Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1517535
M A S T E R S O F T H E A I R | P E R S P E C T I V E 7 5 The planes were built during lockdown in several warehouses by the SFX company BGI at Longcross Studios. The construction period spanned nine months from start to delivery. A tricky thing came up when we started to build the planes—at that point, we weren't quite sure where our production base would be located… So, BGI were tasked with delivering the two full-size B-17s to a stage miles away, with the permanent base yet to be determined! Hanging the Planes To try to keep the setups as realistic as possible, there were many cases where the aircrews were exiting the planes in tough conditions. In a particular scene, it was decided to hang the plane from a 300-foot crane. This setup would allow an actor or stunt person to jump on a line and have the beginning of the parachute opening. However, we got ourselves in a situation where, with the wind picking up and the plane on a cable, it would lift and attempt to fly… The planes were built so well, we probably could have had them airborne! The Planes on the Runway The SFX team built a rig to travel down the runway, with a full interior and exterior cockpit attached. This served two purposes, first for shooting the interior scenes, including the crew taking off, crash sequences, and the plane lifting off the ground. It was also used by VFX for camera to follow down the runway at the correct speed before the lift-off. Thorpe Abbotts Airbase Thorpe Abbotts started life as an RAF airfield built in 1942. When the Americans joined the war effort, the base was handed over to the Eight Airforce of the USAAF. The B-17s began arriving in June 1943, including forty aircrafts and thirty-five flight crews. Thorpe Abbotts operated continuously until the end of the war in 1945. E. B-17S WERE HUNG FOR VARIOUS SHOTS DROPPING BOMBS, CREW EXITING THE PLANE, STUNT WORK FOR HATCHES GETTING STUCK, ETC. SET PHOTO. F. B-17 AT ABINGDON AIRFIELD. THIS PLANE WAS USED FOR RUNNING UP AND DOWN THE RUNWAY. IT HAD TWO TESLA MOTORS AND COULD GET TO 30-40 MPH. PRODUCTION STILL. G. B-17 COCKPIT RIGGED ON MOTORIZED BASE FOR RUNWAY SHOTS. SET PHOTO. E G F