That’s a shame, soon there won’t be any Real Buchons left!

Steve

I agree with Creaking Door, there is something about the look of it that appears slightly wrong. Can’t put my finger on it, thrust line too low? fuz too tall? I expected it to look like Black 6, but this seems different. Fantastic achievement though!

Steve

In defence of JW, I did wonder if the ‘grasping at straws’ comment refereed to the idea that AH confused the Hunter with a JP. In the report we are given all sorts of numbers, statistics and flight techniques for the Hunter, but very little except a couple of vague speeds and altitudes which are said to be consistent with the JP. I wondered how much of this was ‘cherry picking’ (JP pilots feel free to comment). I am quite sure that to loop a JP the use of flaps would be a not be an option. If so, at the start of the loop AH had set the aircraft up as Hunter.

Steve

Although nice to hear from an actual Hunter operator (a rare breed these days), really he should have remained silent instead of producing a meaningless statement like that. There are 88 specific conclusions, to which ones is he referring?

Steve

I recall reading at the time the Moth was bought by the studio and was going to be destroyed.
Not sure if I ever believed that, no need to destroy an antique just to have wreckage to show.

Anyone know fore sure what the story was?

I recall a newspaper article at the time quoting Jeff Hawke (was he the aerial coordinator for the movie?) as saying that they had to buy the Moth because no one would lend or rent them one. I would say that the usual journalistic caveats apply.

Steve

I believe that was their original publicly stated mandate, goodness knows what it is now!

Steve

I’d imagine it’s the same reasons, need to make a living, love making films and like telling stories. I’d say what is different is that this generation is able to make films which blur the lines a bit more. No cut out German character stereotypes etc.

Take a film like the bridge over the river kwai. A film I like and enjoy and directed by a director whose standing remains second to none in the country. Recently we had the railway man which took a very different approach and angle with some similar subject matter. Both valuable, entertaining and casting light on a different aspect of war.

‘Lost the ability’ to make war films?

Full metal jacket, dark blue world, tigerland, inglorious basterds, fury, saving private ryan.

None perfect but I’d argue that many of the above are better than ‘the wooden horse’ or ‘reach for the sky’

If it’s flag waving patriotism then maybe recent war films don’t match up but if it’s realism and a greater emphasis on character studies then I think modern films win hands down. Take reach for the sky – it is a propaganda film in effect with its main lead reflecting very little of the real man.

Also the war films of days gone by would have you believe the war was one by WASPs .

I actually agree with much of what you say.

“Full metal jacket, dark blue world, tigerland, inglorious basterds, fury, saving private ryan” are all good although only the first half of the Fury was worth watching, and Saving Private Ryan was an episodic mess, good beach scenes though. You missed Das Boat and Apocalypse Now. Maybe Empire of the Sun? This list is reaching back to the 1980s though, not really modern in that respect.

Steve