Cloud Dancer

Cloud Dancer movie poster.

Movie (1980)

Starring:
David Carradine (Brad Randolph)
Jennifer O'Neill (Helen St. Clair)
Joseph Bottoms (Tom Loomis)
olleen Camp (Cindy)

As a world champion aerobatics pilot Brad Randolph is accustomed to pushing his plane to the limit to achieve masterful aeronautics. Now in his early 40s, life throws a set of new challenges Brad's way that test his mettle.

Pitts S-1S Special

Registration N31428, c/n 1-0056. One of two aircraft (along with N31427) purpose-built for the film by Aerotek-Pitts, with numerous extra camera mounts. This registration now belongs to a T-28C Trojan.

Goodyear GZ-20

Used by television crew to shoot the aerobatics and broadcasting close view of the competitors. Registration N4A Columbia. Control car is now preserved at the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center branch of the National Air and Space Museum. Same aircraft in other works at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Others).

Registration N10A America. Same aircraft in other works at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Others).

Christen Eagle II

(bottom left) Reg. N2FC Christen Eagle II built in 1977 and later on display at several places through the United States (for example at San Carlos Airport (IATA: SQL, ICAO: KSQL), California in 2007; at the EAA Airventure Museum, Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 2014; Wittman Regional Airport (IATA: OSH, ICAO: KOSH), Wisconsin too in 2018).

At left, engine cowling removed.

Stephens Akro

Reg. N10LL Leo Loudenslager's personal aircraft he later modified / optimized and flown as Laser 200. He won seven United States Aerobatic Championships and the 1980 World Aerobatics Championship at its controls. He was one of the pilots featured in this movie. He died at 53 a month later when a car hit his motorcycle.

Right foreground.

Seen again 40 minutes later.

N10LL on the right edge.

Boeing-Stearman Model 75

Note the White and Orange hang-glider close to the truck.

Bellanca 8KCAB Citabria

Bellanca Citabria at left. Registration N2711Z, c/n 368-78 built in 1978.

Stolp Starduster Too SA300

White biplane in the background.

Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer

Orange biplane in the background.

Unidentified Zlin Akrobat

Yellow single-seat aerobatic monoplane in the background. Perhaps a Zlín Z-226A or the Z-326A with a retractable undercarriage ?

Pitts Special

No data found for registration N9V.

At right in the background.

Lake LA-4 Buccaneer

Cessna 140

Registration N2270V, c/n 14501 built in 1948.

Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow III

Registration N43817, c/n 28R-7737136 built in 1977.

Piper PA-34 Seneca II

Pitts S-1S Special & Pitts S-1 Special

The Pitts of the Red Devils Aerobatic Team, all three of which are now on display at the EAA AirVenture Museum at Pioneer Airport.
Left to right:
S-1S registration N9J, c/n LPS1;
S-1 registration N442X, c/n 117H;
S-1 registration N58J, c/n 107.

Boeing-Stearman Model B75N1

Registration N450V black and white Boeing-Stearman B75N1 c/n 75-6484 built in 1942, christened Black Baron.
Seen here at the 12th annual Desert Sportsmen Pilots Air Show on April 1978 at Falcon Field near Mesa, Arizona.
Still on the airshow tour in 2010 (last info dated back to 2017; current status unknown).

Cessna 150G

(background) Registration N3896J, c/n 15065196 built in 1966.

Duff-Stits Sky Coupe

(background) Registration N8651, c/n 1 built in 1970.

Cessna 172M Skyhawk

Registration N5274H, c/n 17265392 built in 1975.

Unidentified Background Cessnas

Piper PA-34 Seneca

Maybe N41875 Piper PA-34-200 Seneca c/n 34-7450156 built in 1974 and sold to Canada in 1980.

Pitts Special

Several anonymous Pitts biplanes are seen around the hangar in Afton, Wyoming.

Pitts S-1C Special

Registration N7RG, c/n 1.

(Aerotek) Pitts S-2A

Registration N31427, c/n 2159 seen at the manufacture hangar in Afton, Wyoming. One of two aircraft (along with N31428) purpose-built for the film by Aerotek-Pitts, with numerous extra camera mounts.
On 6th of July 1991, sustained substantial damage due to hard landing following the loss of elevator control in flight due to a screwdriver jamming the elevator control for unknown reasons.

Flying in formation with N31428.

Various Background Models

Brad is visiting his disabled brother Ozzie whose chamber is full of models (a yellow helicopter (Bell 47?), this Douglas TBD Devastator near a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. There is also a North American P-51 Mustang and a World War One biplane (Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5?), a picture of a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and another one of what seems to be a Supermarine Spitfire, etc...

Douglas TBD-1 Devastator & Douglas A-4M Skyhawk of VMAT-102.

Piper PA-28R-201T Cherokee Arrow III

Reg. N3707M Piper PA-28R-201T Cherokee Arrow III c/n 28R-7803188.

North American P-51D Mustang

Registration N55JL, c/n 124-44471. Built in 1944 for the USAAF with serial 44-84615. This aircraft was named Cloud Dancer at time of filming, though the titles were covered during filming.
Same aircraft in other works at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Military Fixed-Wing).

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

Registration N9563Z former Boeing B-17G is seen as Tanker 89 ready for forest fire fighting. Built with s/n 44-83563, her life was full of modifications and different owners. In 1963 Aviation Specialties Incorporated bought her and switched her from transport to tanker duties (code 24 then 89). Which didn't stop her from being in front of the camera at least three times as listed at Frequently Seen Aircraft (Military Fixed-Wing).
Behind her, (left) a white Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar and (right) an unpainted B-17 with red engine cowling.

We just see wings and engines of another B-17G, Tanker 34, registration N3193G, c/n 8738 (her tanker number and partial registration are seen reflected in puddles on the ground). Same aircraft in othr works at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Military Fixed-Wing).

Cessna 310

North American B-25 Mitchell

Grumman G-164 Ag Cat

In the background behind the Pitts.

Ford 5-AT Trimotor

Ford 5-AT Trimotor of Scenic Airways.

Lockheed KC-130F Hercules

A Hercules in the distinctive Blue Angels colors can be seen on the ramp. This is BuNo 149806, c/n 282-3703.

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk of the Blue Angels.

30 minutes later.

Bell 206 JetRanger

Lockheed Constellation

Backgrounded Lockheed Constellation.

Behind a Lockheed 14 (or 18?) itself hidden by a lorry.

Cassutt Special

Reg. N89MC Cassutt Special (homebuilt single-seat sport and racing aircraft) came to rest in water after hitting power line over river on 26 July 1980.

Burton Cavalier

Reg. N7131 Burton Cavalier, another homebuilt aircraft, a design based on the French wooden homebuilt GY-20 Minicab designed by Yves Gardan in 1949. Little is known about N7131: it was deregistered in November 1990, thus allowing a 1997 Raytheon A36 Bonanza to use again this registration.

Pitts Special

Walt Lawson's stunt plane, which crashes in the latter half of the film.

Piper PA-28R-201T Cherokee Arrow III

Registration N4013Q, c/n 28R-7703118 built in 1977.

Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing

Unidentified Helicopter

Shadow of an unidentified helicopter with an exposed welded-tube tail boom (Bell 47/Bell H-13 Sioux ? Alouette II?)

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See also

• Cloud Dancer at IMDb
• Cloud Dancer at Wikipedia
• Cloud Dancer at IMCDb