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The Flyboys (film)

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Not to be confused with Flyboys (film).
The Flyboys
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRocco DeVilliers
Written byRocco DeVilliers
Jason DeVilliers
Produced byRocco DeVilliers
Dan Urness
StarringReiley McClendon
Jesse James
Stephen Baldwin
Tom Sizemore
CinematographyJim Orr
Edited byRocco DeVilliers
Music byLisle Moore
Production
company
Dark Coast Pictures
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Dark Coast Pictures
Release date
  • August 15, 2008 (2008-08-15) (United States)
Running time
123 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Flyboys (released Internationally as Sky Kids) is a 2008 American aviation adventure film starring Reiley McClendon, Jesse James, Stephen Baldwin and Tom Sizemore. The Flyboys revolve around a "coming-of-age" story of two boys from a small town who find their courage tested when they accidentally stow away aboard an aircraft owned by the mob. This was the final film for actor Harrison Young, who died three years before the film was released.

Plot

In a small Arizona town, the new kid, Kyle, finds himself saving one of his classmates, Jason, from a group of bullies and they quickly become friends. Jason takes Kyle to the local airport where his uncle Ed works, and they all go on a flight. Thrilled about the adventure, they plan to meet again the next morning at the airport. On their own they check out some planes, first sitting inside a small light aircraft before Jason leads them to a mysterious hangar with a larger plane. While trying out the controls of the silver colored twin-engine airliner, the hangar doors unexpectedly open and the boys immediately hide to avoid getting in trouble. They hope that whoever it is will simply leave shortly so they hide in the rear baggage compartment but to their dismay the plane gets started and heads for takeoff. Jason sneaks a peak to see who is on board and is startled to see that one of the men has a gun. At a stopover at an unknown airport, a small bag gets placed into the boys' compartment. The plane takes off again and after a while the boys discover the bag contains a bomb. They burst into the cabin to report their discovery but are shocked to see that the plane is empty. Jason throws the bomb out of the door while Jason gets in the cockpit to maneuver the plane away from a mountainside. Together they then manage to safely land the aircraft. The two are regarded in the news as heroes, but their troubles have now caught up to them. Jason and Kyle soon realize that they are embroiled in a criminal effort to steal millions of dollars from the mob. In the process of staying one step ahead of gangsters, they find their courage to come out on top.

Cast

A Beech 18S like the one that appeared in The Flyboys.

Production

Producer, director and screenwriter Rocco DeVilliers worked with a $2.4 million budget, meagre for a major production. Including pre-production, work on the film took over seven years. Once production was complete, the film was shopped around to major studios and distributors but was not successful in making any headway. Ultimately, despite 21 wins at numerous film festivals, The Flyboys was relegated to a DVD release, re-titled as Sky Kids. Promotional efforts then centered on the new title. The film was broadcast on Sky Movies UK on August 15, 2009. It was released on DVD in the UK titled Sky Kids on May 25, 2009.

The Flyboys was filmed in parts of Southwestern Utah, mainly in Hurricane, Utah, St. George, Utah, Washington, Utah and Zion National Park. Principal photography took place at Mesquite Airport, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The aircraft used in the film included: a Bullock Bu-180 (N145BB),[1] Beech 18S (CZ -265, N476PA), Beech A36 Bonanza, Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil (N410JC), and Piper PA-34-220T Seneca III (N83878).[2] [Note 1]

Reception

In 2008, Devilliers embarked on an odyssey of film festivals all over the United States, with The Flyboys picking up 21 individual awards. A total of 14 awards were for best feature film while Steven Baldwin was also nominated for best supporting actor.[4]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ The Beech 18S featured in the film was owned and flown by pilot Skip Evans.[3]

Citations

  1. ^ "N145BB - 1982 Bullock, William B BU-180." Aircraft-Data.com, 2019. Retrieved: May 19, 2019.
  2. ^ Santoir, Christian. "Sky Kids." Aeromovies. Retrieved: May 19, 2019.
  3. ^ Beck 2016, p. 101.
  4. ^ "Awards: Sky Kids (2008)." IMDB. Retrieved: May 19, 2019.

Bibliography

  • Beck, Simon D. The Aircraft-Spotter's Film and Television Companion. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2016. ISBN 978-1-4766-2293-4.
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