Like most IMAX films, this doc on the supreme logistical and technological achievement involved in running Red Flag is absolutely superb.
The obvious fighter eye-candy aside, what makes these clips particularly choice is their detailed attention to the Air Force’s unique (and I do mean unique, no nation on Earth can match) ability to seamlessly integrate fighters, bombers, spy planes, tankers, and C2 aircraft from multiple nations into a single, synergistic strike package.
Brilliantly done, take a look.
…and part II:
You can order the two-disc DVD set here.
Maybe I’ve gone blind, but I couldn’t find a way to order it from that website. Amazon has it though.
…Saw it in IMAX in Charlotte about two years ago. Man, what a thrill. Seeing it on DVD just wouldn’t be the same- sort of like flying commuter after a career as an astronaut.
whoops, thanks Brett.
Thought I had linked the Amazon page, guess I did their homepage twice instead.
Good catch, fixed.
I saw this last year and could not believe they took one of the greatest flying experiences of my life and made it look uneventful. The guy who was the star has to be one of the most boring fighter pilots who ever strapped on a jet. If the Navy had made this you would have come out of there wringing of sweat. I also love the gorilla in the closet, the fact that no one mentioned the Israeli F-16′s shown a few times on the ramp
Checked it out on the USS Lexington museum in Corpus Cristi last fall. Thought it was good but not great.
The photography was, of course, awesome, and I can see how it would be fine for those not all that familiar with Red Flag or modern fighters. But even a civie like me was a bit disappointed.
I just saw it on the Lex today. It was pretty darn good. I especially liked the bomibng and cannon fire filmed from the pespective of the ground targets. Chilling.
I saw it in Vegas at the IMAX attending a trade show. I couldn’t help but feel ripped off. The camera work was great, but it had a phony feel to it and at times slipped into dishonesty. I distinctly remember they tried to pitch an A-10 doing a strafing run, but at the last minute they showed an F-15 doing the run. It was clearly supposed to be a single event but you could tell it was actually two different planes. Didn’t they have about six helicopters flying a SAR mission for a single pilot? And I’ve never been inside the cabin of an AWACs, but does it look anything like that inside, with bright displays and jazzy computer graphics? The last time I saw images of computer screens inside AWACs planes they looked like the old arcade tank game “Battlezone”.