Movie: Flight of the Pheonex

xsbank · Post by **xsbank** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:34 pm

Seems to me my father told me that if you did a loop in a Chipmunk without the inverted systems, and you didn't have enough speed over the top, the engine would stop spinning; if you didn't have enough altitude to get the engine to windmill, you had to start firing shells in the starter, a good way to get your daily adrenaline quota.

Anybody ever start a Beav with a crank? Probably no inertial starters left now but you could stick a crank in the side of the cowl and wind it up; you were winding up a heavy flywheel, usually with two guys, but I've done it alone - then you'd run around the left and jump in and pull the lever to engage the starter, before too much starter energy was lost, and hope she was good and ready to go, 'coz if not, out you go and start cranking again. Great way to get the gut muscles exercised, and a great way to warm up on those cold winter mornings!

xsbank · Post by **xsbank** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:38 pm

Forgot to mention that the airplane in the original flight of the Phoenix did actually fly, and its true that the movie stunt pilot was killed flying it, but wasn't he Frank Tallman? I will have to look that up...The original is excellent, if a bit melodramatic sometimes.

flyboeing · Post by **flyboeing** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:39 pm

is this based on a true story?

yak driver · Post by **yak driver** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:34 am

Both Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz worked on the movie, but it was Mantz that was killed.

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay ... s/EX26.htm

Panama Jack · Post by **Panama Jack** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:50 am

What the hell kind of apocalyptic "The Day After Tomorrow" whether phenonemon was that in the movie? Hope I never fly in a desert!

. ._ · Post by **. ._** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 4:14 am

OK, I just rented the movie.

It was pretty unrealistic. My favourite part is when the co-pilot finishes turning the prop by hand, and is standing right next to the blade when he tells the pilot, "OK, clear!"

-istp

kilpicki · Post by **kilpicki** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:05 am

The Canadian Military operated the Flying Boxcar and I've read that some of the ones left in the USA or elsewhere still bear the CAF markings.

I believe some of the parts were from Kenya and also read a story of them ferrying one from the USA to Namibia where some of the stuff was shot.

not as good as the original.

Mitch Cronin · Post by **Mitch Cronin** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:12 am

The original movie was great!
...complete with actually flying a "bodged" airplane.
The remake was horrible... and phoney as hell.

ehbuddy · Post by **ehbuddy** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 8:54 am

In the original movie the aircraft depicted was a C-82 Packet and in the second version they used the C-119 Flying Boxcar. Check out the link that shows the crash.

http://stripe.colorado.edu/~steinerd/Phoenix.html

Isis · Post by **Isis** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 9:28 am

Doesn't anyone read anymore?

Before the 1965 movie, Elleston Trevor wrote his novel, "The Flight of the Phoenix". This is the novel that both movies are based on. However, its said that the 1965 movie is a closer rendition of the novel than the 2004 release.

Trevor's novel is fiction. If there are any factual links to characters or similar events, I haven't heard of them.

If you enjoyed the movie, I certainly recommend the novel. There is far more details as to the structure of the Phoenix, as well as explanations of the build itself.

- Isis

Lommer · Post by **Lommer** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 2:01 pm

Man, go read up a bit on Mantz, Tellman, and the guys who flew with them back in the 50s + 60s. When movies couldn't rely on computer generated graphics to make stuff up, they actually had to make the scenes in real life and film them. The stunt pilots were therefore called upon to do some pretty crazy stuff: The payscale for routine stunts was $100 for a midair transfer of a person, $1200 for crashing a plane, and $1500 for blowing up a plane in midair and jumping out with a parachute. Less routine stunts included flying through hangers. Tellman once taxiied a plane through a plate of glass for a shot, and on another occaision flew a plane clean through a billboard. When you hear stories like these, its hard not admire the sheer skill that these guys had, but its worth remembering that almost every single one of them died in a crash at some point in their flying careers.