Aviation movies and series
by profeballa | created - 13 Sep 2013 | updated - 20 Aug 2019 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Memphis Belle (1990)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Drama, War
In 1943, the crew of a B-17 based in the UK prepares for its 25th and final bombing mission over Germany before returning home to the USA.
Director: Michael Caton-Jones | Stars: Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, D.B. Sweeney
Votes: 30,504 | Gross: $27.44M
2. Target for Tonight (1941)
Approved | 48 min | Documentary, Drama, War
The planning and implementation of an RAF night raid on Germany in World War II, concentrating on a low level mission by a Wellington bomber on an oil storage facility by the Rhine.
Director: Harry Watt | Stars: John Cobb, Richard Peirse, Percy Charles Pickard, Robert Saundby
Votes: 405
3. The Lion Has Wings (1939)
Approved | 76 min | Drama, War
A look at the current might of the Royal Air Force. Place - Great Britain, time - two months after the start of World War ll.
Directors: Adrian Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst, Michael Powell, Alexander Korda | Stars: Merle Oberon, Ralph Richardson, June Duprez, Flora Robson
Votes: 762
4. The Blue Max (1966)
Approved | 156 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A young pilot in the German air force of 1918, disliked as lower-class and unchivalrous, tries ambitiously to earn the medal offered for 20 kills.
Director: John Guillermin | Stars: George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andress, Jeremy Kemp
Votes: 7,615
5. Wings (1927)
PG-13 | 144 min | Drama, Romance, War
Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.
Directors: William A. Wellman, Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast | Stars: Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Richard Arlen, Jobyna Ralston
Votes: 14,519 | Gross: $6.59M
6. The Dawn Patrol (1938)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, War
British flying aces in World War I contend with the harsh realities of war.
Director: Edmund Goulding | Stars: Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, David Niven, Donald Crisp
Votes: 3,419
7. Flying Tigers (1942)
Approved | 102 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Capt. Jim Gordon's command of the famed American volunteer fighter group in China is complicated by the recruitment of an old friend who is a reckless hotshot.
Director: David Miller | Stars: John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee, Paul Kelly
Votes: 4,245 | Gross: $3.27M
8. Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
Not Rated | 132 min | Drama, War
A tough-as-nails general (Gregory Peck as General Savage) takes over a B-17 bomber unit suffering from low morale and whips them into fighting shape.
Director: Henry King | Stars: Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill, Millard Mitchell
Votes: 15,786
9. The Dam Busters (1955)
Approved | 105 min | Drama, History, War
Drama based on the attempt by the RAF to destroy six dams in Germany during World War II.
Director: Michael Anderson | Stars: Richard Todd, Michael Redgrave, Ursula Jeans, Basil Sydney
Votes: 11,351
10. Battle of Britain (1969)
G | 132 min | Action, Drama, History
In 1940, the British Royal Air Force fights a desperate battle to prevent the Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority over the English Channel as a prelude to a possible Axis invasion of the U.K.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Harry Andrews, Curd Jürgens
Votes: 24,487 | Gross: $4.36M
11. The Tuskegee Airmen (1995 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 106 min | Drama, History, War
The true story of how a group of African-American pilots overcame racist opposition to become one of the finest United States fighter groups in World War II.
Director: Robert Markowitz | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Allen Payne, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Courtney B. Vance
Votes: 7,074
12. Pearl Harbor (2001)
PG-13 | 183 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, William Lee Scott
Votes: 351,541 | Gross: $198.54M
13. Der Stern von Afrika (1957)
88 min | Drama, War
Biographic Movie of the German fighter ace, who was killed in a plane crash after over 150 kills in North Africa.
Director: Alfred Weidenmann | Stars: Joachim Hansen, Marianne Koch, Hansjörg Felmy, Horst Frank
Votes: 348
14. Air Force (1943)
Approved | 124 min | Action, Drama, History
The crew of an Air Force bomber arrives in Pearl Harbor in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, and is sent on to Manila to help with the defense of the Philippines.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: John Garfield, John Ridgely, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy
Votes: 3,815
15. Amelia (2009)
PG | 111 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston
Votes: 13,613 | Gross: $14.24M
16. The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
Approved | 135 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Charles 'Slim' Lindbergh struggles to finance and design an airplane that will make his New York to Paris flight the first solo transatlantic crossing.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: James Stewart, Murray Hamilton, Patricia Smith, Bartlett Robinson
Votes: 8,601
17. Top Gun (1986)
PG | 109 min | Action, Drama
As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer
Votes: 502,027 | Gross: $179.80M
18. Red Flag: The Ultimate Game (1981 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama
Two fighter pilots, Phil Clark and Jay Rivers, who flew together in Vietnam are assigned to the elite Air Force Fighter Weapons School (known as "Red Flag") at Nellis AFB, Nevada about a ... See full summary »
Director: Don Taylor | Stars: Barry Bostwick, Joan Van Ark, Fred McCarren, Debra Feuer
Votes: 121
19. Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag (2004)
G | 40 min | Documentary, Short
Experience final training for pilots and their aircrews before being sent into actual combat. Follow pilot, John Stratton, as he makes his way through this extraordinary event held in the desert of Nevada.
Director: Stephen Low | Stars: John Stratton, Robert Novotny, Sam Morgan, Randy Cason
Votes: 649
20. The Red Baron (2008)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
German biopic loosely based on the World War I fighter ace Manfred Von Richthofen, nicknamed the Red Baron by friend and foe alike.
Director: Nikolai Müllerschön | Stars: Matthias Schweighöfer, Lena Headey, Til Schweiger, Joseph Fiennes
Votes: 13,147 | Gross: $0.04M
21. Flyboys (2006)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Drama, History
The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.
Director: Tony Bill | Stars: James Franco, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker, Scott Hazell
Votes: 44,422 | Gross: $13.08M
22. Black Sheep Squadron (1976–1978)
Not Rated | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The dramatized World War II adventures of U.S. Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and his U.S. Marine Attack Squadron 214, (The Black Sheep Squadron).
Stars: Robert Conrad, Simon Oakland, Dana Elcar, Dirk Blocker
Votes: 3,406
23. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
Passed | 138 min | Drama, History, War
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a secret bombing mission which will take the war to the Japanese homeland.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Robert Walker, Tim Murdock
Votes: 6,455
24. The Purple Heart (1944)
Passed | 99 min | Drama, History, War
This is the story of the crew of a downed bomber, captured after a run over Tokyo, early in the war. Relates the hardships the men endure while in captivity, and their final humiliation: ... See full summary »
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, Farley Granger, Kevin O'Shea
Votes: 1,075
25. Planes (2013)
PG | 91 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A cropdusting plane with a fear of heights lives his dream of competing in a famous around-the-world aerial race.
Director: Klay Hall | Stars: Carlos Alazraqui, Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett
Votes: 48,617 | Gross: $90.29M
26. Aces High (1976)
PG | 114 min | Action, Drama, War
In World War I, the high casualty rate amongst the rookie pilots of the Royal Flying Corps puts an enormous strain on the survivors.
Director: Jack Gold | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Plummer, Simon Ward, Peter Firth
Votes: 2,981
27. Sully (2016)
PG-13 | 96 min | Biography, Drama
When pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger lands his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew, some consider him a hero while others think he was reckless.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Valerie Mahaffey
Votes: 297,752 | Gross: $125.07M
28. The Fighter Pilot (2013)
144 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
A young woman and her brother explore the history of their grandfather, who died in WW2. They start contacting the men who flew with him, asking them about who he was.
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Jun'ichi Okada, Haruma Miura, Mao Inoue, Gaku Hamada
Votes: 2,806
29. Captains of the Clouds (1942)
Approved | 114 min | Action, Drama, War
Inspired by Churchill's Dunkirk speech, brash, undisciplined bush pilot Brian MacLean and three friends enlist in the RCAF but are deemed too old to be fliers.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: James Cagney, Dennis Morgan, Brenda Marshall, Alan Hale
Votes: 1,766
30. The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
Approved | 100 min | Biography, Drama, War
A dramatization of the American general and his court martial for publically complaining about High Command's dismissal and neglect of the aerial fighting forces.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Gary Cooper, Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger
Votes: 2,299
31. The Eagle and the Hawk (1933)
TV-PG | 73 min | Action, Drama, War
The pilots of a Royal Air Force squadron in World War I face not only physical but mental dangers in their struggle to survive while fighting the enemy.
Directors: Stuart Walker, Mitchell Leisen | Stars: Fredric March, Cary Grant, Jack Oakie, Carole Lombard
Votes: 1,353
32. Spitfire (1942)
Approved | 90 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Aircraft designer/patriot R. J. Mitchell, alarmed at growing German militarism, works to perfect a defense against the German Messerschmidt at the cost of his health.
Director: Leslie Howard | Stars: Leslie Howard, David Niven, Rosamund John, Roland Culver
Votes: 2,133
33. The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944)
Not Rated | 45 min | Documentary, History, War
A documentary on the 25th bombing mission of the Memphis Belle, a B-17 in the US 8th Air Force.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Stanley Wray, Robert Morgan, James A. Verinis, Robert J. Hanson
Votes: 1,848
34. Reach for the Sky (1956)
Approved | 123 min | Biography, Drama, War
Biopic of RAF Group Captain Douglas Bader who, after having lost both legs, flew a British fighter plane during WWII.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Kenneth More, Muriel Pavlow, Lyndon Brook, Lee Patterson
Votes: 2,988
35. Command Decision (1948)
Passed | 112 min | Action, Drama, War
Army generals struggle with the decision to prioritize bombing the German factories producing new jet fighters over the extremely high casualties the mission will cost.
Director: Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Brian Donlevy
Votes: 2,169
36. A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941)
Passed | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An American pilot impulsively joins His Majesty's Royal Air Force in Britain in an attempt to impress his ex-girlfriend.
Director: Henry King | Stars: Tyrone Power, Betty Grable, John Sutton, Reginald Gardiner
Votes: 1,571
37. The Winds of Kitty Hawk (1978 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 98 min | Biography, Drama, History
After many years of trying, Orville and Wilbur Wright succeed in making their heavier-than-air aircraft fly, south of Kitty Hawk, on December 17, 1903. They later try to sell their invention to the US government.
Director: E.W. Swackhamer | Stars: Michael Moriarty, David Huffman, Tom Bower, Robin Gammell
Votes: 160
38. Dive Bomber (1941)
Not Rated | 132 min | Drama, Romance, War
A military surgeon teams with a ranking Navy flyer to develop a high-altitude suit which will protect pilots from blacking out when they go into a steep dive.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Errol Flynn, Fred MacMurray, Ralph Bellamy, Alexis Smith
Votes: 2,057
39. Angels One Five (1952)
TV-G | 98 min | Drama, War
The story of an RAF fighter squadron at the height of the Battle of Britain.
Director: George More O'Ferrall | Stars: Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison, Andrew Osborn, Cyril Raymond
Votes: 1,271
40. 633 Squadron (1964)
Approved | 102 min | Drama, History, War
A RAF squadron is assigned to knock out a German rocket fuel factory in Norway. The factory supplies fuel for the Nazi effort to launch rockets on England during D-Day.
Director: Walter Grauman | Stars: Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris, Maria Perschy, Harry Andrews
Votes: 4,560
41. Flight of the Intruder (1991)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
During the air war over Vietnam, a U.S. Navy A-6 Intruder bomber pilot schemes with a hardened veteran to make an unauthorized air strike on Hanoi.
Director: John Milius | Stars: Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Brad Johnson, Rosanna Arquette
Votes: 7,712 | Gross: $14.59M
42. Air Cadet (1951)
Approved | 94 min | Biography, Drama, War
A group of cadets have assorted problems at the U.S. Air Force Pilot Training Academy.
Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: Stephen McNally, Gail Russell, Alex Nicol, Richard Long
Votes: 173
43. Above the Clouds (1933)
Approved | 68 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Another story of the newsreel cameramen and the dog-eat-dog competitive world they inhabit. This one features "Scoop" Adams (Robert Armstrong), as a hard-drinking cameraman, whose ... See full summary »
Director: Roy William Neill | Stars: Robert Armstrong, Richard Cromwell, Dorothy Wilson, Edmund Breese
Votes: 27
44. Hindenburg: Titanic of the Skies (2007 TV Movie)
89 min | Documentary, History
A recounting of the infamous 1937 airship disaster and its subsequent investigation.
Director: Sean Grundy | Stars: William Roberts, John Shrapnel, Malcolm Tierney, Mark McGann
Votes: 202
45. Lancaster Skies (2019)
Not Rated | 98 min | Action, Drama, War
Douglas, a broken, solitary, Spitfire Ace, must overcome his past to lead a Lancaster bomber crew in the pivotal aerial war over Berlin, in 1944.
Director: Callum Burn | Stars: Rosa Coduri-Fulford, Joshua Collins, Vin Hawke, Kris Saddler
Votes: 1,658
46. Midway (1976)
PG | 132 min | Action, Drama, History
A dramatization of the battle that was widely heralded as a turning point of the Pacific Theatre of World War II.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford
Votes: 21,472
47. Ôzora no samurai (1976)
102 min | Drama, Action, War
Epic dramatization of the WWII memoirs of Saburô Sakai, the famous ace pilot of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Director: Seiji Maruyama | Stars: Hiroshi Fujioka, Tarô Shigaki, Naoko Ôtani, Akihiko Hirata
Votes: 72
48. Da hong zha (2018)
R | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During World War II, five different Chinese people fight their way through Japanese Air Force attacks to protect an important military machine in Chongqing, 1940.
Director: Xiao Feng | Stars: Ye Liu, Bruce Willis, Song Seung-heon, William Chan
Votes: 4,784
49. Ships with Wings (1941)
Approved | 103 min | Drama, War
Lt. Dick Stacey is dismissed from the Fleet Air Arm for poor discipline. He joins the Aircraft Carrier "HMS Ark Royal" (The Ship with Wings). When they go into battle in the Mediterranean he acts heroically and redeems himself.
Director: Sergei Nolbandov | Stars: John Clements, Leslie Banks, Jane Baxter, Ann Todd
Votes: 172
50. One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)
Not Rated | 82 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During a raid on Germany a British bomber crew is forced to bail out after their plane is damaged. They land in Holland and are aided by Dutch civilians.
Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger | Stars: Godfrey Tearle, Eric Portman, Hugh Williams, Bernard Miles
Votes: 2,528
51. Aerial Gunner (1943)
Approved | 78 min | Drama
Old rivals are pitted against each other in basic training and fight over the same woman.
Director: William H. Pine | Stars: Richard Arlen, Chester Morris, Amelita Ward, Jimmy Lydon
Votes: 364
52. Bombardier (1943)
Passed | 99 min | Drama, War
Major "Chick" Davis is convinced that high-level bombing will win the next war. He convinces the powers-that-be to set up a bombardier school. He efficiently sets about training the USAAF's first generation of high-level bombardiers.
Directors: Richard Wallace, Lambert Hillyer | Stars: Pat O'Brien, Randolph Scott, Anne Shirley, Eddie Albert
Votes: 897
53. Wing and a Prayer (1944)
Passed | 97 min | Action, Drama, War
In WW2, an American aircraft carrier sails around the Pacific on a decoy mission until it joins the battle of Midway against the Japanese forces.
Director: Henry Hathaway | Stars: Don Ameche, Dana Andrews, William Eythe, Charles Bickford
Votes: 1,549
54. Return to Hardwick (2019)
PG | 73 min | Documentary, History, War
Sons, daughters and grandchildren of the greatest generation travel to England to uncover the history of a disappearing World War II air base.
Director: Michael Sellers | Stars: Michael Cudlitz, Jim Adams, Sherman Alpert, John Archer
Votes: 35
55. Lancaster (2013)
13 min | Short, Action, Drama
From the English coast to the skies of war-torn Europe, 'Lancaster' tells the story of a young bomber crew as they fly a daring night raid over occupied France in the face of insurmountable... See full summary »
Director: Philip Stevens | Stars: Kirsty Averton, Mark Burman, William Clayton, Lewis Gemmill
Votes: 38
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