Continuity mistake: When they try to land the C130 on the aircraft carrier, the co-pilot says that they don't have the right landing gear down, so she goes to the back to instruct one of the passengers how to lower the gear manually. The problem is that they lower the left gear, which was already down.
Factual error: Season 9 Episode 5, "Touchdown": When they approach the aircraft carrier, the copilot says that the number two engine is flaming out. This means there is no more fuel to run that engine. That supposedly also means that there is not enough fuel for a fire alarm lighting up in the cockpit, which is what happens in the show. (Verified by a USMC Staff Sergeant who flew 8 years on a C130).
Factual error: During the approach on the aircraft carrier, they had to put out the gear manually. The copilot shouts that she has three greens (meaning that all gears are down and locked), then she puts the gear lever up. If that is done, the gear would raise again or be in an unsafe position for the landing.
Revealing mistake: When the plane approaches the aircraft carrier, they have to dump fuel, and the fuel comes out through the back. However it should be coming out on the wing tips. So they had a tank of water or something similar that they sprayed out through the back. (Confirmed by a Staff Seargent with the USMC who flew 8 years on a C130.)
Factual error: When they have to jettison fuel during their final approach to the aircraft carrier, Rabb tells his co-pilot to dump 200 pounds of fuel. That is about 30 Gallons (about two normal car tanks). But there is way too much fuel being dumped to be only 30 gallons.
Revealing mistake: The cockpit of the C130 is not correctly rebuilt. The pilots are sitting too close to each other. (Verified by a former C130 pilot with the USMC.)
Continuity mistake: When Admiral Chegwidden hands Petty Officer Coates a dress of hers he found in the galley, Coates' grip on the hanger changes between shots. (00:09:35)
Factual error: In the opening scene the caption states "Antwerp, Belgium Diamond District", however, the street show is actually located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The building at the end of the street is the "Rijksmuseum" (famous for Rembrandt's "Nachtwacht"). Furthermore, the 2 diamond experts speak German. If it was in Antwerp, they should have been speaking Dutch or Flemish.
Continuity mistake: When Mac talks to Webb at the end of the episode, she remains still on the couch, but then her hands suddenly appear up in front of her face. (00:41:35)
Chosen answer: When landing on an aircraft carrier, a pilot "calls the ball" by confirming to the landing signal officer (LSO) that they have the carrier, and more specifically its landing guidance systems in sight. Carriers use a Fresnel lens system which is a light only visible at a certain angle, so if a pilot sees the "ball" they are at the correct altitude and glide slope for landing.
Sierra1 ★