With so many celebrities enamored with Aviation it’s no wonder why so many movies incorporate or are solely focused on flying. Right up from I’m going to have to say sorry to Pearl Harbor, ConAir, Air Force One, Flight and Sully. Those aren’t really movies focusing on aviation itself, they are more about the drama than showing how amazing flight is. Automatic disqualification even though I love them still.
Best Aviation Movies
- Top Gun (series) – It’s the movies that have been making people join the Air Force since the 1980’s. The truth is both movies make flying look like the coolest and most exciting thing in the world, not the mention that everyone is lusting after all the aviators. I recently watched Top Gun: Maverick again and there’s no doubt that it celebrates aviation more than anything i’ve ever seen from the new 5th generation fighters to the amazing P-51 Mustang at the end. Tom Cruise takes his hobbies seriously and his love of flying comes through in this movie. It’s a must see for all pilots.
- The Spirit of St. Louis – Such a good movie and it truly demonstrates how boring long distance flying can be but also how insane it was for the original aviators to expand the exploration of flight. You will also walk away trying to imitate how Jimmy Stewart says anything since it’s one of the funnest accents to try out.
- Red Tails – It’s nice to learn a little history of the Tuskegee airmen and imagine taking WW2 fighter planes up against the Nazi’s. Plus you get to see what it may have been like to fight against one of the first military jets, the Messerschmitt 262. This is a very similar story to the Tuskegee Airmen movie but with updated graphics so I prefer this one.
- Memphis Bell – This is how I fell in love with the B-17, it’s an amazingly attractive plane with 1930’s era esthetics and that 4 engine drone that you could fall asleep to. The movie instantly makes you want to jump behind a .30 or .50 cal. and try to defend your ship. Try not to press the radio button and start making shooting noises the next time you fly after watching the Memphis Bell.
- The Blue Angels (documentary) – Learning what these guys have to go through to make their shows happen is an amazing demonstration of their love of flight. Watch this short documentary and try not to think about how far you can push your C152. Don’t do it but I started looking at ways to go up in a fighter the day I watched The Blue Angels documentary.
Honorable Mentions
- Dunkirk – The flying scenes over the english Channel are some of the most beautiful you will ever see. No, the formations aren’t perfect and there’s no way a WW2 fighter would be able to maneuver and shoot down a dive bomber then stay in the air for multiple more minutes but it’s a great movie.
- Masters Of The Air – It’s not a movie but the series it’s great and focuses on different aspects of the American Army Air Corps every episode.
There’s a lot of other movies that are amazing but if I have a long weekend and want to dedicate it to aviation movies, these are what I’m going to watch. I hope you love them as much as I do.
