# Iron Man -- Looking for info on Tony Stark's plane **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2008, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019 "2008-05-12T14:05:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/1 "2008-05-12T14:05:48Z")
As a bit of an aviation fan, I was interested in the aircraft posing as Tony Stark’s personal aircraft in the recent _Iron man_ film. For those who may not have seen it, this appears to be a recent-model Boeing 737 with a highly modified rear fuselage (vertical stabilizer replaced with a V-tail and intake for an additional engine) and drooping wingtips. I imagine that the flight scenes were digital creations (although they look quite realistic), but it appears that at least one full-scale practical version may have been made for scenes of the aircraft on the ground. Any info would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/2 "2008-05-12T22:17:47Z")
Well, guess that’s a ‘no idear’, then. Hah, I stumped the board! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/3 "2008-05-13T00:26:50Z")
Guess you did. Cool plane though - like what Burt Rutan would create if he was allowed to develop a commercial jetliner. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/4 "2008-05-13T03:03:18Z")
Every plane should have a stripper pole. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/5 "2008-05-13T03:12:51Z")
I took my 12 year old son to see Iron Man. When the scene with the stripper pole came on I got a little nervous. When my virginal, pristine son whispered to me, “Hey, where did the stripper pole come from?” I got a lot nervous. I guess it’s time for the birds and the bees talk with him. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/6 "2008-05-13T04:05:24Z")
The _automatically extending_ stripper pole! A very cool plane. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/7 "2008-05-13T04:21:13Z")
[QUOTE=Amp] I took my 12 year old son to see Iron Man. When the scene with the stripper pole came on I got a little nervous. When my virginal, pristine son whispered to me, “Hey, where did the stripper pole come from?” I got a lot nervous. I guess it’s time for the birds and the bees talk with him. [/QUOTE] Good idea. I know you’ve been wondering about a lot of stuff, like certain changes in your body that maybe you find a little confusing, or even embarassing, and maybe now you’re old enough to understand it, he can explain it to you. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/8 "2008-05-13T04:24:45Z")
A google search ‘Iron Man Aircraft’ came up with a forum where a couple of people spoke about it and said that it was CGI in flight, and a mock-up on the ground, that it is not a real aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/9 "2008-05-13T13:49:46Z")
[QUOTE=Darth Sensitive] The _automatically extending_ stripper pole! [/QUOTE] I have one of those. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/10 "2008-05-13T14:06:42Z")
[QUOTE=gaffa] Guess you did. Cool plane though - like what Burt Rutan would create if he was allowed to develop a commercial jetliner. [/QUOTE] Actually, [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Starship) is what a commercial jet developed by Mr. Rutan looks like. When I saw the down-pointing winglets I was pretty sure it was a fake/mock-up/CGI. Winglets point UP, not down, on higher speed aircraft. You only see down-pointers on STOL aircraft, with that one clearly was not intended to be. On edit: D’OH! It’s a turboprop, not a jet. Nevermind… ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/11 "2008-05-13T14:42:06Z")
While we are talking about aircraft and Iron Man, is the the altitude record really set by a plane called the Blackbird or was that an X-Men reference? I would assume it was real, but I wasn’t sure. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/12 "2008-05-13T14:50:13Z")
[QUOTE=middleman] While we are talking about aircraft and Iron Man, is the the altitude record really set by a plane called the Blackbird or was that an X-Men reference? I would assume it was real, but I wasn’t sure. [/QUOTE] [Quite real.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sr-71) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/13 "2008-05-13T16:57:02Z")
[QUOTE=middleman] While we are talking about aircraft and Iron Man, is the the altitude record really set by a plane called the Blackbird or was that an X-Men reference? I would assume it was real, but I wasn’t sure. [/QUOTE] Yeah, they showed a little CGI SR-71 in the HUD. Although…if you look at the DVD extras for X2, among the “signage and labels” gallery, some of the signs onboard the X-Jet indicate that some systems _were_ built by Stark Enterprises (or Industries. I forget which), and should only be accessed for maintainence by company technicians. Nice touch. As for the Iron Man plane…if I had to guess, it’d be that they based the mockup on an actual plane (maybe a junked one?) if for no other reason than the wingboard engines. They looked pretty conventional, and somewhat incogruous, stylistically. I’d think that if you were building it from scratch, you’d want to play around with the design to make it look a little more futuristic—have them be semi-recessed, or with square or oval nacelles, or something. 'Just have to wait for the DVD, I guess. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/14 "2008-05-13T17:05:33Z")
I sure liked the stripper/stewardesses, but thought the plane looked ungainly aft. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/15 "2008-05-13T19:35:09Z")
[QUOTE=Ranchoth] Yeah, they showed a little CGI SR-71 in the HUD.( [/QUOTE] I saw the graphic, but even looking at the wikipedia link (thanks, **AndrewL** ), the real Blackbird looks very much like the fictional X-Plane. I think it is much cooler that it was the real one and I learned something, because now I know. And I hear knowing is half the battle! I do love how all of Marvel films are kind of linking up in a semi-shared universe. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-man-looking-for-info-on-tony-starks-plane/449019/16 "2008-05-13T23:10:54Z")
[If Burt Rutan had designed the B-17](http://www.strategypage.com/humor/articles/military_jokes_burt_ruttan_b17.asp).