# Great Planes is killing me **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781 "2009-01-04T04:48:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/1 "2009-01-04T04:48:54Z")
I’m watching an episode of _Great Planes_ on The Military Channel. I’ve just discovered the show, and I don’t think I’ll be watching it much. The episode currently playing is in the P-51 Mustang. Some of the errors: The narrator calls Herman Göring ‘Commander **and** Chief of the German Air Force’; not ‘Commander\*\*-in-\*\*Chief’. He talks about the ‘Malcom hood’ on the P-51C, and illustrates it with the bubble canopy of the P-51D. He mentions that Chuck Yeager was the first pilot to shoot down a Me-262. I believe he was one of the first. They’re little things, but cumulatively they show sloppiness. I also watched the episode on the Douglas Skyraider, because my dad flew in them in Korea. The narrator was talking about the A-7 Corsair II as a jet replacement for the old Able Dog. And all the while there is a rather static shot of a Skyraider on the screen. I don’t think they ever showed an A-7. I noticed a few examples of the narrator talking about one plane while showing another. The editing is really lousy. They play footage too long. There are jumbles of shots that lack context. The graphics are bad, too. Typically a show of this sort would have 3D wire animations. _Great Planes_ uses three-view orthographic drawings superimposed on one another. Imagine cutting a profile of an airplane out of a sheet of balsa wood. Then cut out a plan view. Then cut slots in the sheets and put them together in a cross. Very crude. Finally, the self-proclaimed superpilot seems utterly uninterested in the subject matter. He seems bored by it all. Hey, these are _airplanes!_ Show a little excitement! The show is little more than eye-candy. The kind of candy your grandparents think is good and buy in bulk at the supermarket. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/2 "2009-01-04T05:13:28Z")
Basic cable? And you are surprised? Didn’t History or Discovery approach a Doper to write a program based on his specialty and the pay was the frickin’ HONOR of spreading his lifetime of research and knowledge around basic cable? Likely as not, whoever put it together couldn’t tell a Malcolm hood from a bubble canopy and assumed the rookies watching the show couldn’t, either. And it’s not like they are common. Never seen one in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/3 "2009-01-04T05:29:52Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Didn’t History or Discovery approach a Doper to write a program based on his specialty and the pay was the frickin’ HONOR of spreading his lifetime of research and knowledge around basic cable? I didn’t hear about that. I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen a Malcom hood ‘in the wild’, but I’ve known about them since I was like eight years old. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/4 "2009-09-12T16:12:06Z")
I’m watching another episode of _Great Planes_. Actually, I’ve caught quite a few episodes recently. I haven’t noticed the cheap graphics I complained about months ago (though I’ve seen the ‘cut-out’ graphics on another show about military commanders). The presenter is Paul ‘Max’ Moga. He’s an Air Force major and an F-22 pilot. For someone who flies for a living, he sure asks dumb questions of his guests. (I can’t think of any specific ones right now.) Gotta dumb it down for the audience, I reckon. ---
**Author:** ![mambocrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mambocrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mambocrow)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/5 "2009-09-12T20:22:13Z")
I saw one where Paul Moga almost tripped over something while walking and reading his teleprompter or cue cards. He wasn’t facing the camera he was on at the time either. The extended drum solos in the audio portions of the film clips are more than a little irritating. They sometimes drown out the narration (but maybe that’s just my funky old TV). It seems like these kinds of shows were produced way better in the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/6 "2009-09-12T20:40:29Z")
PBS is the last bastion of decent educational/informative/documentary programming. All the cable channels have gone sensational in search of the buck. Discovery Channel ruled when I was a kid; now it’s just nerds blowing shit up and chicks with big tits. TLC is a fucking joke - it’s Jon and Kate Plus 8 24/7. What are we learning from that? Don’t knock up mean women. Brilliant. I knew that when I was like 4. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/7 "2009-09-12T21:02:09Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen a Malcom hood ‘in the wild’, but I’ve known about them since I was like eight years old. Now that’s just sad, as there was one at the Arlington Fly-In this year. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/8 "2009-09-12T21:07:14Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Now that’s just sad, as there was one at the Arlington Fly-In this year. Yep, [I was there](http://www.flickr.com/photos/27492458@N05/3536271863/). 😉 The OP was from January. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/9 "2009-09-12T21:15:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The OP was from January. I’m high on drugs, that’s all.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/10 "2009-09-12T21:16:24Z")
Don’t get high on drugs. Get high in planes! Incidentally: The guy who started the meetup group got deployed or something. The group will disappear in a week and a half. I’d take it over, but the I don’t want to spend the money. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/11 "2009-09-12T22:53:30Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Don’t get high on drugs. Get high in planes! > > Incidentally: The guy who started the meetup group got deployed or something. The group will disappear in a week and a half. I’d take it over, but the I don’t want to spend the money. Need to get high on more regular work first! I didn’t realize that the Meetup group cost money, sad. Incidentally, I have about 12-18 guest passes to the Museum of Flight if we want to have one last gasp. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/12 "2009-09-12T22:56:59Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > I didn’t realize that the Meetup group cost money, sad. Incidentally, I have about 12-18 guest passes to the Museum of Flight if we want to have one last gasp. Yeah, it’s $12/month at the cheapest rate. I think Mike was the only one who could schedule meetups, and he’s not around. How about a Seattle Dopefest and distribute them there? I know one Doper who’d show up! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/13 "2009-09-12T23:04:08Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > How about a Seattle Dopefest and distribute them there? I know one Doper who’d show up! 😉 Sounds like a good idea to me! ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/14 "2009-09-12T23:27:25Z")
Why don’t they bring back **Wings** it was a much better series that covered dozens of aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/15 "2009-09-12T23:44:03Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > Why don’t they bring back **Wings** it was a much better series that covered dozens of aircraft. And Crystal Bernard was adorable and hot. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/16 "2009-09-13T11:58:04Z")
I must have watching the wrong program, women are not allowed in aviation!😉 ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/17 "2009-09-13T14:19:18Z")
I still get a kick out of these shows but they do have their occasional WTF moments. Yesterday on World’s Deadliest Aircraft about the B-29, I was hoping they would talk about how they overcame the problems of pressurization, overheating, etc… Instead it was all about the operational aspects (the same high-level/low-level decisions that every other program has already covered 100 times). The WTF moment came at the end when they said the legacy of the B-29 was that it led to the B-58 Hustler, that delta-winged Mach 2 penetration bomber. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/18 "2009-09-13T14:33:28Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > I still get a kick out of these shows but they do have their occasional WTF moments. Yesterday on World’s Deadliest Aircraft about the B-29, I was hoping they would talk about how they overcame the problems of pressurization, overheating, etc… Instead it was all about the operational aspects (the same high-level/low-level decisions that every other program has already covered 100 times). The WTF moment came at the end when they said the legacy of the B-29 was that it led to the B-58 Hustler, that delta-winged Mach 2 penetration bomber. Wow, and not say, the B-50A Superfortress, or the B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135? (actually a shorter trip to the 135 than to the BUFF, I think. The mid-air refueling stuff used now in the Air Force was all originally used on KB-29s, KB-50s, and KC-97s, all tankers based originally on the Superfortress airframe). ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/19 "2009-09-13T14:35:27Z")
Does anybody have an opinion one way or the other on Dogfight on the History Channel? ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781/20 "2009-09-13T15:16:22Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Wow, and not say, the B-50A Superfortress Hmmm. I could have misheard B-50A as B-58 but I think they said Convair and/or Hustler. I’ll have to watch it again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-planes-is-killing-me/479781.md?page=2)