Pan Am

As a retired international pilot at Trans World Airlines I was very disappointed in the casting of a cockpit crew which exhibited very unprofessional behavior on the flight deck and acted like silly fraternity boys. In the 1960's the pilot in command of an international flight was almost certainly a World War II veteran, often a chain smoker and a no nonsense type. John Wayne in the High and the Mighty looked much more like the old Captains.

In the Pan Am show the Captain made all the radio communications while flying the aircraft- a duty which the First Officer or the non flying pilot traditionally does. During takeoff all attention is given to the instruments and the aircraft. Pilots do not exchange gleeful looks with each other at such critical moments. They also do not ask Air Traffic Control or Gander Oceanic to find out from their company where their missing purser is. They would be laughed out of the sky.

No airline pilot would leave a layover hotel to look for his girlfriend in uniform. Pretty amateurish.

I did enjoy the footage of the great vintage aircraft. The rest was mindless soap opera material.