Aircraft in fiction

Various real-world aircraft have made significant appearances in fiction over the decades, including in books, films, toys, TV programs, video games, and other media. These appearances spotlight the popularity of different models of aircraft, and showcase the different types for the general public.

Origins

The first aviation film was the 1911 William J. Humphrey–directed two-reeler, '' The Military Air-Scout'', shot following an Aero Club of America flying meet at Long Island, New York, with Lt. Henry Arnold doing the stunt flying. "Arnold, who picked up 'a few extra bucks' for his services, became so excited about movies that he almost quit the Army to become an actor."

The years between World War I and World War II saw extensive use of the new technology, aircraft, in the new medium, film. In the early 1920s Hollywood studios made dozens of now-obscure "aerial Westerns" with leads such as Tom Mix and Hoot Gibson, where the role of the horse was taken by aircraft, or used aircraft as nothing more than vehicles for stunts to excite audiences. In 1926 the first "proper" aviation film was made; '' Wings'' is a story of two pilots who sign up to fly and fight in The Great War. Made with the co-operation of the United States' then-Department of War (a relationship that continues to this day), it used front-line military aircraft of the day such as the Thomas-Morse MB-3 and Boeing PW-9, flown by military pilots. Future US Air Force Generals Hap Arnold and Hoyt Vandenberg were among the military officers involved with the production, Arnold as a technical consultant and Vandenberg as one of the pilots. ''Wings'' was a box-office hit when it achieved general release in 1929 and went on to win the award for Best Production at the first Academy Awards.

In Fascist Italy in the 1930s, aviation-themed films were used as propaganda tools to complement the massed flights led by Italo Balbo in promoting the regime domestically and abroad. One such film was the most successful Italian film of the pre-World War II era; ''Luciano Serra pilota'' ('' Luciano Serra, Pilot'') was inextricably linked to the Fascist government via Mussolini's son Vittorio, who was the driving force behind the film's production. The film, set between 1921 and the Italo-Abyssinian War, was used to compare the allegedly moribund state of aviation in pre-Fascist Italy with the purported power of the Regia Aeronautica and Italian aviation in general in the 1930s. However, by the time that ''Luciano Serra pilota'' was shown at the 1938 Venice Film Festival, the link between aviation and Fascism had already been firmly established in the minds of the Italian people through widespread depictions of aircraft in a variety of media. For example, there was an entire branch of the Futurist Art movement devoted to aviation, known as ''Aeropittura'' ("Aeropainting"). While many of the ''Aeropittura'' works were devoted to flight rather than aircraft ''per se'', some did celebrate Italian aviation exploits, such as Alfredo Ambrosi's ''Il volo su Vienna'' (''The Flight over Vienna'') which depicted in Futurist style the World War I exploit of Gabriele d'Annunzio; although the city of Vienna is shown in abstract in accordance with the aims of ''Aeropittura'' – namely to show the dynamism and excitement of flight – the Ansaldo SVA aircraft are very carefully and accurately rendered.

In the United States, the use or denial of use of current military aircraft in films is determined by the US military itself. The armed services review all requests for the use of aircraft, by examining the scripts to ensure that aircraft will only be used in films that show the US military in a positive light. Because alternatives to using real military aircraft can be expensive, films that do not get US military approval often do not get financed or made. Sean McElwee, writing for '' Salon.com'', concluded of this problem,

"This is a prima facie case for de facto censorship ... If the government wants to allow its equipment to be used by studios, it needs to grant access to anyone who wants to use it – that is the meaning of pluralism. The Pentagon fears that some of the movies may hurt the military's reputation and recruiting efforts. These concerns are legitimate, but it's more important that we allow John Stuart Mill's 'market place of ideas' to be a place for free trade, rather than favoring some over others."

Since the advent of television, aircraft have been featured in numerous miniseries and series around the world. These include the American productions '' Twelve O'Clock High'', '' Airwolf'', ''Baa Baa Black Sheep'', '' Sky King'' and '' Wings''; the Australian series '' Big Sky'', ''Chopper Squad'' and '' The Flying Doctors'', and the miniseries '' The Lancaster Miller Affair''; British shows such as '' Airline'', ''Piece of Cake'' and '' Squadron'', the Canadian series '' Arctic Air''; ''JETS – Leben am Limit'' and '' Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt'' from Germany; and the Canadian–British–German co-production ''Ritter's Cove''.

A-1 Skyraider

In the 1953 James A. Michener novel ''The Bridges at Toko-Ri'', a number of Douglas AD-1 Skyraiders fly RESCAP missions over a downed McDonnell F2H Banshee and Sikorsky HO3S-1 during the Korean War. This is also the case in the 1954 film of the same name, but with the Banshee replaced by a Grumman F9F Panther.

Two privately-owned Skyraiders were used to depict U.S. Air Force "Sandy" search-and-rescue escort aircraft in the 1991 film ''Flight of the Intruder''.

The Skyraider was also featured as one of the many aircraft providing close air support during the First Battle of the Ia Drang Valley Campaign in Mel Gibson's 2002 film '' We Were Soldiers'', based on the non-fiction book '' We Were Soldiers Once... And Young'' by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway.

The Skyraider was featured in the 2006 Werner Herzog film Rescue Dawn. The movie was based on the true story of German-American Naval aviator Dieter Dengler, who was piloting an A-1 Skyraider when it was shot down in 1966 over Laos. Dengler endured months of captivity and torture before he was able to escape and was eventually rescued.

The Skyraider is briefly featured in the 2022 Korean War drama film '' Devotion''.

A-6 Intruder

The 1986 Stephen Coonts novel ''Flight of the Intruder'' is about two naval aviators who take their Grumman A-6 Intruder on an unauthorized bombing raid on Hanoi during the Vietnam War. It was made into a 1991 film of the same name.

A-10 Thunderbolt II

The popularity of the A-10 Thunderbolt II lead to the Hasbro toy company releasing a minor Transformers character named Powerglide that turned into an A-10.

The A-10 is one of the player-flyable aircraft in the 1989 video game '' U.N. Squadron''. The aircraft is also featured in the 1989 video game '' A-10 Tank Killer''. Since then, it has made appearances in the '' Ace Combat'' series. The A-10 has also been featured as a study level aircraft in the popular combat flight simulator DCS world.

A-10s were also featured in the 2005 film '' Jarhead'', where they attack U.S. Marine forces in a friendly fire incident.

In the 2009 film '' Terminator Salvation'', several A-10s are sent to support the ground troops led by John Connor in the opening sequence of the film. Later, two Resistance A-10s are shot down when trying to intercept the machine transport in which Marcus Wright and Kyle Reese were captive.

Three A-10s using the call sign "Thunder" are sent to Smallville to kill both Superman and General Zod and his henchmen in the 2013 film '' Man of Steel'' but are attacked by Zod's forces, resulting in the destruction of two of the jets.

A-26/B-26 Invader

Two A-26s firebombers were prominently featured in the 1989 Steven Spielberg film, '' Always''. Attempts to use radio-controlled models for special effects shots were abandoned as unworkable and models "flown" from wire rigs were utilized instead.

A6M Zero

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was featured in the films '' The Final Countdown'', '' Pearl Harbor'', and '' Tora! Tora! Tora!''. The Zero was also depicted in the 1976 film '' Midway''; however real Zeros were not used. Modified T-6 Texans were used in ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'', ''Midway'', and ''The Final Countdown'' to depict A6M2 Type 21 Zero fighters, and some footage from the former was reused in the latter. Three Type 52 Zeros were used in ''Pearl Harbor''. Two restored aircraft operated by Flight Magic, and one in the Planes of Fame Air Museum collection were barged to Hawaii where "all three aircraft were extensively flown with few problems until NX6528L suffered a gear-up landing. Fortunately, this was near the end of filming. NX6528L was shipped to Pete Regina Aviation at Van Nuys, California where it was returned to flying condition. This aircraft is now with the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing at Camarillo Airport."

The A5M and A6M are both featured in '' The Wind Rises'', a 2013 Studio Ghibli animated fictionalized biopic of Zero designer Jiro Horikoshi.

Zero fighters are a major feature in the 2013 Japanese novel ''Eien No Zero'' (''The Eternal Zero'') by Naoki Hyakuta. It was made into a 2013 film of the same name directed by Takashi Yamazaki.

Aérospatiale Gazelle

A heavily modified Aérospatiale Gazelle was the centerpiece of the 1983 John Badham action film '' Blue Thunder''. The same helicopter appeared in the short-lived 1984 TV series by the same name starring James Farentino. The modified Gazelle went on to be used in the TV mini-series '' Amerika''.

Aérospatiale Puma

Modified Aérospatiale SA 330 Pumas were used to depict Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunships, in the films '' Red Dawn'' (1984), '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985), and '' Rambo III'' (1988).

AgustaWestland AW101

At the climax of the 2012 James Bond film '' Skyfall'', an armed AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin transport helicopter is used in the main villain Silva's assault on Bond and M at Bond's childhood home.

AH-64 Apache

The Boeing AH-64 Apache had a major role in the 1990 action- thriller film directed by David Green, '' Fire Birds'' (or ''Wings of the Apache'').

The 1992 shooter game ''Desert Strike'' has the main character flying the AH-64 to complete various missions.

Gunship is an AH-64 Apache helicopter simulation that was released by Microprose in 1986. The sequel Gunship 2000 was released in 1991. Since then, the helicopter has also made an appearance in the hardcore study-level sim DCS: World, being praised for its accurate depiction of the systems and procedures.

An AH-64 was used in an attempt to suppress the Hulk in the 2008 film, '' The Incredible Hulk''. Although it has the standard, nose-mounted M230 Chain Gun, it instead attacks with the unusual configuration of twin, pylon-mounted miniguns.

In the 2009 film '' G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'', Apaches provide air cover for a convoy carrying nanotechnology-based weapons.

Airspeed Horsa

The assault on what would later be known as the Pegasus Bridge over the Caen Canal in France by British commandos landing in Airspeed Horsa gliders was depicted in the 1962 war epic '' The Longest Day''. Only one Horsa replica was actually constructed.

Ten mockup Airspeed Horsa gliders were fabricated for the filming of the 1977 film '' A Bridge Too Far'', but they were non-flyable.

Albatros fighter (generic)

An Albatros fighter appears in the 1966 novel ''In the Company of Eagles'' by Ernest K Gann. The novel is set in 1916 during the First World War and features a German ace pilot Lt Sebastian Kupper of Jasta 76 who, flying an Albatros scout, pursues a burning French aircraft and, in what was intended as an act of mercy, kills the pilot so as to spare him from slowly burning to death. The gesture is misinterpreted as an act of murder by one of the French pilot's comrades, Sgt. Paul Chamay who vows to seek and kill the German pilot.

American Eagle A-1

At least two American Eagle A-1s were employed in the production of the 1930 film ''Young Eagles'' which was directed by William A. Wellman and starred Buddy Rogers and Jean Arthur. The film portrayed American pilots serving in France during the Great War. Although the A-1 was a post-WW1 trainer, the film-makers considered it suitable to portray wartime aircraft. One Eagle was painted with USAS insignia while a second was painted with German markings. Stunt pilot Dick Grace was hired to deliberately crash-land both of them in separate scenes, which severely damaged both aircraft. Grace escaped injury on both occasions.

Avro Anson

An Avro Anson was used as a "stand-in" to represent the Boeing 247 ''Race 57'' flown in the 1934 England-to-Australia MacRobertson Air Race by Roscoe Turner, in the 1991 Australian television miniseries '' The Great Air Race''. Turner was played by Barry Bostwick in the miniseries.

Avro Ashton

An Avro Ashton, in its six-engined, Olympus testbed form, appeared as the fictitious ''Phoenix'' airliner in '' Cone of Silence'' (1960), based on the novel of the same name by David Beaty, a former BOAC pilot. This concerned the takeoff problems of the ''Phoenix'', and the subsequent accident investigation; it was based on two takeoff accidents to the de Havilland Comet.

Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow

The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow makes a prominent appearance in Daniel Wyatt's 1990 novel, ''The Last Flight of the Arrow''. In the novel, the real-life destruction of the fighter is a cover for a secret US-Canadian continental air-defense initiative that fields a fleet of Arrows. A Polish-Canadian Royal Canadian Air Force pilot flies one Arrow on a high-speed reconnaissance flight over Russia to find proof that the Soviet Union is planning an airstrike on North America.

Avro Lancaster

The Avro Lancaster was the best-known Royal Air Force heavy bomber of World War II. As such it has appeared in many works of fiction related to Bomber Command and its night raids over Germany and occupied Europe.

Lancasters appeared in the 1952 British war film '' Appointment in London'' (released in the US as ''Raiders in the Sky'') directed by Philip Leacock and starring Dirk Bogarde. Three Lancasters were used in the production—''NX673'', ''NX679'' and ''NX782'', the same three that were used in the filming of ''The Dam Busters'' three years later.

The Lancaster was central to the second half of the 1955 British film '' The Dam Busters''. This is a dramatisation of the real-life Operation Chastise, which included the forming of No. 617 Squadron RAF commanded by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), and the bombing of the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe Dams in Germany to interrupt water and hydro-electric power supplies to German munitions factories. The film is based on the books '' The Dam Busters'' by Paul Brickhill and ''Enemy Coast Ahead'' by Guy Gibson. A number of B VII Lancasters in storage were modified to the original configuration of the B III (Special) for use on screen.

The Lancaster also appeared in '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961).

A 1989 British commercial for Carling Black Label lager reused Avro Lancaster footage in a Dam Busters parody sequence where a German soldier on top of a dam catches the Lancaster's bombs like a football goalkeeper. The pilot of the attacking Lancaster then delivers the brand slogan: "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label!" The commercial ran for many years, frequently appearing in commercial breaks during broadcasts of both ''The Dam Busters'' and documentaries about Operation Chastise.

Len Deighton's 1970 novel '' Bomber'' describes an attack by Royal Air Force Lancasters on Krefeld, Germany, during which a series of unplanned incidents leads to the carpet bombing of a small town nearby.

The Avro Lancaster was also featured in the UK television series '' Pathfinders'', aired in 1972, concentrating on the lives of the aircrew of a fictional Pathfinder squadron during the Second World War.

Lancasters feature in the 2011 novel ''Dambuster'' by Robert Radcliffe.

The 2019 budget independent film ''Lancaster Skies'' (also titled ''Our Shining Sword'') centres on a loner who takes over as leader of a Lancaster crew.

The Avro Lancaster was the preferred aircraft of the fictional war hero pilot Matt Braddock, who first appeared in the British story paper The Rover, and later in comic strips in British action comics The Victor and Warlord.

Avro Vulcan

Avro Vulcans are the central feature of the 2008 aviation novel by English author Derek Robinson, titled ''Hullo Russia, Goodbye England''. A British RAF pilot named Silk, a veteran of Bomber Command in the Second World War, rejoins the service at the height of the Cold War.

The 1965 James Bond film ''Thunderball'' features the hijacking of an Avro Vulcan for its nuclear bombs.

B-1 Lancer

A B-1B Lancer was portrayed as the laser weapon's test bed in the closing scenes of the 1985 film '' Real Genius''.

A B-1B Lancer drops numerous bombs during the climactic battle scene in the 2009 film '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen''.

B-2 Spirit

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is featured in the 1996 ''Independence Day'' film, where it fires a nuclear missile at an antagonist alien spaceship. In the movie '' Cloverfield'', the aircraft bombs a monster that is destroying Manhattan. The bomber also made appearances in films '' Iron Man 2'', '' Captain Marvel'', and ''Rampage''.

B-17 Flying Fortress

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 132nd Bomb Squadron, 9th Bomb Group from March Field, California, ("Land of the Flying Fortress") were featured in the 1941 Paramount Pictures film '' I Wanted Wings'', based on the novel of the same title by 1st Lt. Beirne Lay Jr.

In William Wyler's 1946 film '' The Best Years of Our Lives'', B-17s are prominently featured. The primary male characters hitch a cross country ride in a B-17E Flying Fortress early in the story, and at the conclusion the scrapyard at Chino, California, is shown full of disposal B-17s and YB-40 gunship versions of the B-17.

B-17s also figured prominently in the Oscar-winning 1949 film '' Twelve O'Clock High'' starring Gregory Peck. The film concerns aviation leadership and the human toll in the USAAF strategy of daylight precision bombing. The US Air Force cooperated in the production of the film, lending aircraft to the producers and allowing filming at Eglin Air Force Base and at Ozark Army Air Field. The film featured an actual crash landing of a B-17, piloted by veteran stunt pilot Paul Mantz.

B-17s feature in the 1951 novel ''The Sun is Silent'' by Saul Levitt which traces the journey of a B-17 crew from their training through to daylight bombing missions over Germany. The author himself had served as a radioman/gunner in a B-17 during the war.

For the 1954 film '' The Glenn Miller Story'', directed by Anthony Mann, a wartime performance set in a UK air base hangar was shot in Hangar No. 1 at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, on 10 July 1953, with the late-production B-17G command aircraft of Gen. John G. Sprague, commanding officer of Lowry, as a backdrop. It received a wartime coat of olive drab paint for the appearance, but the chin turret was removed. Anachronistic B-29 engine cowlings line the back wall of the hangar, although B-29s were not used in the ETO.

Five flyable B-17s were secured by producer Elmo Williams for use in the filming of the 1970 motion picture '' Tora! Tora! Tora!''. During filming, one B-17 suffered a landing gear malfunction, forcing it to land on one wheel. Williams ordered a camera crew to film the landing and incorporated the footage into the film's script.

The B-17 Flying Fortress was the subject of the 1990 Warner Bros. film '' Memphis Belle''. During filming, one of the five vintage B-17s was destroyed in an accidental crash and a second was damaged when an engine cowling detached in flight, tearing a chunk out of the aircraft's tail. There were no injuries in either incident.

B-17s are the main aircraft featured in two novels depicting fictional characters in the US daylight bombing offensive over Germany and Occupied Europe, American writer Sam Helpert's ''A Real Good War'' (1997) and UK author Robert Radcliffe's ''Under an English Heaven'' (2004).

For George Lucas' 2012 film '' Red Tails'' about the 332d Fighter Group, the Tuskegee Airmen, the B-17G "Pink Lady" operated by the ''Association Forteresse Toujours Volante'', appeared as a 351st Bomb Group aircraft named "Yankee", coded ED-N. Filmed in the Czech Republic in 2010, the film company funding allowed the warbird to fly for an additional year before being retired to museum status. Other Flying Fortresses were rendered through CGI.

B-17s feature in the 2014 graphic novel mini-series ''Castles in the Sky'', published by Avatar, written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Matt Martin & Keith Burns. The story features a gunner named Leonard Wetmore who is one of the crew of the B-17 'Buffalo Gal' during the US daylight bombing offensive against Germany. The story was one of Ennis' War Stories series.

B-18 Bolo

Douglas B-18 Bolos are prominently featured in the 1943 RKO picture '' Bombardier'', filmed at Kirtland Field, New Mexico.

B-24 Liberator

A Consolidated B-24 Liberator was featured in the 1977 Telemovie ''Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy''.

B-24s feature in the 1944 20th Century Fox film ''Winged Victory'' which was directed by George Cukor and which portrayed cadets undergoing training as aircrew in the U.S. Army Air Forces during WW2. The AAF detached several B-24s to the production, which was filmed at Santa Ana Army Airfield in California.

The novel '' Face of a Hero'' (1950) tells the story of a B-24 crew operating from an airport in Apulia, Italy, in 1944; it is based on the real experiences of its author, Louis Falstein, who had been a tail gunner on a USAAF B-24. The novel describes in detail the raids of the B-24 bombers on Romania, Yugoslavia, northern Italy, southern France, and Germany.

B-24s are a central feature in the 1952 novel ''Angle of Attack'' by Joseph Landon. The story concerns navigator Irwin 'Win' Hellman, whose B-24 is attacked by enemy fighters and badly damaged over Vienna. The B-24's pilot signals to the enemy fliers that he wishes to surrender but Hellman, who is Jewish and dreads being captured alive, believes they can still escape and, with the backing of the other crew, he takes command.

B-24s also feature in the 1957 novel ''The Damned Wear Wings'' by David Camerer, a work that portrays B-24s of the 473rd Bomb Group based in Italy tasked with bombing the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania.

The 1961 novel ''Goodbye to Some'' by Gordon Forbes portrays Lt Carl Iverson, a pilot of a B-24 of VPB-400 US Navy Air Wing, a unit that flies patrols from a base in the Sulu Sea during the Pacific War in WW2.

The story of the " Lady Be Good" inspired a 1970 television movie titled '' Sole Survivor'', with a North American B-25 Mitchell playing the B-24D role.

In the young adult novel ''Under a War-Torn Sky'', the main character Henry Forester co-pilots ''Out of the Blue'', a US B-24 Liberator serving in the Royal Air Force.

B-24s feature in the 1979 novel ''The White Sea Bird'' by David Beaty, a story about an RAF bomber unit whose commander becomes obsessed with hunting a German surface raider lurking in a secret base in a Norwegian Fjord and menacing Allied convoys at sea.

B-24s are a major feature of the 1979 novel ''Rider on the Wind'' by David Westheimer. The novel portrays a B-24 pilot of the USAAF stationed in Palestine during the Second World War and who meets a Jewish resistance-fighter. The author himself served as a navigator in a B-24 with the 98th Bomb Group stationed in Palestine & Egypt in 1942.

B-25 Mitchell

The North American B-25 Mitchell had feature roles in the films '' Thirty Seconds over Tokyo'' (1944) (pilot Ted Lawson's account of the Doolittle Raid), '' Hanover Street'' (1979) based on a fictional B-25 unit stationed in England, and '' Forever Young'' (1992), following a B-25 test pilot's story both in the past and present.

A B-25 features in the 1965 World War II film '' In Harm's Way'' directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglas.

'' The Sole Survivor'', a 1970 telemovie, was also based loosely on the "Lady Be Good", and also featured a B-25 in the Liberator role. It first aired 9 January 1970.

The B-25 is featured in the 1970 Mike Nichols film '' Catch-22'', which had 17 film unit B-25s in flying condition. Like the '' Battle of Britain''s resurrection and ultimate preservation of German and British aviation combatants, the ''Catch-22'' air force helped form a nucleus of the nascent warbirds movement. Fifteen of the 18 bombers used in the film still remain intact, including one on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.

B-25s feature in the 1976 novel ''Whip'' by Martin Caidin, which portrays a B-25 unit based in Australia and commanded by Captain 'Whip' Russell and they are employed in low-level bombing missions against Japanese convoys carrying reinforcements to Guadalcanal and Rabaul in 1942.

The B-25 was the focus of the second half of the 2001 film '' Pearl Harbor'', although critics complained that the bomber and its role were being depicted inaccurately.

The bulk of the action in Craig Johnson's 2013 novel ''Spirit of Steamboat'' takes place on an old Mitchell VB-25J nicknamed "Steamboat", as it is flown through a snowstorm on a rescue mission over the Great Plains.

A B-25 is used in the 2011 film '' Sucker Punch''.

B-25s appear in the 2019 Hulu mini-series '' Catch-22'' directed by George Clooney. Two vintage B-25s were used in the production and other B-25s were re-created with CGI.

B-29 Superfortress

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress has played an important role in several Hollywood films, particularly the ''Enola Gay'', which dropped the first atomic bomb. The Enola Gay was depicted in '' Above and Beyond'' and ''The Beginning or the End''.

The first Hollywood retelling of the 509th Composite Group's preparation for the atomic missions was ''Above and Beyond'', released by MGM in 1953, with Robert Taylor portraying Col. Paul Tibbetts, and Jim Backus as Gen. Curtis LeMay. Filmed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

The B-29 also played the titular role in the 1980 Disney film '' The Last Flight of Noah's Ark''.

Film makers also used the only B-29 still flying in 1983 in the film '' The Right Stuff'' to recreate the launch of the Bell X-1 for the first supersonic flight.

B-36 Peacemaker

The Convair B-36 featured prominently in Paramount's 1955 film ''Strategic Air Command'' starring James Stewart, who plays a World War II bomber pilot and member of the Air Force Reserve and is forced to crash land in the Arctic. The film features many good aerial shots of B-36s and was primarily filmed at Carswell AFB, Texas, and MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida, and Al Lang Field in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida. One particularly difficult shot was that of Stewart's character, a baseball player, standing on the baseball field at Al Lang Field while a B-36 flies overhead and casts a shadow over him, foreshadowing his imminent recall to active service.

B-47 Stratojet

The Boeing B-47 Stratojet gets a secondary role in Paramount's 1955 film ''Strategic Air Command'' (SAC), starring James Stewart, as the new jet that is nothing like the old Convair B-36 he is used to. The film features good aerial footage of both the B-47 and the B-36. The majority of B-47 scenes were filmed at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, using aircraft from the 306th Bombardment Wing.

Ejection seat testing of B-47s performed at Eglin AFB, Florida, in 1953 and 1954 as part of aeromedical research was recreated in the 1955 20th Century Fox film ''On the Threshold of Space'' starring Guy Madison, and in a 1957 Pine-Thomas Productions drama ''Bailout at 43,000''."Bailout at 43,000 (1957) - Overview"
Turner Classic Movies database, retrieved 11 January 2017

The 1957 Warner Brothers melodrama film '' Bombers B-52'' features Castle Air Force Base, proudly sporting its slogan "Home of the B-47", and its transition from the Stratojet to the new B-52."Aviation Films - B"
Aerofiles.com, retrieved 11 January 2017"Bombers B-52"
Turner Classic Movies database, retrieved 11 January 2017Bombers B-52 movie trailer
on YouTube.com, retrieved 11 January 2017

B-52 Stratofortress

The 1963 film ''A Gathering of Eagles'' focuses on the stresses of a B-52 wing commander at the height of the Cold War. Some excellent visuals of the B-52 including a complex inflight refueling operation which nearly ends in disaster.

The B-52 was also a key part of Stanley Kubrick's 1964 black comedy film '' Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb''.

A B-52 was a focal point of the 1983 novel '' Trinity's Child'', by William Prochnau, and the 1990 telemovie adaptation, '' By Dawn's Early Light''.

Bell 47

The 1950s syndicated American television series '' Whirlybirds'', produced by Desilu Studios, starred a pair of Bell 47 helicopters. The association with ''Whirlybirds'' continues to be used to promote helicopters and the Bell 47 in particular. A Bell 47 was also one of the 'stars' of the Australian television series '' Skippy the Bush Kangaroo''.

In the opening scenes of Federico Fellini's 1960 comedy-drama film '' La Dolce Vita'' a Bell 47 transports a statue of Christ across the city of Rome. A second Bell 47 in pursuit contains the reporter Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) and his sidekick Papparazo.

A Bell 47J equipped with floats was used in the 1965 James Bond film '' Thunderball''. The helicopter lands on the water as Bond searches for an Avro Vulcan bomber that has gone missing.

A Bell 47G3B-1 was used as the " Batcopter" in the 1966 ''Batman'' film. This airframe had previously appeared in '' Lassie Come Home''.

A Bell 47 depicted a supposed German helicopter in the 1968 action film ''Where Eagles Dare''. Although experimental German helicopter types did exist in this time period, the Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 was a larger, twin-rotor machine, which was used on only a limited basis.

The Bell 47, in its military configuration as a H-13 Sioux regularly appeared in the '' M*A*S*H'' film (1970) and television series (1972-1983).

In the 1979 Norman Jewison film '' ...And Justice For All'', the main characters go for a ride in a Bell 47G-2 that ends up ditching in Baltimore's Inner Harbor when it runs out of fuel.

Bell 206

''Chopper Squad'' was a 1970s Australian television series about a Bell 206 JetRanger used for rescue work in Sydney. The helicopter used was an actual rescue helicopter operated by the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service.

A Bell 206B was one of the helicopters that attacks the oil rig control center of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the climactic scenes of the 1971 James Bond film '' Diamonds Are Forever''. The Jet Ranger also appeared in the 1977 Bond film '' The Spy Who Loved Me''

In the 1983 film '' Blue Thunder'', a Jet Ranger is portrayed as a LAPD helicopter flying for the Astro division. Also appears in the 1991 film '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'', as another LAPD helicopter, which is stolen by the T-1000 Terminator and flown under an expressway to pursue John Connor, Sarah Connor and the T-800 Terminator protecting them.

Bell 222

A Bell 222A was featured in the telemovie ''Airwolf'', which starred Jan-Michael Vincent and Ernest Borgnine. Within the year, the film was made into a TV series which aired from 1984 to 1986.

In the 1991 film '' Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'', a Bell 222UT is used to eliminate the antagonists in a high rise building near downtown Los Angeles.

Bell AH-1 Cobra

In the 1990 film '' Fire Birds'', a Bell AH-1 Cobra of the United States Army emerges in the opening sequence, when it is ambushed by a drug runner's Scorpion helicopter portrayed by a McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender.

A pair of AH-1s appear in Simon West's 1997 film '' Con Air''. The helicopters are used in an attempt to bring down a hijacked Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS) aircraft.

In J. J. Abrams 2006 film '' Mission: Impossible III'', the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team use a Bell 204 to escape after rescuing one of their team members. They must evade an AH-1 Cobra, which pursues them through a wind farm, firing heat seeking rockets at them.

Bell UH-1 Iroquois

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (commonly called the Huey) was the most common helicopter during the Vietnam War, as an aircraft used to insert and remove troops from the field, transport casualties for medical treatment and as a gunship. As such, it has appeared in many works of fiction related to the war.

The UH-1 was an important part of the 1968 film '' The Green Berets''. The production company paid $18,623.64 for the material, the eighty-five hours of flying time by UH-1 helicopters, and thirty-eight hundred man-days for military personnel taken away from their regular duties.

Two UH-1H Hueys make up part of the attack package on Ernst Stavro Blofeld's oil rig command center at the climax of the 1971 James Bond film '' Diamonds Are Forever''.

The UH-1 was in Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film '' Apocalypse Now''. Several Hueys were rented from the Philippine Air Force. The distinct and iconic sound of the helicopters was featured prominently in the film's sound design of the soundtrack.

UH-1s were prominently featured in Oliver Stone's 1986 film '' Platoon''.

The 1990 film '' Air America'', about the CIA's proprietary airline during the war in Southeast Asia, featured the ubiquitous Huey helicopter.

A Bell 205 is used as a mountain rescue helicopter in the 1993 film '' Cliffhanger''. The aircraft is used to locate a missing jet and then employed to find stolen money. Towards the film's end the helicopter is dangling upside down against a cliff, where the hero (Sylvester Stallone) and villain (John Lithgow) brawl on the belly of the aircraft.

The UH-1 is a central part of the 2002 Vietnam war film '' We Were Soldiers''. The helicopter is shown ferrying troops into the Ia Drang valley as part of the then-new concept of air cavalry. The film particularly focused on the flights of Major Bruce Crandall, who was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions while piloting his UH-1 during the battle depicted in the film. Four of the UH-1s used were provided by the Georgia Army National Guard.

The slaying of Israeli athletes by Black September terrorists and the destruction of a ''Bundesgrenzschutz'' Bell/Dornier UH-1D during the 1972 Summer Olympics was depicted in the 2005 Steven Spielberg film '' Munich''.

UH-1 helicopters are seen as the primary transport aircraft in the 2017 film '' Kong: Skull Island'', and are attacked by Kong after launching seismic bombs in an attempt to map the Island's caves.

Bell X-1

The Bell X-1 was depicted early in the film '' The Right Stuff''. The film showed the historic flight of the X-1 becoming the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight under its own propulsion. This achievement helped usher in the US space program that was the subject of the rest of the film. A mock-up built for the film is now displayed at the Planes of Fame Museum, Chino, California.

Bell X-2

A Bell X-2 mock-up was built for the pilot-film of the TV series '' Quantum Leap''. It is now on display at the Planes of Fame Museum, Chino, California.

Boeing 247

The 1936 movie '' Without Orders'' centers on the emergency landing of a Boeing 247 by the stewardess.

The 1936 movie ''13 Hours by Air'' takes place largely aboard a transcontinental Boeing 247 flight and includes significant historically interesting second-unit footage of actual terminal facilities on United Air Lines's then-new transcontinental route network.

Boeing 707

The 1961 episode " The Odyssey of Flight 33" of television series '' The Twilight Zone'' takes place on a Boeing 707 with the aircraft traveling through various periods of history.

A Boeing 707-349C leased from Flying Tiger Line portrayed two aircraft in the 1970 film '' Airport'', based on the 1968 Arthur Hailey novel of the same name.

The Boeing 707 is featured as the titular aircraft in '' Airplane!'', a 1980 disaster-parody film by Jon Davison.

In 2011, the American television series '' Pan Am'' took place in the early and mid-1960s and featured interior sets and exterior CGI representations of the 707 on the ground and in flight; it was Pan Am's flagship airliner during that time. Additional footage of John Travolta's Boeing 707 in Pan Am livery has also been used in the TV series.

In Alistair Maclean's '' Air Force One Is Down'' (1983), a master criminal plans to steal Air Force One (then a 707) humiliate POTUS Warren G. Wheeler, and blows up a cargo-carrier 707 painted like it to effect the plan.

Columbo arrives at Heathrow Airport from LA aboard a 707 in Dagger of the Mind (S2E4).

Boeing 727

Industrial Light and Magic constructed a large-scale model of a Boeing 727 of fibreglass and aluminum for use in the 1990 action film '' Die Hard 2''.

The 1996 film '' Eraser'' includes an elaborate action sequence involving a parachute jump from a crippled Boeing 727.

The 1998 film '' U.S. Marshals'' depicts the crash of a 727 from the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS).

Boeing 737

In the 2008 TV series ''Breaking Bad'', the mid-air crash between two Boeing 737 over Albuquerque, referred as the Wayfarer 515 disaster, takes an important part in the plot. Because of it, this model is featured and mentioned several times during the second season. Also, the episode " Seven Thirty-Seven" is named for the aircraft; it is the first of several episode titles that collectively foreshadow the Wayfarer 515 disaster. When placed together, they read "Seven Thirty-Seven Down Over ABQ".

Boeing 747

A redressed Boeing 747 of American Airlines was featured extensively in the 1974 film '' Airport 1975'', and the sequel '' Airport 77''.

The 1983 TBS drama series '' (Stewardess Monogatari - A Stewardess’ Tale)'' focuses on 19 year old Chiaki Matsumoto (played by Chiemi Hori) and her path to become a Japan Airlines flight attendant. The series was filmed in cooperation with JAL, which allowed filming at their actual base at Narita International Airport. Many shots are filmed of 747 revenue flights at Narita, and a few episodes were produced inside the maintenance hangar as Chiaki and her classmates perform various training classes and exercises to learn about the aircraft. JA8161 was used extensively throughout production and JA8110 is featured in the opening credits.

In the 1990 action film '' Die Hard 2'', a 747 that has been hijacked by terrorists is destroyed by John McClane. Three 23-foot models were fabricated by Industrial Light and Magic with one destroyed during filming done at a remote airstrip in the Mojave Desert of California. The effects were matched to a real 747 filmed taxiing at Alpena, Michigan. The cost of the special effects pushed the film's production costs towards the then-record of $70 million.

A 747-212B, rented from Kalitta Air, was the title subject of the 1997 film ''Air Force One'', portraying the real 747-200-based VC-25 that transports the US president.

The 747 was also prominent in the novel and the 2002 film '' The Sum of All Fears'' as the National Airborne Operations Center during a nuclear showdown with Russia.

A 747 in-flight is also the setting for the 2006 horror-thriller film '' Snakes on a Plane'' in which a large number of venomous snakes wriggle loose on the large jet.

An All Nippon Airways Boeing 747-400 was featured in the 2008 Japanese movie '' Happy Flight''.

Boeing 757

A Boeing 757 is the setting of the 2006 film '' United 93'', that is based on the events on board United Airlines Flight 93 which was hijacked during the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Boeing 767

An Air New Zealand Boeing 767-200 was featured in the 1993 TV movie '' Mercy Mission: the Rescue of Flight 771'', whereby its crew lead a lost Cessna 188 to a safe landing place. The movie is based on the Cessna 188 Pacific rescue that took place in 1978. The plane in the actual rescue was a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 and the Boeing 767 was not introduced into Air New Zealand's fleet until 1985.

The Boeing 767 is the setting of the 2014 action film '' Non-Stop'' in which a killer onboard is executing the aircraft's passengers and crew.

Boeing 777

A modified Boeing 777 was used as the United States Air Force mothership for an experimental NASA spaceplane in the 2006 film '' Superman Returns''.

Boeing-Stearman Model 75

In 1950, Paul Mantz tore the wings off a Boeing PT-13D (Model 75) Stearman by flying between two oaks for the 1950 film '' When Willie Comes Marching Home''. A crop-dusting Stearman, N6340, was featured early in the 1963 Elvis Presley film '' It Happened at the World's Fair''.

A Boeing Stearman appears in the climactic scene of the Disney Sci-Fi film '' The Cat from Outer Space'' (1978). The scene involves a mid-air transfer of characters between the Stearman and a Gazelle helicopter. The Stearman is a wreck but is flown by the powers of the magic necklace belonging to the cat Jake.

More recently, Model 75s have appeared in a number of films including ''Independence Day'' (1996), '' The English Patient'' (1997), and '' Pearl Harbor'' (2001).

Bristol Beaufighter

Comics writer Garth Ennis' 2007 revival of the old British war comic hero '' Battler Britton: Bloody Good Show'', featured the ace fighter pilot commanding a squadron of Bristol Beaufighters in North Africa during the Second World War.

Bristol Blenheim

Bristol Blenheims appear in the 1945 British film '' The Way to the Stars'' (released in the US as ''Johnny in the Clouds''). In the early part of the film, Pilot Officer Peter Penrose ( John Mills), a '15-hour sprog' (rookie) arrives at Halfpenny Field, a Royal Air-Force aerodrome, in the summer of 1940 and joins B-Flight of No 72 Squadron, equipped with Blenheims and commanded by Flight-Lieutenant David Archdale ( Michael Redgrave).

A Bristol Blenheim IV, restored from a Bolingbroke IVT, appeared in the 1995 film ''Richard III'', an adaptation of Shakespeare's play directed by and starring Ian McKellen; who set the play in an imaginary 1930s England ruled by a fascist-style Monarch.

Bristol Britannia

A Bristol Type 175 Britannia airliner was the central feature of the 1959 film ''Jet Over the Atlantic'' (also released as ''High Over the Atlantic''), a drama directed by Byron Haskin and starring Guy Madison and Virginia Mayo. The film's plot is about an airliner en route from Spain to the United States. Among the passengers is an American who has been arrested for murder and is being extradited back to the US. Another passenger, rendered mentally unstable by the loss of his daughter, releases a toxic gas on board the aircraft, rendering the flight crew unconscious, leaving the prisoner as the only person capable of flying the aircraft. Despite the film's title, the Bristol Type 175 was a turbo-prop engined aircraft rather than a jet-powered plane.

Bristol F2B

In the long-running British First World War comic strip '' Charley's War'', published in '' Battle Picture Weekly'' 1979–1986 and written by Pat Mills and illustrated by Joe Colquhoun, the storyline goes on a tangent when Charley Bourne's younger brother Wilf enlists under-age and becomes an observer/gunner in a Bristol F2B squadron in France in early 1918.

A replica Bristol F2B mounted on skis was featured in the 1981 film '' Death Hunt'' which starred Charles Bronson