Since the beginning of cinema, there have been aviation movies. Some have been bad, whilst others are good, so which are the best? Here are the 11 best aviation movies!
11. Amelia
Everyone knows of the story of Amelia Earhart, generally considered to be one of the most famous aviators to ever live! Her awards, her travels, her Lockheed Constellation and most famous her disappearance.
Amelia, covers every aspect of her life, from when she first wanted to fly, up until her last flight. The film is packed with flight scenes that would make just about every other movie on this list blush!
The film is set in 1937, with Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank) and her navigator, Fred Noonan (Christopher Eccleston) making one of their flights. Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor star as Amelia’s love interests too!
Richard Gere plays Amelia Earhart’s husband George Putnam. Ewan McGregor plays Earhart’s love interest (and someone she goes on to have an affair with!) Gene Vidal (who also went on to become the head of the FAA).
The main part of the film is dedicated to her aviation career, however, the film doesn’t make assumptions as to what happened to her. However, documents in detail what happened after her disappearance!
10. Non-Stop
I might be (and probably am) alone in this one, but Non-Stop is one of the best aviation movies!
Non-Stop is a film about the hijacking of a commercial airline after 9/11. Liam Neeson plays an alcoholic Irish-born US Air Marshal. The trip starts as it would normally, but soon something else happens…
Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) soon receives a message telling him that if he doesn’t wire an anonymous account $150 million. Soon, everyone on the flight becomes a suspect.
The perpetrators inform him that for every 20 minutes the money isn’t transferred, a passenger will be executed. Soon enough, passengers start being executed, starting with Mark’s fellow US Air Marshal, Hammond.
Bill Marks soon informs his supervisors. His supervisors inform him that the anonymous account is registered in his name. His supervisors then accuse him of being the perpetrator.
Soon enough however, the true perpetrators reveal themselves after the death of more passengers. However, they reveal a surprise that requires an immediate diversion!
9. Flight
This movie is one of the more reality-based ones, as it is based on the true events of the infamous Alaska Airlines Flight 261. Denzel Washington stars as alcoholic airline captain, William “Whip” Whitaker Sr.
The flight starts off as any normal flight would, but soon, Captain Whip discovers a problem with the aircraft. This causes an issue with the aircraft, and the aircraft needs to be landed immediately.
The aircraft then goes into a steep nose dive, and Captain Whip makes a miraculous recovery that saves everyone on board. After he has crash-landed, he is hailed as a hero.
However, the government regulators do not see it that way and begin to question Whip’s competence. They go deep into his personal life and especially his alcoholism!
However, it is all resolved in the end. Captain Whip is still thought of as a hero by the passengers!
Although some of it is entirely fabricated for entertainment purposes, I have to say that it is certainly one of the best aviation movies ever made!
8. Chevalier Du Ciel (Sky Fighters)
Produced with the aid of not only French air force help, but also their funding, Chevalier Du Ciel is meant to be one of the best aviation movies ever!
In fact, it is supposed to be the French-language version of Top Gun! It was meant as a recruitment movie for the French air force, but just with a more Hollywood-style feel!
In France, it has been a major success, which has spurred the translation of the movie into English, Spanish, Portuguese and other languages, where it has been warmly received by audiences.
However, some still see it as a ripoff of Top Gun. Which has made it so the film has attracted many critics.
Besides that, I would totally recommend it! It’s always good to see aviation from the perspective of a non-American! Or even someone who doesn’t speak English!
7. Tora! Tora! Tora!
When we picture a war epic, especially one from only 30 years prior, we often think of it very black and white. Not to say the color of the TV, but the characters. You are either good or you are bad.
Very rarely, even now, do we see an epic from both sides of the conflict, in one single movie! However, that’s what Tora! Tora! Tora! did!
The film was also in Japanese and English, to add the authenticity. Many of the people who helped to write the story, and helped direct it, had served first hand in either the US Navy or the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII!
Tora! Tora! Tora! is based on the attacks at Pearl Habor. It depicts how a series of blunders from the US and amazing strategy from the Japanese created the attack.
The film also focuses on the end of result of the campaign and how it doomed Japan.
But best of all? It focuses about how the Japanese trained their pilots. But it’s not just some Hollywood drama- it’s how they actually trained them! It’s for that reason why they it is generally considered to be one of the best aviation movies ever!
6. Memphis Belle!
Yet another WWII-based aviation movie, Memphis Belle is a true story, based on a 1944 documentary of the same name.
The film stars Hollywood stars including Eric Stoltz, Matthew Moldine and Harry Connick Jr! It follows a group of young men who go from being complete strangers to the most feared bomber crew on the western front!
Before the film is set, the crew have completed 24 missions without losing anyone. One more, and the entire crew get to go home, as per the rules of the time.
ON their last mission, over Bremen, they are severely damaged, with one member of their crew badly injured. However, they are able to get back to base and finally go home!
The film helped to launch many of the actor’s careers due to just how real it was! Indeed, many WWII veterans commented no this!
As a result of its realism, the film was soon a major hit! Most of the movie is comprised of them on sorties, or training for them!
5. Sully
As a commercial pilot, this is one of the best aviation movies I have ever watched! For me, the story of Sully is one that is legendary! I remember I was flying to LaGuardia the day that Flight 1549 crashed, and it was hectic to say the least!
The film is centered around those events that transpired around Flight 1549, otherwise known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”. The film follows Captain Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) and how they were able to save all of the passengers!
Although the movie does try to stay as true to the plot as possible, some parts are sped up or slowed down for cinematic effect! For me, it is certainly one of the most truthful aviation films I’ve ever watched!
And plus, when you’re directed by Clint Eastwood, an star Tom Hanks, what could possibly go wrong?!
4. Hell’s Angels
We’ve all heard of the infamous Howard Hughes! During his time at the helm of Hughes Aircraft, Hughes was also at the height of his movie career. Instead of acting, he was the owner of RKO Studios.
As a result, Hughes combined his two passions- film and aviation. The result was a silent movie classic! Even today, almost 90 years later, it is still considered to be one of the best aviation movies ever!
Hughes took method acting to a completely new level! He actually hired WWI fighter pilots (when the film is set) to be his cast! Hughes personally directed the fight scenes as well.
Due to the lack of simulators or trainers or CGI, all of the scenes are actually recorded from the aircraft that are actually in the sky! As a result, the film saw a lot of media attention as crashes and deaths weren’t unheard of!
3. Air Force One
Han Solo Harrison Ford stars as US President James Marshall, a former Vietnam War veteran and Medal of Honor recipient. The film starts with a joint US-Russian task force capturing General Ivan Radek, the fictional dictator of Kazakhstan.
President Marshall travels to Moscow to attend a state dinner. At this state dinner, the president makes a speech about how the US will never negotiate with terrorists again.
On his return from Moscow, Air Force One is hijacked by Radek-loyalists. The leader of the group is Egor Korshunov (Gary Oldman) who disguises himself as a journalist.
However, the Korshunov has an ally in the form of a Secret Service agent who is a mole. He allows Korshunov to get weapons and take the entire aircraft hostage.
They then make a call to the US Vice President, Kathryn Bennett (Glenn Close). They demand that Radek is released otherwise they will start executing hostages ever 30 minutes.
However, President Marshall is missing from the group of hostages, and manages to kill several Kazakhstani loyalists. However, he is unwilling to escape and leave his wife (Wendy Crewson) and daughter (Liesel Matthews) on board the aircraft.
Eventually, President Marshall regains control of the aircraft, but not after Air Force One has been critically damaged. And the Secret Service Agent mole reveals himself, although is killed.
Everyone on board Air Force One is soon evacuated by the US Air Force in a MC-130. Despite the fact that Han Solo would probably never become president, a lot of the plot is actually quite feasible! (which makes it one of the best aviation movies out there!)
2. Airplane!
Airplane! is one of those films that needs no introduction. Not only is it one of the best aviation movies ever made, but it’s also a pop culture icon!
It is probably one of the funniest movies I have ever watched! And people agree with me! Both today and when it was released! That’s why it made $158 million on a $3.5 million budget!
Taking place on a 747, ex-fighter pilot and alcoholic with a “drinking problem” Ted Striker (Robert Hays) find that his wartime girlfriend Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty) leaves him before her assigned flight.
Ted decides to buy a ticket on the same flight in an attempt to try to win her over. Something that she continues to refuse throughout the flight.
However, during the flight, after the meals on the flight had been served, several passengers, including the pilot had contracted food poisoning. This led to the inflation of “Otto” something that has inspired more than its fair share of comedy acts.
This led to Ted trying to land the aircraft, but kept on getting flashbacks to the war. The landing is successful. Otto then inflates a female co-pilot and flies off. So funny!
As a result of just how funny it is, it is one of the best aviation movies ever made!
1. Top Gun
Top Gun is a classic, regardless of whether you like military aviation or not! In fact, Top Gun was such a good movie when it was released 1986, that it was the main reason the navy had so many people sign up to be pilots!
And best of all? The navy didn’t even make it! It was entirely privately-funded!
The film helped to make naval aviation, and aviation in general, cool again. To a point that it hadn’t been since the end of WWII! The film also helped to popularize the F-14 Tomcat, going from a new aircraft that not many people knew about to one that was world-recognizable!
The movie follows a young naval pilot nicknamed “Maverick”, played by a very young Tom Cruise. He is haunted by the loss of his friend, nicknamed “Goose”, played by Anthony Edwards, in a training exercise.
When “Maverick” isn’t training to become a fighter ace, he’s playing volleyball or chatting with girls. However, he overcomes his grief and his petty obsessions to become a fighter ace!
This inspired thousands of people around the world to apply to become fighter pilots, both naval and for their country’s air force! Arguably, the biggest reason why many military pilots joined the military is due to this movie!
In fact, due to the success of the original, a new Top Gun is being released in December! This is hoped to have the same effect, just on the next generation of pilots!
Which are the best aviation movies? Tell me in the comments!