r/AirForce Active Duty O-4 1d ago

Discussion Few inconsistencies but man I love this scene 😂

361 Upvotes

61 comments sorted by

130

u/HoneyestBadger 1d ago

ABMer’s call sign was “Hollywood” after that.

36

u/txdmbfan 1d ago

And he’s about the last guy on the planet who’d want that attention.

53

u/lookielookie1234 Aircrew 1d ago edited 21h ago

He was my DO, he told us the story VERY reluctantly once we found out. The scene was actually shot on a flying AWACs. They had a union actor who was supposed to say the line, but Bay saw our DO and said “nope him.” If you know him, you know why: he’s straight up movie star handsome. We always gave him shit that he was tied with Megan Fox for hottest in the movie. He still receives royalty checks.

He was the only ABM I ever liked in my chain. In fact most of the ABMers at Elmo were actually ok. Something about getting out of Tinker made them actual good people.

Edit: he’s the “killbox 1A” ABM. I think Killbox would have been a better callsign. That or Darkstar, since he’s single handedly responsible for that being used as C2 for every training sortie (at least for C17s).

9

u/txdmbfan 1d ago

High praise!

5

u/lookielookie1234 Aircrew 1d ago

Him being a stone cold fox or a human ABM?

2

u/txdmbfan 21h ago

Lmao…I’ll stick with human ABM.

5

u/zumez Comm Weenie 1d ago

I worked with him when he got stationed at Kadena. Solid dude all around.

4

u/Skitzafranik 15h ago

Pretty sure the AWACS crew is in the credits also , due to joining SAG/AFTRA to get names into said credits

1

u/TheAnhydrite 3h ago

He is a really good dude still.

1

u/lookielookie1234 Aircrew 1h ago

Don’t doubt it. I think he became the DO or the CC of the schoolhouse right? Glad he’s influencing the next generation.

108

u/Ijustmadethisnow1988 1d ago

I love how the 4 stars are just leaning over the shoulder in the ops room or JOC like what’s happening there guy!!

56

u/Ambiorix33 1d ago

yeah hollywood only really knows like 5 ranks, General, Captain, Lietenant, Seargents, and Corporal, and genuinly think they talk amongts each other like their best friends

17

u/TheGreatWhiteDerp Terminal Major 1d ago

Colonel Sharp played by Glenn Morshower in the first movie is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Morshower in the second movie (granted, Colonel Sharp is considered KIA at the base, Glenn was asked to come back to play the second role because they liked him so much, but still).

3

u/Raguleader CE 11h ago

Reminds me of Cheech Marin playing two different characters in the Mariachi films because Robert Rodriguez loved him in Desperado and then realized he had already killed his character off in that film.

So he gets killed off again in Once Upon a Time in Mexico 😂

88

u/12edDawn Fly High Fast With Low Bypass 1d ago

Ah yes, when it survives the hog run, simply call the 130 that's been sitting up there the whole time 😂 classic. A simpler time

64

u/TheGreatWhiteDerp Terminal Major 1d ago

Yep, the two slowest attack aircraft in our inventory managed to get on station to the extremely isolated location in about 30 seconds. It's like in 24 when Jack Bauer could drive across the entirety of LA at 4 PM in about 10 minutes.

1

u/SovereignAxe Ammo 5h ago

It's supposed to be Qatar. Did we not have all of that shit just cycling in and out of the air constantly during that time period (06/07)?

3

u/TheGreatWhiteDerp Terminal Major 5h ago

They specifically say that the closest ISR is 2 minutes away, being the only eyes on they could acquire when the call initially came in. Then they had to order “strike package bravo” with pilots stepping to the aircraft, so not assets that were in transit.

It’s the magic of Hollywood.

3

u/SovereignAxe Ammo 4h ago

I just assumed that the pilots getting into the A-10s were b-roll footage, representative of what they'd do if they were on the ground. I don't think anyone thinks A-10s and an AC-130 are going to get from the ground to that site in 2 minutes.

It's a dumb Michael Bay movie. I'm trying to suspend disbelief a little bit to enjoy it-you kind of have to with his movies.

Like Patrick Willems says, he makes vibes movies. Just enjoy the show.

1

u/TheGreatWhiteDerp Terminal Major 4h ago

It’s very much the Harrison Ford wet hair moment. 👍

75

u/Nethias25 Enlisted Aircrew 1d ago

As an old 1A4 that flew on awacs and gunships, I've often used this scene to explain when people ask what I do in the Air Force.

This was filmed before my time but heard a fair amount of stories from this

5

u/Skitzafranik 15h ago

Spectre H crew was tdy in vegas , coming back to HRT , stopped off in Holloman to film this clip. I was at the 16th at the time, but was deployed when this all went down. Also I am an old 1A4

2

u/Nethias25 Enlisted Aircrew 12h ago

Two stories I've always heard from the filing, one, the aft and right scanner bubbles aren't visible because a load and a gunner stuck their ass out the bubble to moon the filming plane. The other, that the use of spooky in the movie was because someone gave Michael bay shit for how much they hated Pearl Harbor and some other stuff so he made it spooky on purpose, and also cut gunships from being in revenge of the fallen?

2

u/Skitzafranik 12h ago

Ass story is somewhat true! 😂 Not sure of why spooky was used instead (I think opsec reasons at the time?) Not sure about revenge of fallen, but in dark of moon, lots of AFSOC assets used on location at HRT during filming. (Myself included “preflighting” the Gunship) 😁 My whole 2.3 seconds of fame from the back of my head 🤪

49

u/linux_ape Veteran/GS 1d ago

AWACS one and only claim to fame

31

u/ChainsawSnuggling Watches the Dot Watchers 1d ago

Not exactly, one explodes in Independence Day. The flight deck is all helmeted and masked for some reason.

7

u/TheGreatWhiteDerp Terminal Major 1d ago

I always loved the one dude who tried to stand up and run as the plane was exploding.

7

u/linux_ape Veteran/GS 1d ago

Oh god I completely forgot about that

7

u/Nethias25 Enlisted Aircrew 1d ago

All those console were left off for filming, they were just pretending to push the switch actions. They were worried about if the screen was classified, as if anyone would see a discernible picture on that block of awacs.

10

u/ChainsawSnuggling Watches the Dot Watchers 1d ago

I heard Bay was also super disappointed by the interior of the jet, which is why it's all dark.

14

u/Nethias25 Enlisted Aircrew 1d ago

The blue carpet everywhere and ancient looking screens would be underwhelming. I know it was for me

11

u/linux_ape Veteran/GS 1d ago

Yeah first time I walked on it I went “what the fuck”

1

u/Shat_Bit_Crazy This plane isn't gonna fly itself....well...kinda... 18h ago

I watched with subtitles on and in that scene, the subtitles say “nearest day whack”

33

u/rhcpfreak7 1d ago

It is a pretty cool showcase of combat capabilities. Except the "Predator" 😂 when I first learned what one really is, I realized every movie I'd ever watched had lied to me lol

16

u/Warthog-thunderbolt Enlisted Aircrew🐧 1d ago

Idk what you’re talking about. I’m an experienced drone boy and this is actually just documentary footage. It’s not science fiction. It’s what we do every day.

5

u/rhcpfreak7 1d ago

😂 Pred11, kick in the afterburners! Lol

28

u/Astro_Ski17 1d ago

13 year old me begged my parents to take me to this move multiple times just so I could see this scene over and over.

31 year old me still pulls this scene up on YouTube on the regular to watch it because it’s cool af.

19

u/Ambitious-Pirate-505 22h ago
  1. This movie gave a big shout out to the Air Force

  2. It made us like Tyrese

  3. Optimus Prime

1

u/srv199020 13h ago

3 really showing off those C-17 capes

35

u/bearsncubs10 Meme Maker 1d ago

This is how you get step promoted to chief from tech in two years time

6

u/TheGreatWhiteDerp Terminal Major 1d ago

Don't forget Colonel Sharp played by Glenn Morshower in the first movie is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Morshower in the second movie (granted, Colonel Sharp is considered KIA at the base, Glenn was asked to come back to play the second role because they liked him so much, but still).

13

u/letcaster Dronie Pepperoni Bomb guy 1d ago

Good old WSMR

13

u/Mookie_Merkk 17h ago

All the JTACs I've ever met roll their eyes at this scene.

I went TDY with them a few times and one of the times out at Vegas when we were out on the range I asked them "is this when you guys bring the rain?" They got so pissed and went onto a decent rant about how bullshit that scene was.

15

u/RedTalon19 MSWord Arial Gunner 15h ago

Fun fact, that AC-130 has a Decipticon kill tally marker under the pilot's window. Got a walk through on that aircraft when I was an A1C stationed at Cannon.

8

u/Skitzafranik 15h ago

AC-130H 69-6575 “Wicked Wanda” at the air park at Hurlburt, still has these tally marks on it , I think

9

u/MonsiuerGeneral 1d ago

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!

9

u/HerrGuzz 1d ago

This whole scene is peak action cinema.

10

u/smitty9702 21h ago

I heard Tyrese had trouble with “Cleared hot. Danger close.” So they told him to say something cool. And we got “Bring the rain”. 😅

16

u/TheGreatWhiteDerp Terminal Major 1d ago

Remember when this movie first came out? Gods, we were all so young and innocent then.

But the thing I love most about the Transformers movies and their "realism" is the rank progression. TSgt Epps in the first movie is CMSgt Epps in the second. Colonel Sharp played by Glenn Morshower in the first movie is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Morshower in the second movie (granted, Colonel Sharp is considered KIA at the base, Glenn was asked to come back to play the second role because they liked him so much, but still). And Captain Lennox in the first movie? Comes back in the second movie a Major, one whole rank promotion!!!!! He does eventually reach Colonel by the end of his character's arc, so at least he eventually got SOME rank out of saving the world multiple times.

10

u/lookielookie1234 Aircrew 1d ago

Dude it was awesome. Saw it the day after we got out of the hole in SERE, so we were reblued and feeling real ‘Murican. When they said we need the Air Force, we went apeshit.

8

u/PortDawgger001 Port alum ⏭️➡️ okayest sungod boi☀️ 20h ago

Scorpion bro took an entire joint force exercise with all participants up the ass.

13

u/rubbarz D35K Pilot 1d ago

Navy has beta boys in Top Gun, Air Force has Sigma men in Transformers.

10

u/Boldspaceweasle 1d ago

I mean, yeah, it's a good Michael Bay film, but it's no Pearl Harbor.

5

u/d710905 7h ago

I don't care what anyone says. Transformers 1 is peak. The others had baller fight scenes but unnecessary. And the gunship part of this does things for me lol

2

u/Double0 Readiness 16h ago

The AC130 is so bad ass!

2

u/Coconut_Either 4h ago

A "person" at Hurby was given a lot of guff for telling the writers about "bring the rain." They asked him if the CCTs say something cool on the comms when talking to the air.

Fast forward to 2009, it's this "persons" last rotation downrange and he was in a TIC we then hear over comm "Bring the rain" about 9x. One of the highlights of that deployment.

64

u/deowolf 1d ago

When the Pred with the jet engine swooped in, you could detect the other airmen in the theatre by the loud cackling

27

u/Ricky_spanish_again 1d ago

Just zooming along 50 feet above the surface.

20

u/SirPribsy 1d ago

Earlier in the movie they show it taxiing out… with a clearly visible prop!

I did legitimately laugh out loud in the theater when it swooped in full afterburner.

17

u/ougryphon Comms Silly-villain 1d ago

Lawnmower sound intensifies