Airplane!

Airplane! DVD cover.

Movie (1980)
French title: Y a-t-il un pilote dans l'avion ?

Starring:
Julie Hagerty (Elaine)
Robert Hays (Ted Striker)
Leslie Nielsen (Dr. Rumack)
Lloyd Bridges (McCroskey)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Roger Murdock)
Peter Graves (Captain Oveur)

Ted messes up his relationship with Elaine, an airline stewardess, and wants to convince her that he can change. He boards a flight which she is working on in order to continue his plea with her. Later in the flight, many of the passengers realize they received food poisoning from eating fish prior to the flight. It gets worse as they discover that both the pilots also ate fish and soon become unable to fly the plane. Ted, being an ex-fighter pilot, is the only one on the plane who has a chance to get it back on the ground safely. As he is landing the plane, Elaine is impressed and decides she can give him another chance.

Boeing 707-300

TWA-Trans World Airlines livery of the late 70s. In-flight shots use a model, some ground shots use N6723, c/n 18989/492, a TWA 707-131B.

Loading the 'Trans American' plane.

In-flight footage seen in other works at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

Lightning striking all around the plane lighting it up.

End scene where the "auto pilot" (blow-up dummy named Otto) takes off after the crash landing.

Another 707, in a fake made for movie airline colour.

Boeing 747-131

Boeing 747-131 of TWA-Trans World Airlines.

Fake "Trans American" livery. Same footage used in other works at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

Boeing 747.

Boeing 747 in the background.

North American T-6

This backgrounded archive footage is used again in Airplane II: The Sequel.

Junkers Ju 87 B Stuka

Messerschmitt Bf 110 & Supermarine Spitfire

Aircraft from same footage seen in Reach for the Sky and in Pearl Harbor - IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

Ted has several flashbacks from his time in the war as a fighter pilot.

Dornier Do 17

Picture of a rear gunner aboard a Dornier Do 17.
This backgrounded archive footage is used again in Airplane II: The Sequel.

Unidentified Aircraft

Archive footage of what is probably a dogfight with a Messerschmitt Bf 109.

Stinson L-5 Sentinel

Probably from a movie but which one ?
This backgrounded archive footage is used again in Airplane II: The Sequel.

Unidentified Aircraft

Probably a Hollywood movie about the Pacific war. This backgrounded archive footage is used again in Airplane II: The Sequel.

Boeing 727

The boy is playing with a Boeing 727 toy. Model seen again when he meets Captain Oveur (acted by Peter Graves).

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Unidentified Aircraft

WWI German fighter (note the national insignia on the very bottom of the picture) shot down and crashing, probably from a movie of the thirties.

Unidentified Aircraft

A winged man running and jumping from a small rock. Despite not posted on the dedicated page, this shot was already used by Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes.

Rocket Bicycle

Gerhardt Cycleplane

Same aircraft in other movies at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Human Powered Flight / Ornithopter section).

Pitts Sky Car

Douglas DC-7

Douglas DC-7 N68N c/n 44275/496 seen during its last take off (in fact, a test for the FAA; read the full story at : http://www.arizonawrecks.com/wrecksfrombradgray/deervalley.html).
Same aircraft in other movies at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

The Douglas DC-7 of the "in-flight" movie.

The Douglas DC-7 crashing during the "in-flight" movie.

Lockheed L-1011-385-1 TriStar 1

Lockheed L-1011-385-1 TriStar 1 of TWA-Trans World Airlines.

3 pictures of Tristar 1.
Bottom right, registration N1011, c/n 193A-1001 Lockheed L-1011 prototype.
Upper picture on the right, ANA-All Nippon Airways.
On the left is a Delta Air Lines livery version.

Reg.N1011 Lockheed L-1011-385-1 TriStar 1 prototype, L-1011-385-1 TriStar of ANA-All Nippon Airways and Delta Air Lines.

Unidentified Aircraft

The landing airliner seems to have a wing free of any engine. A Douglas DC-9, a Boeing 727 or a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle ?

When Otto takes off, the crawling plane is a Boeing 707 but once in the air it's this T tailed plane (Douglas DC-9 or a Boeing 727 ?).

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See also

• Airplane! at IMDb
• Airplane! at Wikipedia
• Airplane! at IMCDb