Best and Worst Movie Pilots

[Zerstorer]

Don't know best pilots....but for worst pilots I submit this movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131646/

I have a DVD copy from years ago I treasure.  I still watch it on occasion because its SO BAD its GOOD!  The special effects are not special, the acting truly dreadful, the plot is...well....best to see it to truly appreciate it:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9WFw56Mv1w

Note what happens to the dead girlfirend's space fighter (with her still in it) at 2:02.  Marvel at Freddy Prinz Jr's acting abilities as his eyes go wide watching in horror!   I cackle like an evil schoolchild every time I see it!  

[Hetzer7]

My vote for best: Errol Flynn in Dawn Patrol. Destroyed an entire German Ammo Strat with like 100lbs of bombs lol

[guncrasher]

It's about skillz, not ballz. I've seen better pilots than Trudy on the Mains. Hell, most of the Na'vi flyers showed a better grasp of ACM.

Already beat that in my first post. Wedge Antilles. NO help from the Force, and survived two Death Stars -- including being one of THREE Rebel pilots shown to survive Yavin, surviving getting shot up by Vader himself, and knocking out the two power regulators of Death Star II enabling Lando to destroy the reactor itself. The Death Star II run alone is one HELL of a piece of flying when you consider how tight it is, and the speeds at which they're flying -- and Hoth (only Rebel pilot we see taking down an AT-AT).

he was a trained pilot.  anakin skywalker had never piloted anything other than a pod racer which he built himself.  and anakin didnt use the force either.

and as you said before Wedge antilles almost got his buttt kicked by anakin and the only reason he was alive is that he bailed out and anakin tried to stop luke who was using the force.

in other words he got damaged a bit and he ran home to mama .  anakin himself got several rebel fighters also.

so you think antilles deserves top choice when he ran at the first damage over trudy who stayed to fight until she was dead.



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[Saxman]

so you think antilles deserves top choice when he ran at the first damage over trudy who stayed to fight until she was dead.

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Trudy had all the skills of a Main Arena 2-weeker who thinks HOing a Mossie is a brilliant idea (which is exactly why she died). Wedge would fly rings around her.

Oh, and Luke ORDERED Wedge off.

[Saxman]

Oh, and as for Wedge vs. Anakin, maybe you should actually do some FACT CHECKING:

1) Most of the Battle of Naboo, Anakin wasn't even flying that fighter. It was on AUTOPILOT.
2) As soon as the autopilot was disabled, he promptly CRASHED IT into the TF battleship's flight deck.
3) Anakin's big contribution to the battle was RANDOMLY PUSHING BUTTONS after crashing. By pure chance he launched a torpedo that benefited from the LUDICROUSLY bad Trade Federation starship engineering (seriously, who puts a major reactor in the HANGAR BAY?)

For that matter, every time Anakin strapped into a fighter HE CRASHED IT. He crashed his N-1 fighter into the Trade Federation battleship. He crashed a Jedi starfighter onto Grievous's flagship (and for good measure he crashed Grievous's flagship, as well). And he ran into his own wingman at Yavin. He's had about as many safe landings as Launchpad McQuack. Actually, I take that back. Launchpad at least was able to successfully land the Thuderquack on Darkwing Duck.

Finally: Death Star II >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Trade Federation Battleship

[guncrasher]

Oh, and as for Wedge vs. Anakin, maybe you should actually do some FACT CHECKING:

1) Most of the Battle of Naboo, Anakin wasn't even flying that fighter. It was on AUTOPILOT.
2) As soon as the autopilot was disabled, he promptly CRASHED IT into the TF battleship's flight deck.
3) Anakin's big contribution to the battle was RANDOMLY PUSHING BUTTONS after crashing. By pure chance he launched a torpedo that benefited from the LUDICROUSLY bad Trade Federation starship engineering (seriously, who puts a major reactor in the HANGAR BAY?)

For that matter, every time Anakin strapped into a fighter HE CRASHED IT. He crashed his N-1 fighter into the Trade Federation battleship. He crashed a Jedi starfighter onto Grievous's flagship (and for good measure he crashed Grievous's flagship, as well). And he ran into his own wingman at Yavin. He's had about as many safe landings as Launchpad McQuack. Actually, I take that back. Launchpad at least was able to successfully land the Thuderquack on Darkwing Duck.

Finally: Death Star II >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Trade Federation Battleship

same guys who built a death star and didnt think of protecting it against small fighters.   or those who thought the imperial walkers actually needed legs to walk.  and really what was the point of tying the legs of the imperial walkers.  why he couldnt just dive in from above and hit him on the weak spot.  would have been simpler.  oh wait they didnt teach that years ago in flight school?  and why did the imperial walkers couldnt they just hover  and be called imperial hovercraft. 

which brings me back to my original point.  wedge was a great pilot not because he was but because they writers just decided to write him in as a great fighter.

han solo was a better pilot, he made the kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.  and he protected luke making him a fighter pilot also.  he made the kessel run later in a little less than 12 parsecs.  while the millenium falcon wasnt techically a fighter.  it did have both defensive and offensive armament.



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[Masherbrum]

Thread officially derailed.   Wow.

[Kenne]

[Muzzy]

I still say that until you can construct your own flying machine out of a prison watchtower, some drones, a battery and a prosthetic leg (the leg is really important), and fly it to freedom, you're still not as cool as a raccoon.

[Saxman]

same guys who built a death star and didnt think of protecting it against small fighters.   or those who thought the imperial walkers actually needed legs to walk.  and really what was the point of tying the legs of the imperial walkers.  why he couldnt just dive in from above and hit him on the weak spot.  would have been simpler.  oh wait they didnt teach that years ago in flight school?  and why did the imperial walkers couldnt they just hover  and be called imperial hovercraft. 

which brings me back to my original point.  wedge was a great pilot not because he was but because they writers just decided to write him in as a great fighter.

han solo was a better pilot, he made the kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.  and he protected luke making him a fighter pilot also.  he made the kessel run later in a little less than 12 parsecs.  while the millenium falcon wasnt techically a fighter.  it did have both defensive and offensive armament.



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Han only made the Kessel Run because of the Falcon. Any other ship would have been too slow (if you REALLY want to split hairs, Han never actually said HE made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, only that the Falcon was the ship that did it).

The Empire's engineers didn't arm the Death Star against starfighters because, and Dodonna said it explicitly, they didn't view a one-man fighter to be a threat. Not unlike American military doctrine regarding their battleships prior to WWII. That's not an engineering failure, that's a tactical shortcoming resulting from flawed doctrine. And technically, the Empire was right; a one-man fighter ordinarily WOULDN'T have been a threat to the Death Star. The Rebels only knew about the exhaust port vulnerability due to having access to the plans. That's a bit different than having an unshielded reactor sitting right in the middle of your flight deck.

[Zerstorer]

Oops! I forgot one... Honorable mention as worst pilot:

Harry Conick Jr. 's character in Independence Day.

"Don't do nothin' stupid! "

" You know me!'

[tries to pull 10+ Gs in a F 18 while running from alien fighter craft.... Dies]

[eagl]

Anakin didn't use the force, the force used him. 

[guncrasher]

Han only made the Kessel Run because of the Falcon. Any other ship would have been too slow (if you REALLY want to split hairs, Han never actually said HE made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, only that the Falcon was the ship that did it).

The Empire's engineers didn't arm the Death Star against starfighters because, and Dodonna said it explicitly, they didn't view a one-man fighter to be a threat. Not unlike American military doctrine regarding their battleships prior to WWII. That's not an engineering failure, that's a tactical shortcoming resulting from flawed doctrine. And technically, the Empire was right; a one-man fighter ordinarily WOULDN'T have been a threat to the Death Star. The Rebels only knew about the exhaust port vulnerability due to having access to the plans. That's a bit different than having an unshielded reactor sitting right in the middle of your flight deck.

he actually did the kessel run with luke later on, beating the record made by another pilot of 11.5 parsecs.


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[guncrasher]

Anakin didn't use the force, the force used him. 

the dark side of the force used him.  but at the end the prophecy was true.  he brought balance to the force.


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[Rich46yo]

Takahiro Tamura who played CMDR Mitsuo Fuchida in "Tora Tora Tora".