Vintage WWI Aircraft in the Movies
In 1979, Golden Harvest Pictures commissioned Vernon Ohmert, a Colorado native, to build six WWl Bristol F2B warcraft. These planes were being built for the movie “High Road to China”. He and his brothers gathered in Ypsilante, Michigan for a grand adventure. With a very talented team surrounding them, they accomplished what many people said would be impossible. But what is new…those words have been spoken many times in aviation circles.
The Bristol F2B was a workhorse for the early aces of England. Vern was regarded by many in aviation as the “Quiet Genius”. He had a huge problem on his hands. The film called for six flying aircraft and three “dummy” crash planes. Problem was-- there were no longer any airworthy Bristols anywhere in the world.
So, these planes had to be built from the ground up using modern materials. The planes had to be an exact replica but they had to be made lighter so that they would perform well. The Bristols were an extremely large bi-plane with a wing span of 40 feet. The original engine was made by Rolls Royce and the propeller did not come out of the center part of the cowling like it does in most planes. Another big problem, the Rolls Royce engines were not available.
The “Quiet Genius” had a huge puzzle to solve. He spent countless hours in deep concentration figuring out the new design. To solve the engine problem, he took Ford Ranger engines and inverted them, a brilliant idea but a tough trick to pull off. Those Ford engines worked beautifully!
The fuselage was made with a strong but light-weight steel tubing. The wings were made of wood and covered with fabric, just like the original planes. In the end, the planes looked identical to the originals but underneath their outer skin was a very modern airplane.
These planes flew into movie history in the wilds of Canada as they were used in the movie called “Death Hunt” starring Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson and Angie Dickinson. The strange thing was that these bi-planes never were used in “The High Road to China”, the film they were intended to fly in. One of the planes can be seen in Chino, California displayed at the “Planes of Fame Museum”.
Vintage War Aircraft in Cinema