Aviation Books that would make good films?

Those are some excellent suggestions gang…but what about film on the Feb 1944 low level raid on Amiens Prison in Operation Jericho. I did buy the 1948 French Film about in off the amazon.fr site and while it was interesting to watch, I felt much more could be added now with modern film making & computer ability. What a great cliff hanger of a story, low level last minute attack to save many doomed members of the resistance. I was disappointed the DVD version Operation Jericho did hot have the original attack footage incorporated into the film. The real attack took place in Feb of 44 and from the original film of the attack I have seen, there was snow on the ground. The French film looks like the attack came in the summer, think they used about 6 real Mossie’s in the final attack scenes of the film. With the right script & actors who are commited to keeping with the true facts of the story…would be solid winner. The real story itself is better than any film that could be made about it !

Thanks!
BlueNoser352

movie

I vote for FLIGHT OF THE MEW GULL.

Also… MY SECRET WAR… we have enough Skyraiders to make a good show!

Just two of the many I can think of….

Not Affleck…he has no regard for WWII planes…heard him bitching that the WWII plane owners on ‘Pearl Harbor’ were too possessive and protective of their mounts for his liking…apparently ol’ Ben does’nt seem to know that THEY DON’T MAKE THESE BIRDS ANYMORE….well, most of ’em anyway…

M

“Serenade to the Big Bird” by Bert Stiles..would be a great film.
Young college student with dreams of becoming a writer..in fact he already had magazine articles published. Joins the USAAF becomes a co-pilot in B-17s flying out of Bassingbourn. His is a very persal look at war, he talks about everything from going to London to the fear he and his friends felt.
The book ends as he ends his tour in 17s.
He did become a noted writer, but the book was published postumatly… In real life he stayed in the UK, volunteered to fly Mustangs with the 339th FG. He was killed just after downing his his Fw-190.

Thinking about the “Hollywood’ angle, any one of a number of “heartthrobs” could play him…Ben Afflack or someone of that ilk.

Or even Sea Furies.

And mine, can’t they use Kermit Weekes Tempest restoration.

How about “The Big Show” by Pierre Clostermann?

That gets my vote.

Ok, caught that, scratch it, reverse it…made into a movie…thanks Dave…

M

I would lobby for Martin Caidin’s ‘Everything but the Flak’ to be made into a book…and featuring ‘Fuddy Duddy’…again…

Made into a book???

I would lobby for Martin Caidin’s ‘Everything but the Flak’ to be made into a book…and featuring ‘Fuddy Duddy’…again…

M

hey, we forgot about Saburo Sakai!! Not only “the enemY”, but above all another military philosophy!

Alex

I would like to see Sagittarius Rising on screen.

Regards,

kev35

Wasn’t “Aces High” based on that slightly?

Snake pilot by Randy Zahn or Low Level Hell by hugh Mills would be good candidates for Vietnam films.

I would like to see Sagittarius Rising on screen.

Regards,

kev35

I didn’t personally, but part of my previous job was to perform recurrency flights for the federal aviation inspectors in the US. One of them came from the district office where Yeager lives, and he had some stories to tell.

One of them was from an airshow. During a meeting where all the display pilots got their slot times and briefings, Ol’ Chuck apparently went completely nuts when he was not first. He was CHUCK YEAGER, and he was going to display FIRST…he shouted out to the managers..including my “student”. He was told to calm down, and that he would get his slot appointed along with the others…he then started complaining that his approved manouvers were not “good enough” for a pilot of his caliber…etc etc…
End of story was that he ended up last, with the only approved manouver being straight and level fly bys in front of the crowd line…oh well.

Apparently, this is from another non-related source..not so well placed so it might be bullsh*it, the USAF wouldwill not go near the guy for their heritage flights or anything else for that matter.

Now…another aviator that I would like to see on the big screen is Bob Hoover…THERE’s pilot…
I mean..the guy flew Spitfires, got shot down..taken prisoner..STEALS a FW-190 and flies to Holland…..how cool is that. Then became Yeagers back up pilot for the X-1…and the tribute to the shuttle routine he did in the Shrike Commander….unbelievable!!

How about “The Big Show” by Pierre Clostermann? The film-makers might have some trouble getting hold of a Typhoon or Tempest, but you never know!

I was thinking of doing a screenplay based on the life of Richard Hillary – yes, I know “Perfect Hero” was based on a different treatment of his life, but there is sooo much more that happened – his tour of the US, for starters, and his eventual death in a night training accident in 1943.

David Ross’s book, “Richard Hillary”, is excellent source material.

Then, of course, there’s my as-yet unwritten WW2 novel about shot-down Spitfire pilot…. :p

(pic by Septic, from an earlier “Perfect Hero” thread)

If they make a movie about Yeager it wouldn’t be complete without portraying him as the arrogant a*s he turned into. But somehow I think that part will be left out…

Personally I would love to see ChickenHawk being made into a movie.

Excellent book, another one that managed to hold my attention.

If they make a movie about Yeager it wouldn’t be complete without portraying him as the arrogant a*s he turned into. But somehow I think that part will be left out…

Personally I would love to see ChickenHawk being made into a movie.

did u have some bad experience with the upsaid pilot? 😉

Alex

I guess we need something like “Band of Brothers”, but under an aeronautical point of view.. The real story of a fighter squadron or something like that, of course at least 10 episodes long! 😀

Alex

If they make a movie about Yeager it wouldn’t be complete without portraying him as the arrogant a*s he turned into. But somehow I think that part will be left out…

Personally I would love to see ChickenHawk being made into a movie.

Just thought that at the moment there is so much talk of a remake of this and a remake of that, that there must be a wealth of great material about to make new film’s