Watching airplanes and helicopters as shown in TV shows and movies, is a mixed bag for a pilot. Sometimes, the joy of flying and the procedural integrity is high, and we get to share a bit of our flying world with others. However, more often the entertainment industry gets it very wrong, and we cringe through some pretty bad portrayals of both airplanes and helicopters in flight.
Helicopters have been a safe form of flying since the 1940’s, and with the proper training and preparation, they are perfectly suited to some specific flight missions. But they can be unforgiving to pilots who don’t take precautions to treat the aircraft with respect. But that doesn’t stop Hollywood from throwing The Rock or Will Smith behind the stick and launching into impossible aerobatics.
The portrayal of airplane flight is often less wrong, but still occasionally laughable. One recent TV show showed a computer glitch in a control tower computer that supposedly prevented all planes from landing. Because in movie world, that’s how planes land – ATC computers in the control tower do the landing. Big news to pilots who feel they have a larger role in that procedure.
For this presentation, CFIs Michael Dutton and Dan Dyer have pulled together a compilation of some of the stupidest representations of airplanes helicopters in film and television. Amateur pilots flying without any training, unsafe maneuvering, aerodynamic impossibilities, hazardous flight conditions, you name it, we’ll see it. After we view the Hollywood version, Michael and Dan will walk the audience through what is aerodynamically wrong and outright unsafe in what we saw on the screen. The difference between safe aircraft operation and what you see action stars use them will astonish you.
If you want to share our pilot’s eye look at TV and film and enjoy laughing at the mainstream entertainment, we hope you’ll join us.
Michael Dutton is a CFI, and CFII in fixed wing, with private pilot privileges in helicopters. He has been flying and working at San Carlos airport for over ten years, first working for the Flight Center before moving on to Airport Operations and now as Flight Instructor. His past work experience also includes time with NASA and San Carlos Airport administration.
Dan Dyer is a flight instructor and SCFC Director of Operations. He began over 20 years ago, has over 4,000 flight hours, and is the Bay Area’s local expert in crosswind landing instruction. He is known for finding simple and innovative ways to explain complex topics and regularly speaks on advanced ground school topics. He currently oversees hiring and training of SCFCs Flight Instructor team.
