemanappears in scenes in the 1942 Warner Bros. filmCaptains of the Clouds,withJames Cagneyas a Canadianbush pilotat the start of World War II.

North American A-5 Vigilante

The 1994Stephen CoontsnovelThe Intrudersmentions theNorth American A-5 Vigilantewhere the main character Jake Grafton described it as themost beautiful airplane the navy ownedand regardedthe Vigie pilots were supermen, the best of the best.

North American AT-6 Texan

The 1941Paramount PicturesfilmI Wanted Wingsfeatured flights of more than 50North American T-6 TexansfromKelly Field,Texas.

An SNJ-5 Texan, a naval variant of the AT-6, appeared in several television productions. It was modified to play the role of a JapaneseZeroin the TV seriesBaa Baa Black Sheep(1977) and the mini-seriesPearl(1979) and it played the roles of both a Zero and anSBD Dauntlessin the 1987 mini-seriesWar and Remembrance.T-6 Texans, one piloted by World War Two Marine AceArchie Donauerepresented Japanese Zeroes in the 1980 science fiction filmThe Final Countdown (film)

North American Harvards, the British Commonwealth name for the AT-6, appear prominently inCaptains of the Clouds,starringJames Cagney.

North American BT-9 / BT-16

North American BT-9and BT-16 basic trainers were filmed atRandolph Field,Texas, for the 1941Paramount PicturesfilmI Wanted Wings,based on the 1937 novel of the same title by 1st Lt.Beirne Lay, Jr.

North American X-15

North American X-15

On 5 November 1959, a small engine fire forced pilotScott Crossfieldto make an emergency landing onRosamond Dry Lake,Edwards Air Force Base,California, in aNorth American X-15.Not designed to land with fuel on board, the X-15 landed with a heavy load of propellants and broke its back, grounding it for three months. Footage of this accident was later incorporated inThe Outer Limits,episode "The Premonition",first aired 9 January 1965.

The rocket craft is also the subject of the 1961 Essex Productions filmX-15,a fictionalized account of the program, directed byRichard Donnerin his first outing, and narrated by USAF Brigadier General (Reserve)James Stewartin an uncredited role.

In the opening scene of the 2018 filmFirst Man,Neil Armstrong,played byRyan Gosling,pilots aNorth American X-15during a test flight.

Northrop A-17

TheNorthrop A-17makes an appearance atMarch Fieldat the conclusion of the 1941Paramount PicturesfilmI Wanted Wings.

Northrop M2-F2

TheNorthrop M2-F2,a NASA research aircraft, appears in the 1970s TV seriesThe Six Million Dollar Man,starringLee Majors.In the first episode, protagonistSteve Austincrashes the aircraft during a test flight and is severely injured. The footage used was from a real M2-F2 accident that took place on 10 May 1967 in the California desert.The clip of the crash was also used in the opening titles of each episode. The opening titles also used footage of the laterNorthrop HL-10aircraft.

Northrop YB-49

Paramount Pictures' 1953 film,The War of the Worldsincorporates color footage of aNorthrop YB-49test flight, originally used in one of Paramount'sPopular Sciencetheatrical shorts. In theGeorge Palfilm, the Flying Wing is used to drop anatomic bombon the invadingMartians.

Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye

In the filmThe Final Countdown(1980) aGrumman E-2 Hawkeyeis used byUSSNimitzas an airborne command and radar facility to track the Japanese Fleet heading to attackPearl Harbor.

In the 2022 filmTop Gun: Maverick,the E-2 plays an important role in the topical air attack operation, conducting the strike pack (consisting of fourF/A-18) and detecting enemy aircraft.

O

O-1 Bird Dog

The 1990 filmAir America,which loosely recounted the exploits of theCentral Intelligence Agencyproprietary airlinein Southeast Asia in the 1960s and early 1970s, featuredCessna O-1 Bird Dogs.

O2C Helldiver

United States NavyCurtiss O2C-2 HelldiversfromFloyd Bennett Fieldwere used in filmingKing Kongin 1933, but asCarl Denhamobserved, "Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast." Writer and directorMerian C. Cooperportrayed the pilot who kills Kong, while directorErnest B. Schoedsackplays his gunner, in uncredited roles.In the 2005remakeof the film, directorPeter Jacksonplays one of the gunners while the pilot is portrayed byRick Baker,who played Kong (in a rubber suit) in the 1976remake.

P

P-1 Hawk

The 1927William WellmanfilmWingsfeaturedCurtiss P-1 Hawksamong many types depicting World War I aircraft.The P-1s were used to portray GermanAlbatros D.Vfighters.

P-35

A civilianizedSeversky P-35,the Seversky S2, which won the 1937Bendix Trophyrace, appeared as the "Drake Bullet" in the 1938MGMfilmTest Pilot.

P-38 Lightning

Lockheed P-38 Lightning

A Guy Named Joe(1943) hasSpencer Tracyreturning as a guiding spirit looking after youngLockheed P-38 LightningpilotVan Johnson.

The 1944 short featureP-38 Reconnaissance Pilot,starringWilliam Holdenas Lt. "Packy" Cummings, dramatises the work of photoreconnaissancepilots in World War II.

The 1965 filmVon Ryan's Expressbegins with main protagonist, USAAF Colonel Joseph Ryan (Frank Sinatra), crash landing a P-38 Lightning in World War II Italy and being held as a prisoner of war.

P-38s appear in the 1968 novelOrder of BattlebyAlfred Coppel,a work that portrays US P-38Fs in the fighter-bomber role over Europe in WW2.

In the 1992 action filmAces: Iron Eagle III,the main character, Brig. Gen. Chappy Sinclair (Louis Gossett Jr.), pilots a P-38J as part of a mission to field old Second World War airshow aircraft against a drug cartel in Peru.The aircraft, registration N38BP, came from the Planes of Fame museum.

TheCAPCOMgame1942for the arcades and theNintendo Entertainment Systemfeatures the P-38 as the default plane of choice.

P-40 Warhawk

Curtiss P-40 Warhawks

In the 1942John WaynefilmFlying Tigers,realCurtiss P-40 Warhawksare featured.The New York Timescritic called the P-40s "the true stars" of the film.Republic Studios also built replicas for the film due to material shortages during the war. These can be identified by the fairings hiding the cylinder heads of the automotive V-8 engines installed in them, and the lack of elevators on the horizontal stabilizer.

Future US PresidentRonald Reaganappears in theRecognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter(training film, 1942) as a young pilot learning to recognize the difference between a P-40 and a Japanese Zero. In this film Reagan mistakes a friend's P-40 for a Japanese Zero and tries to shoot it down. In the end, Reagan gets a chance to shoot down a real Zero.

A P-40 featured in the 1973 made-for-TV filmDeath Race(also known asState of Division) which starredLloyd BridgesandDoug McClure.The film featured a damaged Allied fighter, unable to take off but still able to taxi, being pursued across North Africa by a German tank.

P-47 Thunderbolt

Steve Earle's 1988 song "Johnny Come Lately" from the albumCopperhead Roadis about an AmericanP-47pilot in World War II; it contains a verse "My P-47 is a pretty good ship. She took a round comin' cross the channel last trip."

ModifiedT-6 Texansdepicted P-47s in the 1977 filmA Bridge Too Far.

P-51 Mustang

P-51 Mustangsfeatured in the 1948Warner Bros.filmFighter Squadronwhich was directed byRaoul Walshand starredEdmond O'Brien&Robert Stack.In this film, P-51Ds belonging to the California Air National Guard played the role of German Bf-109 fighters to which the P-51 bore some resemblance from certain angles. For the production, P-51s were coated with acrylic Luftwaffe paint schemes. The aerial sequences were filmed nearVan Nuysin Los Angeles, California.

A P-51 Mustang piloted byJimmy Leewardfeatures as an antagonist in the 1980aerobaticsmovieCloud Dancer.

TheSteven SpielbergfilmEmpire of the Sun(1987), based on theJ. G. Ballardnovelof the same name,featured models and restored Mustangs in an attack on a Japanese airstrip next to the internment camp where the story's protagonist is imprisoned. This was the most complex and elaborately staged sequence of the film, requiring over 10 days of filming and 60 hours of aerial footage of Mustangs. Film historians and reviewers regard the scene as a significant cinematic achievement: "Spielberg's most emotionally reverberant moment, and one of the rare movie scenes that can truly be called epiphanies."

In the 1998 filmSaving Private Ryan,a flight of P-51s save embattled American troops from German ground forces.

Red-Tailed P-51s play a central role in the 2012 filmRed Tailswhen the332nd Fighter Groupis assigned to bomber escort duties, finally replacing their aging P-40s.

A P-51 Mustang, privately owned byTom Cruise,is repaired and flown by his characterPete Mitchell,in the final scene ofTop Gun: Maverick.

Panavia Tornado

The Transformers character Darkwing disguises itself as aPanavia Tornado.

TheRoyal Air Force's ground attack aircraft, the Panavia Tornado, featured extensively in the television pilotStrike Force,produced in the 1990s for ITV in the UK.Strike Forcedid not enter series production.

RAF Tornadoes featured in the 1998 BBC science fiction TV mini-seriesInvasion Earthwritten & co-produced byJed Mercurio.In the series, Tornado jets are scrambled to intercept a UFO.

The Tornado was the subject of the 1985 video gameTornado Low Level,in which the titular aircraft was used to destroy enemy target markers. The markers could only be destroyed when the Tornado's wings were fully swept back, and moving at full speed.

PBY Catalina

APBY Catalinafeatures in the 1947 filmHigh Barbaree(also released under the titleEnchanted Island) which was directed byJack Conway,starredVan Johnsonand was based on the 1945 novel of the same name byCharles Nordhoff&James Norman Hall.The film portrays a PBY crew during WW2 in the Pacific. During a depth-charge attack on a Japanese submarine, the PBY is damaged and crash-lands in enemy waters, leaving only two survivors, pilot Lt. Brooke (Johnson) and navigator Lt. Moore (Cameron Mitchell).

A formerRoyal Danish Air ForcePBY-6A Catalina appeared in the 1976 filmMidway.

A PBY-5A Catalina appeared in the opening sequence of the 1989Steven SpielbergfilmAlwaysas afirebomberpicking up a water load and bearing down on two startled fishermen.

In the 2002 submarine filmBelow,theUSSTiger Sharkis directed to pick up three survivors of a torpedoed hospital ship by a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina, marked as AH545, WQ-Z ofNo. 209 Squadron.The PBY-5A was marked as the Catalina that had a decisive role in the sinking of theBismarck.

PB4Y Privateer

United States NavyPB4Y-2M PrivateersofVP-23,based atNaval Air Station Miami,Florida, were filmed at the close of the 1948 hurricane season and the footage used in the 194920th Century-FoxfilmSlattery's Hurricane.

Percival Proctor

Percival Proctor

The most prominent of the real aircraft inNevil Shute's 1951 novelRound the Bendis a war-surplusPercival Proctor,which is used by the protagonist Constantine Shak Lin (also known as Connie Shaklin) to tour Asia to spread his teachings. At the end of the book the Proctor is the basis of a shrine to Shaklin and his new creed, laid up in a hangar in a state of uncompleted maintenance for pilgrims to view.

In 1968, three Proctors were remodelled withinverted gull wingsand other cosmetic alterations to representJunkers Ju 87sin the filmBattle of Britainbut, in the event, radio-controlled models were used instead.

Pfalz D.III

A pair of flying replicaPfalz D.IIIswere constructed to appear in the 1966 epic First World War filmThe Blue Max,based on the novel of the same name byJack D. Hunter.The aircraft subsequently appeared inDarling Lili(1970) andVon Richthofen & Brown(1971).

Pfalz D.XII

APfalz D.XIIwhich is now in theNational Air and Space Museum,Washington, D.C., was flown inThe Dawn Patrol(1930),Hell's Angels(1930), andMen with Wings(1938).Footage of the Pfalz fromThe Dawn Patrolalso featured in the1938 remakewithErrol Flynn.

Pilatus Porter/Fairchild AU-23

The STOL-capablePilatus PC-6 Porterwas depicted in the 1990 filmAir America,loosely recounting the exploits of theCentral Intelligence Agencyproprietary airline in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and early 1970s.The PC-6s in this film were actuallyFairchild AU-23A Peacemakers,the US-built version of the aircraft. Five examples were used in the production, four of them belonging to the Royal Thai Air Force and a fifth which was a hybrid re-constructed from a number of derelict Porters. The latter was used for the filming of a landing on a hill-top airstrip because the Thai Air Force refused to risk one of their own Porters in the filming of that scene.

A Pilatus PC-6 Porter was used for the first jump and training scenes in the 1994 filmDrop Zone.

Piper Cherokee

The characterPussy Galorein the 1964James BondfilmGoldfingeris the leader of "Pussy Galore's Flying Circus", a group of women who flyPiper Cherokees,trained acrobats turned cat burglars, in thenovel of the same namebyIan Fleming.In the film the arch-villain uses the Cherokees in his plan to deprive the US government of the gold inFort Knox.

Piper PA-28 Warrior

Mark Haddon's 2019 novelThe Porpoisestarts with the flight en route toPopham Airfieldin Hampshire and subsequent crash of aPiper PA-28 Warriorcaused when the pilot crashes into a silo betweenGapennesandYvrenchinSomme departmentresulting in four deaths including a pregnant woman, the only survivor being an unborn baby saved by a passing doctor. The baby becomes the protagonist of the novel.

Pitts Special

Pitts SpecialS-1S and S-2A airplanes feature prominently in the 1980 filmCloud Dancer,in which flying scenes were filmed with cameras adapted to resist up to 12 g, mounted on the planes. The story follows acompetition aerobaticschampion through his show season, starringDavid Carradine.The role ofCurtis Pittswas played byWoodrow Chamblissin a short scene; the movie had the participation both in performance as in advice of pilotsTom Poberezny,Charlie Hillard,Leo Loudenslager,andJimmy Leeward.The movie is dedicated to pilot Walt Tubb, who died a few months after the filming, coincidentally while doing the same maneuver that in the movie causes the death of one of the characters.

R

RAH-66 Comanche

The cancelledBoeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comancheappeared in directorAng Lee'sHulkfilm in 2003.

The 1993 shooter gameJungle Strikehas the main character flying the RAH-66 Comanche to complete various missions.

The 2013 military simulation gameArma 3depicts the Comanche's real-world cancellation as something that almost happened, and the design brought back from the edge of being shut down and adopted as the "AH-99 Blackfoot".

The 1990's "Comanche" series of games byNovalogicfeatured the RAH-66 as the only flyable aircraftComanche_(video_game_series)

Republic RC-3 Seabee

TheRepublic RC-3 Seabeeis an amphibious aircraft whichJames Bonduses in the 1974 filmThe Man With the Golden Gun,to get to the island lair of villainFrancisco Scaramanga.Bond lands the plane at the island, but it is later destroyed by Scaramanga's solar-powered laser gun.

RF-8 Crusader

The RF-8 is a reconnaissance version of theVought F-8 Crusadercarrier-basedair superiorityaircraft. In the 1980 filmThe Final Countdownan RF-8 is used byUSSNimitzto overfly thePearl Harbornaval base.The photos taken during that mission of the US Navy Fleet prior to the 1941 Japanese attack, convinceNimitz'scommanders that somehow they have gone back in time from the 1980s to the 1940s.

The RF-8As that played a pivotal role in obtaining low-level reconnaissance photographs of Sovietmedium-range ballistic missiles(MRBMs) in Cuba during theCuban Missile Crisiswere depicted in the 2000 filmThirteen Days.The aircraft were portrayed by ex-Philippine Air ForceF-8H airframes refurbished for use in the movie.

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2

A replicaRoyal Aircraft Factory B.E.2cwas used in the production of the BBC Great War drama seriesWingswhich aired in 1977–1978.The replica was originally commissioned in 1969 by Universal Studios for a proposed big-budget filmBiggles Sweeps the Skiesbut the project was cancelled after the aircraft was built. The replica was constructed by engineer and pilot Charles Boddington who was later killed during the making of the 1971 filmVon Richthofen & Brown.His son Matthew recently rebuilt the aircraft (after it was badly damaged in an accidental crash in the US) and it flew again at Sywell aerodrome, UK, in 2011.

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5

The 1927William WellmanfilmWingsfeatured aRoyal Aircraft Factory S.E.5aamong many types depicting World War I aircraft.

Ryan NYP

The 1938ParamountfilmMen with Wings,starringRay Milland,featured a reproduction of theSpirit of St. Louisfashioned from aRyan B-1 Brougham.

A recreation of theRyan NYPwas used for the 1957 Warner Bros. filmThe Spirit of St. Louis,starringJimmy StewartasCharles Lindbergh.

S

Saab JAS 39 Gripen

In the 2017 filmTransformers: The Last Knightthe Decepticon Nitro Zeus transforms into aSaab JAS 39 Gripen.

In the 2019 anime seriesGirly Air Force,Gripen is one of the main fighter aircraft featured in the series along with Kei Narutani, the main protagonist of the series.

SBD Dauntless

ADouglas SBD Dauntlesswas used in the production of the 1976 motion pictureMidway.An SBD-5, which had formerly served in the RNZAF and which was (in 1976) non-airworthy and wingless, was used in the filming of the cockpit close-ups for actors such asCharlton Heston.

Later in 1987, the same aircraft (BuNo 28536), now in airworthy condition, was used in the production of the epic 1988–1989 TV mini-seriesWar & Remembrance.The aircraft appeared in the sequence depicting the Battle of Midway and during filming, was flown off theUSSLe xing tonthe first time an SBD had taken off from a carrier in 42 years.

Douglas SBDs are a major feature in the 2019 filmMidwaydirected byRoland Emmerich.The aircraft were recreated digitally and at least one full-scale static replica was built.

SB2C Helldiver / A-25 Shrike

The loss of a US NavyCurtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver,BuNo 00154, ofVB-5,during launch nearTrinidadon 28 May 1943during the shakedown cruise of theUSSYorktownwas incorporated by20th Century Foxinto the 1944 filmWing and a Prayer: The Story of Carrier X.

Two USAAFCurtiss RA-25A Shrikescollided during aflypastfor an air show nearSpokane, Washington,on 23 July 1944, the accident filmed by aParamount Picturesnewsreel crew. This footage was used in the 1956 filmEarth vs. the Flying Saucers,apparently being shot down by a saucer.

SB2U Vindicator

Vought SB2U Vindicatorswere featured in the 1941 Warner Bros. filmDive Bomber.

Short Sunderland

TheShort Sunderlandflying boatpatrol bombertakes a key part inIvan Southall's autobiographical 1974 novelFly West,where the writer tells his life as aRAF Coastal CommandSunderland pilot duringWorld War II.Many details about the aircraft's looks, performance and procedures are given throughout the book, and as almost the entirety of the book is set inside Sunderlands, the warplane practically becomes a character. Other aircraft, both fromAlliedandGermanorigin, are also featured and mentioned.

A Short Sunderland was the setting for much of the 1980 novelThe Flying Porcupineby Richard Haligon. The novel takes its title from a nickname reputedly given to the Sunderland by German pilots thanks to its defensive armament of as many as 16 machine guns.

Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King

CIA officerJack Ryan(played byAlec Baldwin) is flown from an aircraft carrier to the submarineUSSDallasin aSikorsky SH-3H Sea Kingin the 1990 filmHunt for Red October,based on theTom Clancy'snovel of the same title.

At the end of the successful rescue mission forApollo 13,two SH-3 Sea Kings, historically painted as Helos 66 and 406, retrieve the astronauts from their spacecraft after splashdown in the 1995Ron Howardfilm.

Sikorsky H-5 / R-5 / HO2S / HO3S / S-51

Sikorsky H-5

The 1954 filmThe Bridges at Toko-Ri,based on the 1953James A. Michenernovella of the same title, opens and closes with scenes of a US NavySikorsky HO3S-1of utility helicopter squadron HU-1 operating from anEssex-classaircraft carrierin pilot rescue and recovery during theKorean War.

In the 1954 science fiction filmThem!,a Sikorsky S-51 is used to spot giant ants in theNew Mexicodesert.

AWestland Widgeon,a UK-built version of theSikorsky S-51,appears in the 1971 British filmWhen Eight Bells Toll,starringAnthony Hopkins,directed byÉtienne Périerand based on theAlistair MacLeannovel of thesame name.Aerial scenes were filmed over the Scottish islands of Staffa and Mull.

Sikorsky HO5S / S-52

ASikorsky HO5S-1is featured in the 2022 Korean War drama filmDevotion.When the film was made, the helicopter was one of the few flyable examples remaining in the world.

Sikorsky H-19 / Westland Whirlwind

The 1955 Warner Bros. filmThe McConnell Story,about Capt.Joseph C. McConnell, Jr.,the top American ace of theKorean War,includes footage of aSikorsky H-19 Chickasawrescuing a downedB-29crew in that conflict, while under heavy fire. A Chickasaw was furnished by the48th Air Rescue Squadron,Eglin AFB,Florida, for seven days of filming atAlexandria AFB,Louisiana, in February 1955.

The character of "Harold the Helicopter" from the British children's book series,The Railway Seriesand its TV program adaptation,Thomas & Friendsis based on theSikorsky S-55,built in the UK as theWestland Whirlwind.

The Sikorsky S-55 appeared inIrwin Allen's 1960 film,The Lost World.

The book,Retreat Hell,byW. E. B. Griffin,takes place inKoreaduring theKorean War.It centers on the use of a Sikorsky H-19A helicopter during the fall 1950. Much of the action is driven forward by the abilities of the helicopter.

Sikorsky S-58

ASikorsky S-58T appears as the "Screaming Mimi" in the 1980s television seriesRiptide.This S-58 is still in service as a heavy lift helicopter.

Sikorsky H-53 series

AHH-53B Sea Stallionappears in the 1974 filmAirport 1975,where a pilot is lowered on a tether from the helicopter to a damagedBoeing 747in flight.

The HH-53C variant was used in the combined combat search and rescue and VIP delivery sequences in the 1982Malpaso Productionsspy andaction filmFirefox,produced, directed by, and starringClint Eastwood,based on the 1977novel of the same namebyCraig Thomas.

TheSikorsky CH-53E Super Stallionappears in the 2002 filmThe Sum of All Fears,based on theTom Clancynovel of the same title.

A CH-53E Super Stallion is featured in the 1997 filmThe Jackal,where it flies over Washington, D.C., and hovers between buildings during a fast rope sequence.

TheSikorsky MH-53Jis featured in the2007Transformersfilmas the alternate mode ofBlackout.Production designer Jeff Mann stated "the Pave Low looks butch... the size made it the logical choice."Toys for Blackout were MH-53 replicas, which were reused for the characters ofEvac,SpinisterandWhirl.

The heavier CH-53E Super Stallion is the alternate form for theDecepticonGrindorin the 2009 filmTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

TheSikorsky MH-53appears in the 2009 video gameCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,referred to simply as the "Pave Low".

An HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant appears inKong: Skull Island.Portfolio images of various CGI artists on the team show it as being gray, like a CH-53 Sea Stallion, in early stages of production, but in the final cut, it's green, lacks any USMC markings and even comes from a USAF airbase, all meaning it must be a Super Jolly. Despite this, characters repeatedly and incorrectly refer to it as "the sea stallion".

Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe/Sikorsky S-64

In the 1996 filmIndependence DayaSikorsky S-64Skycrane is fitted with an array of flashing lights to communicate with an alien spaceship.

A Skycrane also appears in the 2001 filmSwordfish,near the climactic ending in which it has a bus full of hostages slung loaded underneath, and is flying through downtown Los Angeles.

Sikorsky H-60 series

In the 1994 filmClear and Present Danger,a pair ofMH-60K Black Hawksare used to insert a special ops team into a Colombian jungle.

Black Hawks were also featured in the 1997 filmAir Force One,having been rented from the US military.

TheSikorsky UH-60 Black Hawkwas the title aircraft in the 2001 filmBlack Hawk Down.For this film too the filmmakers rented the aircraft, paying the US Department of Defense about $3 million to ship eight helicopters and about 100 crew members to the film location in Morocco.

In the 2003 filmTears of the SunthreeSH-60 Seahawkhelicopters bring evacuated US embassy staff and their SEAL team rescuers from Nigeria to the aircraft carrierUSSHarry S. Truman.Two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters are used to retrieve a SEAL team and refugees in Nigeria.

Sikorsky S-29-A

Igor Sikorsky'sSikorsky S-29-A,previously owned byRoscoe Turner,doubled for aGotha bomberinHoward Hughes' 1930 aerial epicHell's Angels.It was destroyed during filming. At the time of the aircraft's demise it had flown 500,000 miles.

Sikorsky S-38

Replicas of theSikorsky S-38were used in the filming of the 2004Martin Scorsesebiopic ofHoward Hughes,The Aviator.

Sikorsky VS-44

WhenMGMproduced the 1959 filmThe Gallant Hours,based on the life of US Navy AdmiralWilliam "Bull" Halsey,the studio rented aSikorsky VS-44A, N41881, namedMother Goose,from Catalina Air Lines, Inc., and painted it in wartime camouflage to depict a secret flight that Halsey had made to the South Pacific in aConsolidated PB2Y-1 Coronado.Although the studio had promised to repaint the flying boat after the production, this did not happen, and the airline had to restore the civilian livery itself.

Sopwith Camel

Sopwith Camelreplica

The First World WarSopwith Camelfighter features prominently in theBigglesstories ofW. E. Johnssuch as the collections:The Camels Are Coming(1932),andBiggles of the Camel Squadron(1934).

The 1934 novelWinged VictorybyVictor M. Yeatesfeatures the Sopwith Camel in action during the Great War.

Sopwith Camels appear in the 2013 novelA Splendid Little WarbyDerek Robinsonwhich depicts a fictional RAF unit – Merlin Squadron – flying Camels in support of theWhite forcesduring theRussian Civil Warin 1919.

Sopwith 1½ Strutter

A 1/6 scale radio-controlled model of aSopwith 1½ Strutterwas constructed by Proctor Enterprises to appear in the ABC television seriesThe Young Indiana Jones Chroniclesepisode "Attack of the Hawkmen" (1995) produced byGeorge Lucas.

A replica Sopwith 1½ Strutter featured in the 2006 filmFlyboys,a drama about theLafayette Escadrille.The replica, built in 1992, was purchased from a private museum in Alabama.

Sopwith Pup

The fictional RFC squadron inDerek Robinson's1999 First World War novelHornet's Stingflies theSopwith Pup.

Space Shuttle orbiter

The Transformers Combaticon named Blast Off, the Autobot Sky Lynx, and Decepticon triple-changer Astrotrain all disguise themselves asSpace Shuttle orbiters.

In the 1979 James Bond filmMoonrakerthe film opens with the disappearance during a routine transfer flight, on the back of a Boeing 747, of the eponymous space shuttle, built and operated by the Drax Corporation.

InPayne Harrison's 1990 novelStorming Intrepid,the shuttleIntrepid– one of four new shuttles built by the US government – is hijacked by its mission commander, who is a Russian agent. The plot revolves around American efforts to prevent the agent from landing the shuttle in the USSR with its advancedSDIsystem intact.

In the 2000 filmSpace Cowboys,four retired astronauts launch into space aboard the shuttleDaedalusto repair a crippled Russiansatellite.

InJon Amiel's 2003 filmThe Core,space shuttleEndeavouris sent off course by a disruption in theEarth's magnetic field,forcing it to land in the concrete-lined channel of the Los Angeles River.

In the 2013 filmGravity,space shuttleExploreris destroyed by an out of control satellite in the early portion of the film.

SPAD

The 1927William WellmanfilmWingsfeatured aSPAD S.VIIamong many types depicting World War I aircraft.

Race Bannon,flying aSPAD S.XIII,fights a dogfight with aFokker D.VII,flown by Baron Heinrich von Frohleich in Episode 10 ofJonny Quest,"Shadow of the Condor",first aired 20 November 1964.

Stampe SV.4

The 1976 filmAces Highuses several modifiedStampe SV.4aircraft made to look likeRoyal Flying CorpsRoyal Aircraft Factory S.E.5aircraft. These were prepared by Bianchi Aviation Film Services and flown by well-known pilots includingNeil Williams.

Standard J

AStandard J-1appeared in the 1923 filmThe Eleventh Hour,which starredAlan Hale Sr.During the film, a J-1 attacks a submarine on the surface but the aircraft is hit by return fire from the vessel and it explodes in mid-air. To film the scene, stunt pilot Dick Kerwood was required to fly over the submarine (loaned by the US Navy) in San Diego Bay and, at about 3,000 feet, parachute out of his plane after setting the timer to explosives which would detonate ten seconds later. However the timer proved faulty and the aircraft exploded before Kerwood could bale out. He was seriously concussed but otherwise escaped injury and he managed to open his chute in time.

Stearman C3

AStearman C3Rfeatured in the 1958 filmNo Place to Landdirected byAlbert C. Gannawayand starringJohn Ireland.The film was a drama about crop-duster pilots in post-war rural California competing with each other for work.

Stinson Model A

A static replica of aStinson Model Awas featured in the 1988 Australian TV-filmThe Riddle of the Stinsonwhich starredJack Thompson.The film was a dramatisation of thetrue-life crashof an Australian Airlines Stinson in Queensland in 1937 which claimed the lives of 5 men and the subsequent rescue of two survivors ten days later by localBernard O'Reillywho treked into the rainforest and found the crash site.

Sukhoi Su-24

TheSu-24is featured in the 2021 Russian filmSky(Russian:Небо), depicting the events surrounding the Turkishshootdownof a Russian Su-24 in 2015.

Sukhoi Su-25

TheSukhoi Su-25appears in the 2005 filmMirror Wars: Reflection One.

Sukhoi Su-27 and derivatives

Su-27variants feature prominently in theAce Combatvideo game series, often being the aircraft of choice for main antagonists. Examples include the Yellow SquadronSu-37sinAce Combat 04: Shattered Skies;Strigon TeamSu-33sinAce Combat 6: Fires of Liberation;Andrei Markov'sSu-35SinAce Combat: Assault Horizon;and Sol Squadron Su-30M2s and Mihaly A. Shilage'sSu-30SMinAce Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

Sukhoi Su-57

TheSukhoi Su-57appears inTop Gun: Maverickas the aircraft used by the unnamed hostile nation, and referred to by its NATO reporting name "Felon" or as "fifth-generation fighters".Two were shot down by a stolen F-14A Tomcat flown by Maverick and Rooster, and another by a F/A-18E Super Hornet flown by Hangman.

Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine SpitfireMk.VB

Along with theHawker Hurricane,theSupermarine Spitfirefighter is strongly linked to theBattle of Britainin summer 1940, where theRoyal Air Forcefought the GermanLuftwaffeover the skies of Britain for air superiority.It has been featured in many works of fiction related to the Battle of Britain.

The 1951 filmMalta Storyis about Spitfires and their pilots defending Malta in 1942.

A Spitfire IXc was one of at least two used in the production of the 1962 World War II epic filmThe Longest Day.The same aircraft also appeared inVon Ryan's Express(1965),Night of the Generals(1967), andBattle of Britain(1969).

The Spitfire was a central part of the 1969 filmBattle of Britain,directed byGuy Hamilton,a fictionalized account of the realBattle of Britainthat one critic called "the definitive depiction of war in the air".The film led to an increase in the popularity of the aircraft among collectors ofwarbirds.According to one property dealer the appearance "did for Spitfires what the James Bond films did for the Aston Martin."Producers secured 35 Spitfires for use in the film.

The Spitfire was also the main aircraft used in the 1988 miniseriesPiece of Cake.The series was based ona novel by the same name.Pilots in the novel flew the Hawker Hurricane, but the lack of airworthy Hurricanes forced the producers to change aircraft types, using five privately owned airworthy Spitfires and a collection of static and taxiing replicas.

Real-life World War II RAF aceDouglas Baderwas portrayed as a night-flying Spitfire pilot duringThe Blitzin an episode of the second season of the animated Disney seriesGargoyles.In the episode ( "M.I.A." ) Bader's life was saved during air combat byGoliathandGriff.

The 2001 Czech filmDark Blue World,a World War II drama about Czech pilots who flew with the Royal Air Force directed byJan Svěrák,featured Spitfires. The vintage Spitfires cost the filmmakers US$7,500 an hour to use. The aerial sequences were a combination of live aerial footage, CGI and out-takes from the 1969 filmThe Battle of Britain.

Spitfires starred in the 2006 seven-minute short filmPilots,produced as a commercial by the Swiss-German watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen to promote its Big Pilot's Watch Collection.John Malkovichfeatured in the film.

In the 2017 movieDunkirk,directed byChristopher Nolan,three Spitfires were featured defending the evacuation of British and French troops from Dunkirk against attacks by the German Luftwaffe.

Supermarine Swift

The second prototypeSupermarine Swiftappeared as thePrometheusin the 1952 filmThe Sound Barrier. A Supermarine or Vickers-Supermarine Attacker appears in the 1952 British movie,The Sound Barrier

T

TBD Devastator

Douglas TBDsappear in the 2019 filmMidwaydirected byRoland Emmerich.To portray the aircraft, the producers recreated TBDs digitallyand also constructed a full-scale static replica which, after filming was completed, was donated to theUSSMidwayMuseumin San Diego.In the film, TBDs are depicted as simultaneously carrying a pair of 500-pound bombs on wing racks in addition to a torpedo, a scene which would not have happened in reality, as under-powered TBDs struggled enough with the weight of just a torpedo.

Tupolev Tu-154

ATupolev Tu-154Bwas in the centre of the plot of the 1979 Soviet filmAir Crew.The film is a recognized classic inCommonwealth of Independent States(CIS) countries.

U

UFM Easy Riser

TheUFM Easy Riserwas one of two ultralight aircraft that lead theCanada geesesouth in the 1996 filmFly Away Home.The film was a highly fictionalized account based onBill Lishman's autobiography and work withOperation Migration,but both Lishman's real-life migratory experiments teaching birds to migrate and the film used the Easy Riser, due to its low cruising speed, which allowed the birds to pace the aircraft in flight.

Vickers FB5 Gunbus

Vickers FB5

A replicaVickers FB5was constructed to appear in the 1986 filmSky Bandits(also released under the titleGunbus) which was about a pair of cowboys who flee the US to escape prison for a bank robbery and end up serving in the RFC during the Great War. The replica, built as a taxiing prop for the film, is currently housed at Sywell Aerodrome in the UK.

V

Vickers Wellington

TheVickers Wellingtonfeatures in the 1941 filmTarget for Tonight.

Nevil Shute's romancePastoralis a wartime story of a pilot and his crew of a Wellington bomber based at a fictional RAF station called "Hartley Magna".

A Vickers Wellington features in the 1961 comedy filmVery Important Person(released in the US asA Coming Out Party). In the film, the central character, a military scientist named Sir Ernest Pease (James Robertson Justice) is taken over Germany during WW2 to test a top-secret apparatus. However the Wellington is hit by anti-aircraft fire and Pease is sucked out through a hole in the fuselage, parachuting into enemy territory and ending up in a POW camp.

The 1968 Czechoslovak filmNebeští jezdci(Sky Riders) about Czechoslovak airmen in RAF Bomber Command featured a Vickers Wellington.It was depicted by a taxiing replica based on an extensively modifiedLisunov Li-2.Flight sequences were shot with large-scale replicas and the film also incorporated wartime stock footage, including scenes fromTarget for Tonight.

A haunted Vickers Wellington is the subject ofRobert Westall's macabre, and critically appreciated, 1982 short storyBlackham's Wimpy.

Irish graphic novelistGarth Ennischose the Wellington to be the aircraft flown by the Australian crew of RAF Bomber Command in his 2010 graphic novelHappy Valley,set in 1942 during the early phase of the night bombing offensive and one of hisBattlefieldsseries.

V-22 Osprey

TwoBell-Boeing CV-22 Ospreys(of only three in the USAF inventory at the time)were filmed in flight atHolloman Air Force Base,New Mexico,in May 2006 for the 2007Transformersfilm.This would inspire a host of Transformers toys and characters based on the Osprey including the Decepticons Incinerator andRuinationas well as the AutobotsSpringerandBlades.

W

Waco 10

At least sevenWaco 10biplanes were employed in the production of the 1928 silent filmLilac Time,a romantic drama about a British pilot in the Royal Flying Corps in WW1. The film was directed byGeorge Fitzmauriceand starredGary Cooper.Wacos played the role of generic RFC planes and three were deliberately crashed during filming of the aerial combat scenes.Dick Grace,only just recovered from injuries he sustained while working on the filmWingsthe previous year, was the stunt pilot for two of the crash-landing scenes.

Wallis Autogyro

TheWallis WA-116 Agilewas anautogyrooffering improved stability over previous designs. It was developed in the 1960s byKen Wallis,a formerWing Commanderof theRAF.Following a prototype, five WA-116s were built byBeagle AircraftatShoreham,three of which were for evaluation by the BritishArmy Air Corps.In 1966, one of the Beagle-built WA-116s, registeredG-ARZB,was modified for use in the 1967James BondfilmYou Only Live Twice.The WA-116 was dubbed "Little Nellie" and was flown by Ken Wallis, who was doubling forSean Connery's James Bond.

Wright Flyer

TheWright brothers'Wright Flyeris featured in the seventh season episode ofThe Simpsons"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming".In the episode, first aired 26 November 1995,Sideshow Bobsteals theFlyerwhile it is on display at an airshow. WhileKrusty the Clownis making a television broadcast from a shack, Sideshow Bob flies into the side of the building in an attempt to stop the broadcast. Instead of demolishing the building, the frailFlyermerely bounces off the wall undamaged.

Wright Model B

Several replicas of theWright Model Bwere constructed for the filming of the 1978 telemovieThe Winds of Kitty Hawk.One of the replicas is now owned and preserved by Wright B Flyers Inc. based in Dayton, Ohio.

X

XB-51

Martin XB-51inToward the Unknown

TheMartin XB-51depicted the fictional Gilbert XF-120 in the 1956 filmToward the Unknown,starringWilliam Holdenas a test pilot.On 25 March 1956, the first XB-51 prototype,46-0685,crashed in sand dunes nearBiggs Air Force Base,El Paso, Texas,killing both crew, while staging toEglin AFB,Florida, for filming of scenes for the motion picture.

Z

Zeppelin

AZeppelinappears in the 1929Fox CorporationfilmThe Sky Hawkwhich was directed byJohn G. Blystone.The film portrayed an aristocratic Englishman Jack Bardell (played byJohn Garrick) who joins the Royal Flying Corps during the Great War. In the film, Bardell is badly injured in a crash in France which leaves him with only partial use of his legs. The unclear circumstances surrounding the crash lead him to suffer accusations of cowardice. Determined to reclaim his honour, Bardell secretly rebuilds a derelict aircraft and attaches special stirrups to the rudder pedals so he is able to fly it. He takes off on an unauthorised patrol over London and destroys a Zeppelin raider, restoring his reputation in the process.

A German Zeppelin is shot down in the 1930Howard HughesfilmHell's Angels.

A bombing raid by a Zeppelin comprises a major plot point in the Elsie McCutcheon novelSummer of the Zeppelin.

Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI

In the 2017 filmWonder Woman,aZeppelin-Staaken R.VIis loaded with 4,500 pounds of bombs filled with poisonous gas intended forLondon.Steve Trevordestroys it by detonating the payload mid-flight, sacrificing himself.

See also

• List of fictional spacecraft
• Airborne aircraft carrier
• Aviation accidents and incidents in fiction

Bibliography

• Allen, Richard Sanders (1988).Revolution in the Sky: The Lockheeds of Aviation's Golden Age(Revised ed.). New York: Orion Books.ISBN978-0-517-56678-7.
• Barnes, Christopher Henry; James, Derek N. (1965).The Penetrators.London: Souvenir Press.ISBN0-85177-819-4.
• Bellomo, Mark (2007).Transformers Identification and Price Guide.Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications.ISBN9780896894457.
• Brown, Gary R. (April 2012). "More Than Just A Movie Messerschmitt".Classic Aircraft.Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing Ltd.
• Chapman, John; Goodall, Geoff (1992).Warbirds Directory: An International Survey of the World's Warbird Population.Mansfield, Notts: Warbirds Worldwide.
• Cotta Vaz, Mark;Duignan, Patricia Rose (1996).Industrial Light & Magic: Into the Digital Realm.New York:DelRey(Ballantine).ISBN978-0-345-38152-1.
• Gilman, J.D.; Clive, John (1978).KG 200.London: Pan Books Ltd. p. 315.ISBN0-85177-819-4.
• Hardwick, Jack; Schnepf, Ed (1989). "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies".The Making of the Great Aviation Films.General Aviation Series. Vol. 2. Canoga Park, California: Challenge Publications.
• Ogden, Bob (1986).Great Aircraft Collections of the World.New York: Gallery Books.ISBN9780831740665.
• Piercey, Stephen (1984).Sky Truck.London: Osprey Publishing Limited.ISBN0-85045-552-9.
• Suid, Lawrence H. (2002).Guts and Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film.The University Press of Kentucky.ISBN0-8131-2225-2.LCCN2001-007630.
• Wohl, Robert (2005).The Spectacle of Flight: Aviation and the Western Imagination, 1920–1950.Carlton, Victoria: Melbourne University Press.ISBN0-300-10692-0.
• Zicree, Marc Scott (1982).The Twilight Zone Companion.New York: Bantam Books.ISBN9781879505094.

Further reading

• Call, Steve (2009).Selling Air Power Military Aviation and American Popular Culture After World War II.Texas A&M University Press.ISBN978-1-60344-100-1.
• Van Riper, A. Bowdoin (2004).Imagining Flight: Aviation and Popular Culture.College Station, Texas, USA: Texas A&M University Press.ISBN1-58544-300-X.

External links

• Rotary Action guide to helicopters in movies and television
• The Internet Movie Plane Database