who was the real pilot in the movie flight

Who is the director of the movie Flight?

Flight is a 2012 American drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by John Gatins and produced by Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Steve Starkey, Zemeckis and Jack Rapke.

Why did the plane crash in the movie Flight?

As in the film, the cause of the crash was fatigue of a jackscrew due to overuse and poor maintenance. Unlike ‘Flight’ though, the heroism of the pilots was not in doubt. They were posthumously awarded the Airline Pilots Association Gold Medal for Heroism.

What kind of plane was used in the movie Flight?

Retrieved September 9, 2016. ^ Flight used a former American Airlines MD-82, N442AA, the main fuselage for the crash mock-up, a more complete nose for filming, and a former Delta Air Lines MD-88, N901DL, and for on stage work, a former Continental Airlines MD-82, N16807. " ' Flight' the Movie". Airliner World Magazine. No. April 2013.

What happened to the co-pilot of the plane in flight attendants?

Whip Whitaker, the co-pilot of the domestic flight, was found guilty of driving under the influence and given a 16-month federal jail term. Despite his bravery, a probe into his sobriety during the flight casts doubt on his actions. While some consider the movie to be a work of fiction, many viewers think it is based on a genuine story.

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How much of the movie flight is true?

The film is loosely inspired by the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. Principal photography began in October 2011 near Atlanta, Georgia, and lasted over 45 days. It was largely shot on location, with visual effects and computer-generated imagery used to create the plane crash.

What pilot is flight based on?

Flight - First trailer Writer John Gatins based the scene loosely on Alaska Airlines Flight 261, which crashed into the Pacific Ocean en route to San Francisco in 2000. As in the film, pilot Ted Thompson amazingly rolled the stricken craft upside down to try and slow its descent.

Is flight based on a real story?

The accident in the film was inspired by a real-life disaster, the crash of Alaska Airlines 261 on January 31, 2000. Some dialogue in the film closely resembles the CVR transcript.

Is Whip Whitaker a real person?

Robert Zemeckis' 2012 drama Flight is a riveting character study of an alcoholic pilot, Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington), who miraculously crash-lands a malfunctioning plane, and though the movie's marketing insists it was inspired by true events, that's really not the case.

How many died in Alaska Airlines 261?

88Alaska Airlines Flight 261 / Number of deathsSEATTLE — On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 plunged into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The flight was traveling from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco and on to Seattle when it crashed, killing 88 people on board.

What caused Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash?

The thread failure was caused by excessive wear resulting from Alaska Airlines' insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly." For their heroic efforts to save the plane the pilots were posthumously awarded and commemorated.

How much do pilots earn?

According to The Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the salary for commercial pilots is $93,300 per year, which was the the median annual wage in May 2020. The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers is $160,970.

Can a passenger jet fly inverted?

The scene, a Hollywood masterpiece of special effects, has people asking can an airliner fly upside down. The answer is yes for a “little” bit! Unlike military fighters, commercial planes do not have the engine power for sustained inverted flight and rely on lift from the wings.

Who is Alaska Airlines guy?

His name was Oliver Amouak, and he was a very real dude. "The face (smiling Eskimo face emblazoned on the tail of Alaska Airlines planes) is that of the late Chester Seveck, a reindeer herder and a phenomenal Eskimo dancer, who for years greeted tourists getting off the plane at Kotzebue, Alaska," said state Sen.

Is flight 227 a true story?

United Airlines Flight 227 (N7030U), a scheduled passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport New York City to San Francisco International Airport, California, crashed short of the runway while attempting a scheduled landing at Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah, on Thursday, November 11, 1965.

When was the last plane crash in the world?

23 February 2019; Amazon Prime Air 767-300; N1217A; flight 3591; near Anahuac, TX: The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Miami, FL to Houston, TX and crashed into Trinity Bay about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of its destination. The two crew members and one passenger were killed.

Was the movie The Flight of the Phoenix a true story?

The Flight of the Phoenix (Aldrich & Blake, 1965; Aldrich et al., 2004; Dudley-Smith, 1964) is based on a real-life event from World War II in which a twin-engine cargo plane crashed in the desert.

Do Air Force pilots get to choose what plane they fly?

Each branch offers basic flight training followed by advanced training on a specific aircraft. Pilots may choose the aircraft they want to fly, or the branch they fly for may assign them an aircraft.

How are pilots chosen for flights?

Airline Pilot Seniority Airlines Operate on a Seniority-Based System. Airlines use a seniority-based system to determine what aircraft a pilot will fly, what routes and schedules pilots will be assigned, how much money a pilot will earn, and which crew base they will be awarded.

What is a female pilot called?

Women pilots were also formerly called "aviatrices" (singular "aviatrix"). Women have been flying powered aircraft since 1908; prior to 1970, however, most were restricted to working privately or in support roles in the aviation industry.

Why do both pilots push the throttle?

N_Molson has it right, it's to prevent accidental throttle back during tack off.

Who is the pilot in Flight?

Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Steve Starkey, Zemeckis and Jack Rapke. It stars Denzel Washington as William "Whip" Whitaker Sr., an alcoholic airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board. Immediately following the crash, he is hailed a hero but an investigation soon leads to questions that put the captain in a different light. This film is loosely inspired by the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 .

Where was Flight filmed?

Screenwriter John Gatins said in early October 2011 that production would begin mid-month. Flight was largely filmed on location near Atlanta, Georgia over 45 days in November 2011. The film was produced with a relatively small budget of $31 million, which Zemeckis calculated to be his smallest in inflation-adjusted dollars since 1980, made possible because of tax rebates from Georgia and because Zemeckis and Washington waived their customary fees.

What happened to the plane in Flight 261?

In that incident, an ungreased jackscrew came loose and caused a catastrophic failure from which recovery was impossible, though pilot Ted Thompson and first officer Bill Tansky were able to fly the plane inverted in the last moments of the flight. Among the captain's last words on the CVR were:

What was the crash in Flight 261?

Gatins explained in a 2012 interview with the Los Angeles Times that the dramatic fictional crash depicted in Flight was "loosely inspired" by the 2000 crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, which was caused by a broken jackscrew.

When did Zemeckis get direct flight?

Zemeckis then entered negotiations to direct Flight in April 2011, and by early June had accepted, with Denzel Washington about to finalize his own deal. It was the first time that Zemeckis and Washington had worked together on a motion picture.

How much did Flight make in 2012?

Flight opened in 1,884 theaters across the US and Canada on November 2, 2012. In its first week, the film ranked second in the American box office, grossing US$24,900,566 with an average of US$13,217 per theater. Flight earned US$93,772,375 in the US and an additional US$68,000,000 in other countries for a total of US$161,772,375, well above its US$31 million production budget.

Where was the movie The Captain of Alaska Airlines filmed?

This film is loosely inspired by the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 . Principal photography began in October 2011 near Atlanta, Georgia and lasted over 45 days.

Who was the pilot arrested for a rum flight?

Prouse was one of three Northwest Airlines pilots arrested one morning in Minnesota in 1990. All three had spent the previous evening’s layover at a bar in Fargo, N.D., downing as many as 19 rum and Cokes. Tests showed their blood-alcohol levels far beyond the legal limit.

Who plays Whip Whitaker's copilot?

The workplace dynamic between Whip Whitaker and his copilot, Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty), is another problem. In the cockpit, Whitaker is flip, arrogant, and condescending; Evans is meek and at times frightened and clueless. This is not how actual pilots behave and interact. Further, such a botched depiction only reinforces one of flying’s most irritating myths: the idea of the copilot as a sort of apprentice pilot who is on hand merely to help out and assist the captain.

How many pilots have been treated by HIMS?

HIMS has treated more than 4,000 pilots, with only 10 percent to 12 percent of participants suffering relapse. It has kept alcohol out of the cockpit and has helped prevent the issue from being driven underground, where it’s more likely to be a safety problem.

What is the alcohol limit for pilots?

The Federal Aviation Administration blood-alcohol limit for airline pilots is 0.04 percent, and we are banned from consuming alcohol within eight hours of reporting for duty. We must also comply with our employers’ in-house policies, which are usually stricter. Drug and alcohol tests are unannounced and common.

Can pilots be intoxicated?

Well, quite frankly, no. Intoxication isn’t something pilots play fast and loose with. Why would we, with our careers on the line? Violators are subject to immediate revocation of their pilot certificates, not to mention potential prison time. I will remind you that pilots are subject to random drug and alcohol testing, and I should also note that simply because a pilot is battling a substance-abuse problem, that does not mean he is flying while drunk or high—and he certainly isn’t mixing drinks in the galley. That is a huge and critical distinction. Passengers worry about all sorts of things, rational and otherwise, but trust me on this one: there’s no Whip Whitaker in the cockpit.

Do pilots have substance abuse problems?

Any number of pilots have indeed battled substance-abuse problems —as have professionals in every line of work—and over the years a much smaller number have been arrested after failing a Breathalyzer or blood-alcohol test. Incidents like these have nurtured a certain apocryphal stereotype: the pilot as hard-drinking renegade, with crow’s-feet flanking his eyes and a whisky-tempered drawl, a flask tucked into his luggage. When the image is so quick to form, it’s tempting to jump to conclusions: for every pilot who’s caught, there must be a dozen others out there getting away with it. Right?

Was Lyle Shelton a stunt pilot?

Wikipedia tells us that the late Lyle Shelton, a former stunt pilot, worked as a technical adviser. Perhaps Shelton could have told us more about that upside-down business, but he wasn’t an airline pilot, and it’s the cockpit details—the dramatization of airline SOP—where things fall short.

What plane crashed in the movie?

Writer John Gatins based the scene loosely on Alaska Airlines Flight 261 , which crashed into the Pacific Ocean en route to San Francisco in 2000. As in the film, pilot Ted Thompson amazingly rolled the stricken craft upside down to try and slow its descent.

What was the award for the pilots who were a hero?

Unlike ‘Flight’ though, the heroism of the pilots was not in doubt. They were posthumously awarded the Airline Pilots Association Gold Medal for Heroism.

Is the crash in Flight realistic?

The crash in ‘Flight’ is one of the most realistic ever captured on film, though director Zemeckis has had some practice after helming a similar scene in ‘Cast Away’.

Overview

Reception

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

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