My buddy The Wandering Minstrel has a post about the Aeronca Champ, or as we used to call them, "Air Knockers". In my younger days as a Junior Birdman I had in ride in a Champ, and I still remember it. Never got a ride in a J3 Cub, but maybe one of these days......
Anyway, in remembering the Champ, my mind wandered back to one of my favorite films, called "One Six Right". It's the story of General Aviation, and specifically, the Van Nuys Airport, which is the busiest General Aviation airport in the world.
Now General Aviation airports run the gamut from little out-of-the-way grass strips, to bustling hubs of activity like Van Nuys, and they're wonderful things. They're usually places you can just go and hang out if you love airplanes like I do, although the biggest of them can resemble a full-fledged airport like LAX, ORD, or JFK, with all the attendant security that makes big airports a little harder to just go hang out at.
But back to the film......
"One Six Right" is more a love story than a documentary, written, directed, and produced by a guy who loves aviation, and the thrill of flying. It was originally shot in High Definition, and has been shown on PBS stations, and some of the larger cable networks, and the videography is just absolutely stunning, along with some beautifully done original music. The interviews are great, too, and you'll see some rather famous people talking about their love of flying. And all woven in with these is the history of Van Nuys Airport, from the bean field it stated as to the bustling giant it is today.
It's been released in DVD and HD-DVD formats, but no Blu-Ray. The DVD version is available from Netflix, and the streaming version is available on HULU.
If you love aviation, it's one of those "Must See" movies, especially in High Definition if you can find a showing.
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What I've Been Up To....
Started this post on Monday, then came down with a head cold, which is now progressing South. Feeling better, but still a bit woozy...... To...
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Heh- I've worked out of Van Nuys for the last couple of years on some stuff... you NEVER know what will go taxiing by next... :-)
ReplyDeleteDrJim - thanks for the mention on your blog. I am going to acquire the One Six Right DVD one of these days. reading through the reviews, it appears that I know several of the people interviewed or appearing in the film. I don’t know why the production missed my attention all these years.
ReplyDeleteI instructed at Van Nuys in the seventies - it should be interesting.
OldNFO...yep, I've heard VNY is quite a place. Maybe I'll drag the YF up there some day to hang out and watch airplanes.
ReplyDeleteMinstrel....no problem! I *kinda* knew a few of the people second hand from our Helo team at Sea Launch. When I ran the movie one night when we at sea, the pilots were pointing out the people they knew.