# Question about "The Aviator" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 17, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-aviator/280437 "2004-12-17T23:14:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeffro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jeffro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeffro)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-aviator/280437/1 "2004-12-17T23:14:30Z")
Is that a P-38 Lightning Howard Hughes/Leonardo DiCaprio is flying in the trailer for The Aviator? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-aviator/280437/2 "2004-12-18T00:13:23Z")
Based on what I saw in the ads on TV, no. The movie vertical stabilizer profile is wrong and the engines appear to be radials. ---
**Author:** ![KeithT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@KeithT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithT)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-aviator/280437/3 "2004-12-18T00:56:01Z")
It looks like the [Hughes XF-11](http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/fta/fta997.htm), an evolution of the D-2 (XP-73) project. More information is available [here](http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/p73.html). ---
**Author:** ![Jeffro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jeffro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeffro)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-aviator/280437/4 "2004-12-18T01:21:14Z")
Thanks