Factual error: After a power outage the captain states that operating on batteries (?) he has 10 minutes of power, followed by an uncontrolled descent. That is ludicrous. Aircraft can glide to a landing with no power or engines. Further, commercial airliners have a Ram Air Turbine that can supply hydraulic as well as electrical power even if the engines are not functioning.
Continuity mistake: For the first emergency landing, the co-pilot has his seatbelt on, then it is off a second later, then back on, then off again, then on again.
Factual error: They request an altitude of 40,000ft, however the service ceiling for an MD80 used in the film is 37,000ft. (00:09:00)
Factual error: Electrical power is lost due to thunderstorms/turbulence. Even if one admits that were possible, the captain tries to transmit a mayday signal. But he states that he has no altimeter, no navigation, no radar, no ADI. Some is true, but even without power an airplane has a functioning altimeter, a magnetic compass, an airspeed indicator, and an Attitude Directional Indicator (ADI). (00:15:55)
Factual error: There are numerous minor errors in this movie in addition to the major ones I cited in other entries. - A person is killed when he falls in the aisle during turbulence. After a very jarring emergency landing, the body has not moved an inch. - The survivors are "in the middle of the jungle" yet there was a road wide and long enough and unobstructed to allow the plane to land with the gear down.
Suggested correction: Jolo Island, where they landed, has many roads "in the middle of the jungle." It's not unreasonable to assume that at least one of them meets the required criteria.
OK. Thanks for that.
Factual error: The jets have an APU (auxiliary power unit) which can be extended from the fuselage to generate electricity. The pilots don't extend the flaps while at the gate, but when they are sitting still on the runway. The flaps have number settings, like 5 degrees or 15 degrees. The captain cannot direct the copilot to "extend the flaps." The flaps would not be retracted immediately after takeoff either.
Factual error: At the end of the movie, they fly 80 km in about 20 seconds. That's 14,400 km/h, way beyond realistic speeds.
Factual error: Near the end, they are taking off from the rebel island, and the captain is told where the nearest runway is, and that it's 50 miles away. Somehow, within a minute or two, the plane travels those 50 miles to land at the other runway. A crippled plane flew 50 miles in a minute or two?
Continuity mistake: In the cockpit scene at the beginning you see them test their flight controls using a yoke (as used in Boeing aircraft) yet when you see a view looking at the flight instruments it's the layout of an Airbus A320, which uses a side stick operation.
Other mistake: Just when the tower clears 119 to take off, it shows the PFD and MFD screens. On PFD it shows air speed 250 knots and altitude 40000 feet which could only be happened when cruising in air. Also, on MFD it shows ground speed 250, and no flight path displayed. (00:09:00)
Factual error: The captain requests a climb to "40,000 feet" to avoid weather. The correct terminology would have been to request a climb to "Flight Level 400." Class A airspace begins at 18,000 feet and everything above that is designated in Flight Levels, not feet.
Factual error: The captain and the first officer are both supposed to be wearing the uniform of Trailblazer Airlines. Yet their ties are completely different.
Suggested correction: Other airlines might only have a single tie design; however, this could only be classed as a factual error with proof that Trailblazer Airlines does not have more than one tie option. However, since it's a fictional airline, it can't be proved; therefore, it can't be classed as an error.
You have a point. Noted as possible. Thanks.
