Dennis Quaid in "The Flight of The Phoenix"

Cafe Society
41

The C-119 had electric starters, not Kauffmans but I forgave the inaccuracy since it made possible the most tension-filled scenes ever filled.

Bang! Ticka-ta-ticka-ta-ticka-ta . . . ticka . . . ta . . . . . ticka . . . . . ta . . . . . . tick . . . . . .

Gave me goosebumps when I first saw it as a kid. Gives me goosebumps when I see it today.

DD

42

Is the plane in the 2004 Flight Of The Phoenix a C-119? If so, what are the odds of that particular aircraft still being used for transportation?
Basically, my contention is that they have essentially kept the story the same except updating it 40 years. I imagine they had to leave in the Kauffman starter plot line for dramatic effect. Does any plane flying today still require a Kauffman starter?

I also imagine that updating the aircraft to a jet would have made the story line go well above the plausibility level (even by Hollywood standards).

43

It’s a C-119, a Korean War vintage design, and AFAIK there are none left still flying. The in-air scenes are not the best quality computer graphics work, either.

There are, however, no more-recent twin boom airplanes large enough to hold a plausible movie cast. A good remake would have involved a different design challenge on a single-fuselage airplane - perhaps a Monster Garage conversion into a sand buggy?

Dunno about Kauffman starters still being used. They look like more trouble than they’re worth.

44

ElvisL1ves
So, if the story is set in 2004, then there would be serious plausibility problems due to the fact that:

  1. There are probably no airworthy C-119’s around
  2. There are probably no airworthy twin boom aircaft of any kind around either
  3. Planes with Kauffman starters are an even greater rarity.

So, it seems if the story is set in 2004, they are going to rebuild a “fictitious” aircraft (making the movie title somewhat relevant).

I have heard stories about Kauffman starters exploding on startup and killing the pilot. These stories are probably in the Urban Legend realm but would be hard to research due to the technical nature of the “Legend”.

45

Quick search shows there are at least 6 C-119’s still flying.