who was the real pilot in the movie flight

Who are the actors in the movie Flight?

Flight (2012) - IMDb Flight: Directed by Robert Zemeckis. With Nadine Velazquez, Denzel Washington, Carter Cabassa, Adam C. Edwards. An airline pilot saves almost all his passengers on his malfunctioning airliner which eventually crashed, but an investigation into the accident reveals something troubling. Menu Movies

Is flight movie based on a true story?

Is flight movie based on a true story? Screenwriter John 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. That crash had no survivors.

What happened to the plane in the movie Flight?

Like in the film, the pilots of Alaska 261 rolled the airplane to an inverted position to try to stabilize the flight. The root cause of the crash was found to be inadequate maintenance of the airplane's stabilizer "jackscrew," which caused its threads to wear down excessively and eventually jam the jackscrew. What is the movie flight about?

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.

Who was the pilot in flight?

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.

How accurate was the movie flight?

Screenwriter John 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. That crash had no survivors.29-Jan-2013

Is flight film based on true 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. Like in the film, the pilots of Alaska 261 rolled the airplane to an inverted position to try to stabilize the flight.

How long was Whip Whitaker in jail?

He was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. Then, in a remarkable and improbable sequence of events, he was able to return to the cockpit on his 60th birthday and retire as a 747 captain.18-Nov-2012

Can a plane land upside down?

Unlike military fighters, commercial planes do not have the engine power for sustained inverted flight and rely on lift from the wings. ... Commercial airliners are only tested and certified for upright flight.” However, one Boeing aircraft has flown upside down – twice! It happened in August 1955.18-Jun-2020

Why did they invert the plane in flight?

They were in a situation where the elevator was locked in a position forcing a nose-down pitch attitude, which caused a rapid dive. By going inverted, the nose will be pointed skyward, but there would still be no control of the pitch.14-Nov-2012

Who is Nicole in flight?

Kelly ReillyFlight (2012) - Kelly Reilly as Nicole - IMDb.

What happened with Alaska flight 261?

Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was an Alaska Airlines flight of a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 plane that crashed into the Pacific Ocean on January 31, 2000, roughly 2.7 miles (4.3 km; 2.3 nmi) north of Anacapa Island, California, following a catastrophic loss of pitch control, killing all 88 people on board: two pilots, three ...

Can Airbus fly upside down?

The answer is flatly, no. Inverted flight requires a specific airfoil (wing shape) as well as specific lubrication systems for the engines. Transport category aircraft are not built to engage in inverted flight.

Was Whip Whitaker real?

The story is based on the true story of airline pilot William “Whip” Whitaker, who became a hero after landing a damaged airliner. An investigation into the accident, however, reveals that Whitaker had been drinking and using drugs prior to the flight.16-Dec-2021

Was Whip Whitaker in the military?

The visual excitement of the film combines with a powerful and destructive personal story for a compelling viewing experience. Flight captain and former Navy pilot Whip Whitaker is skillfully played by Denzel Washington.01-Jun-2013

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 $160,970.03-Mar-2022

Who is the actor who plays 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, ...

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.

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.

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.

When was the Polar Express animated?

Motion capture was to be used, as with Zemeckis' previous animated films The Polar Express (2004), Monster House (2006), Beowulf (2007) and A Christmas Carol (2009). Variety also indicated that Disney hoped to release the film in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Who wrote Flight segues into a brave and tortured performance by Denzel Washington?

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four, writing " Flight segues into a brave and tortured performance by Denzel Washington—one of his very best. Not often does a movie character make such a harrowing personal journey that keeps us in deep sympathy all of the way.".

Who is Whip's friend?

Whip awakens in an Atlanta hospital with moderate injuries and is greeted by his old friend Charlie Anderson, who represents the airline's pilots union. He tells Whip that he managed to save 96 out of 102 lives on the flight, losing two crew members and four passengers, but mentions his copilot is in a coma.

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.

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.

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.

Storyline

Whip Whitaker is a commuter airline pilot. While on a flight from Orlando to Atlanta something goes wrong and the plane starts to fly erratically. With little choice Whip crashes the plane and saves almost all on board.

Did you know

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. Like in the film, the pilots of Alaska 261 rolled the airplane to an inverted position to try to stabilize the flight.

Do commercial planes have inverted wings?

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. Commercial airliners are only tested and certified for upright flight.”.

Is Flight based on a true story?

Is flight movie based on a true story? Screenwriter John 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. That crash had no survivors.

Who was the first pilot to fly a 707?

The sight certainly would be unusual, but it wouldn't make for a groundbreaking stunt: In 1955, Boeing chief test pilot Alvin "Tex" Johnson executed two barrel rolls in a Dash 80, the 707 prototype, over Seattle's Lake Washington as part of the company's U.S. tour to promote jets as the future mode of air travel.

Who plays Whip Whitaker in Flight?

In Robert Zemeckis's latest movie Flight, out Nov. 2, Denzel Washington plays Whip Whitaker, a regional-airline pilot who heroically rolls the airplane he's flying to rescue it from an uncontrolled descent. The inversion sequence—especially an extreme long shot of the aircraft soaring, engines up, over a suburban Atlanta apartment building—stuns.

Why does Denzel Washington turn his plane upside down?

In the new movie Flight, the pilot portrayed by Denzel Washington turns his airliner upside down to save it from an uncontrolled descent. Is that really possible? (And how would the pilot's drug abuse affect him?)

What did Haynes use to guide the plane?

Haynes and his flight crew used the power of the wing-mounted engines to guide the airplane's descent. (On approach, Haynes stayed calm and collected—he even kept his sense of humor. After air traffic control cleared Flight 232 for an emergency landing at Sioux City, he quipped: "Roger.

Why do airplanes stay aloft?

They stay aloft thanks to engine propulsion, which overpowers air resistance, or drag, and the way air streams over their aerodynamically shaped wings to generate lift. The wing flaps, structures that supplement lift but create drag, would be retracted.

Why is inversion bad for airplanes?

Inversion risks engine failure, because fuel pickup tubes draw from the tank's bottom. But if your airplane had a broken jackscrew and dysfunctional horizontal stabilizer, like Whitaker's, inversion could help it regain altitude and slow down; its nose would remain stuck pitched down—but now "down" means up, toward the sky.

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.

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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