I was trying to remember the name of the film that featured Richard Bach and some other people barnstorming in biplanes through the American Midwest. Googling, I think it’s called Nothing By Chance; but there’s not a lot out there on it. One site I looked at said it was made in 1964. I think I saw it on TV in the late-1970s or early-1980s. I remember a scene where the pilots are deciding where to fly next. They put an ant on the sectional and followed it with a writing instrument. That was their course. And I remember one of the aircraft having a landing mishap that damaged it.
Has anyone else seen this film?
Ah. Having found the title, I looked it up on IMDB. They say it was made in 1975, which makes more sense to me.
I remember it, and remember enjoying it despite the fact that Bach’s approach to the “spiritual nature” of flying got tired after a while. (Don’t misunderstand me: I believe that there is such a spiritual nature, but Bach was pretty heavy-handed about it.) In any case, the aerial photography more than compensated for any shortcomings in the “script.”
I especially recall the pilot who was frequently awakened by young women wanting a dawn flight. For some reason, wherever the circus was camped out, they always chose the same pilot. I envy pilots in general, because I’ll never be one (my opthamologist, formerly an FAA examiner, told me that there was no way I could even qualify for a waiver); but I found myself envying him in particular.