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Disney’s Planes Fire and Rescue Now Available on Blu-Ray/DVD

Get your copy now and watch it over and over with your kids like I did.

Get your copy now and watch it over and over with your kids like I did.

“Did you just fall out of a B-17?  Cause your da bomb!”

That has got to be one of my favorite lines from just about any movie I have ever seen, and it just happens to come from one of my favorite kids movies ever.  That movie is Disney’s Planes Fire and Rescue which just so happened to come out on Blu-Ray this week.

I won’t bore you with a review of the movie again since I did that when it came out in theaters, but I will reassert how much I absolutely love it.  The sights and sounds of this movie are even better than the original.  It is also an even more touching story than the original because it is based on people who literally risk their lives to keep others safe.  Suffice it to say that I watched it three times this weekend (Don’t judge me, I am just an avgeek) and it touches me more every time I watch it.

While there aren’t a ton of bonus features, the ones they did add are quite nice.  They include an amusing short film about Dusty and Chug performing at an air show in Propwash Junction, a couple of short intro videos of the characters, and my personal favorite, a short feature on the actual firefighters from Chino California that much of the movie was based on.

These Cal Fire aircraft inspired much of the movie.

These Cal Fire aircraft inspired much of the movie.

The members of Cal Fire risk their lives every year to fight wildfires across the region to protect the lives and property of countless people.  The movie mirrored their control tower off the actual tower in Chino as well as basing the Blade character off one of the Cal Fire helicopters.

They really did a fantastic job with the technical aspects of the movie, which they also talk about during the special features.  There is a little bit of artistic freedom, but the vast majority of the flying is spot on and really makes an avgeek like me anxious to get out and fly.

The Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital edition are available on Amazon and will be at your house in two days or less if you have Amazon Prime.  If you need a little eye candy to push you over the edge to buy it, just take a look at the trailer below.  After you do come back and leave a comment, I would love to hear about how much you and your kids love it.

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November 9, 2014 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Filed Under: Aviation  Aviation Films
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Twelve Days of Avgeek Christmas: Day 11 Random Aviation Accesories

There are lots of aviation inspired items for your home out there.

There are lots of aviation inspired items for your home out there.

As I mentioned at the very beginning of all of this I’m not sure why my wife thinks I am hard to shop for.  As an avgeek there is tons of stuff that I would love to have for Christmas.  There hasn’t been a single thing I have posted that I wouldn’t be happy getting.  On top of all of the things I have already posted, there are tons of little odds and ends that are sure to make any avgeek happy.

There are lots of fun ideas people have come up with utilizing aviation instruments as their inspiration.  One of the most common creations are clocks with an instrument as the background all of which would look great on a desk or wall.

For the little avgeeks out there you could always go for an awesome pair of Dusty Crophopper slippers from the amazingly wonderful movie Planes.  I know my son got a pair and he flipped out he was so excited.  Just about anything from that movie, or the movie itself, would make an awesome present.  The funny thing about us avgeeks is that most of us never really grow up.  Flying keeps you young.

My son loves his Dusty slippers, I just wish they had them in my size.

My son loves his Dusty slippers, I just wish they had them in my size.

For a little more gown up clothing option, you can always go with a leather bomber jacket.  I know it was a pretty big deal to me when I finally got mine from the Air Force.  Along with the sunglasses, it is just one of those classic looks that you think of when you think about a pilot.  There are plenty of good options out there starting at around $100, but just remember, you often get what you pay for.

Personally, I have always hated getting clothes for Christmas, so I would be more interested in something useful/fun as opposed to something I would buy for myself anyway.  One of the most useful things you could buy an up and coming aviator is an iPad.  Just browse through these few posts alone and you will see how often I mention the usefulness of iPads.

Now for the sake of full disclosure I am an avid Apple hater, but even I can’t ignore the practical applications of the iPad.  I would hope that Android options would catch up, but for now aviation is clearly an Apple dominated world.  If you are looking to save a little bit of money, an iPad mini will be just as useful, and in many cases a little easier to handle in a smaller cockpit.

Leather jackets are something that have always been synonymous with flyers.

Leather jackets are something that have always been synonymous with flyers.

Maybe you are more of a refined avgeek and in that case you may be more interested in an aviation poster or painting.

Another great suggestion I received from a fellow avgeek was a trip somewhere.  It may be hard to believe, but many of us avgeeks take as much pleasure in the plane ride as in any destination we may be going to.  If I might make a particular suggestion of an amazing trip that would be incredible for any avgeek I would suggest a trip to Seattle (technically Everett and Renton) to visit the Boeing factories.

If this sounds intriguing to you, might I recommend a particular weekend for this trip.  President’s Day weekend is the annual gathering of avgeeks in Seattle known as Aviation Geek Fest 2014 in this case.  It is an incredible weekend of serious avgeekery.  Put on by the AirlineReporter himself David Parker Brown, it is full of special tours and events that you cannot normally experience. The official details have not yet been released, but it gets bigger and better every year.

Outside of the actual events it is an amazing opportunity to meet up with fellow avgeeks and do what we do best, talk about planes.  There are often even unofficial gatherings at local bars and restaurants throughout the weekend for further bonding and merriment.  Last year there was even one group that came all the way from Europe to join in, and they said it was totally worth the trip.  You can sign up to be on the email list on the Airline Reporter website.

As you can see we avgeeks are not hard to shop for, it is just that most people just don’t understand the joy that we derive from such simple things.  They don’t understand how we could enjoy sitting around an airport for five hours in the hopes that you might see that one plane you have longed to see forever.  For us it is an adventure, it is thrilling, and it is not something that you can describe to someone else.  There was a time when flying was a wonder to just about everyone, we have just continued that wonder through to the modern-day.

Due to a miscalculation on my part that I blame on the time difference, there will be two posts today, and I have saved the best for last.  No matter how unrealistic you may think day 12 is, I encourage you to give it a read because you may find yourself as inspired as I am right now.  Just read the post and I hope you will understand.

12 Days of Avgeek Christmas:

Day 1: Aircraft Models and RC Toys
Day 2: Aviation Books and Guides
Day 3: Aviation Apps and Flight Simulators
Day 4: Flight Lessons
Day 5: Headsets
Day 6: Bags and Kneeboards
Day 7: Sunglasses and Watches
Day 8: Handheld GPS
Day 9: Handheld Radio
Day 10: Cameras and Video Recorders
Day 11: Random Aviation Accessories
Day 12: Airplane

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December 25, 2013 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Filed Under: Aviation  Aviation People
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Disney’s “Planes: Fire and Rescue” Teaser Trailer Released

I had no idea just how out of the loop I was until I saw that this trailer was released a month ago.  Then again, I also missed the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the original this week, but only by a couple of days.

It does seem kind of strange to me that the sequel to Planes is following so closely on the tail of the original, but I guess that is just the way things are moving.

Either way, I am incredibly excited about this movie, just like I was for the first one.  Planes: Fire and Rescue is the continued story of Dusty Crophopper, once again voiced by Dane Cook.  Upon learning he can never race again due to a bad engine, he shifts his efforts to aerial firefighting, and some real heroes.

It remains to be seen what path the story will actually follow, but based on the original, and the teaser trailer above, I have high hopes that this movie will also be a beautiful mixture of aircraft sights and sounds.

There is much criticism out there of Disney’s lack of creativity that I just don’t understand.  People didn’t complain when they made 10 princess movies in a row that all follow essentially the same storyline, so why all the heartache that they are making movies about cars and planes?  Pretty much every kid’s movie has a similar story, but I guess most of those people forget that these movies are geared towards children and not adults.

That being said, I know a lot of adults that will be there when this movie opens.  If there is any doubt of that, consider the 15,000 that showed up for the premier of the original at EAA Airventure this last summer.

That is one of the awesome things about aviation; it truly bridges all age, race, and gender gaps.  No one cares who you are or where you come from as long as you love planes.  In fact, we find it more exciting to hear about those unusual planes, pilots, and circumstances that inevitably pop up in aviation.

I really hope that these movies continue to spark a love of aviation in children that will inspire them to chase their dreams and pursue careers in aviation.  Aircraft will never go away, but if we don’t do our best to foster a true passion for aviation, the wonder of it may start to wane.

 

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November 23, 2013 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Filed Under: Aircraft  Aviation  Aviation Films  Aviation People
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Disney’s Planes Movie is an Hour and a Half of Pure Animated Aviation Awesomeness

To give you some indication of how great this movie is, within the first ten seconds of the movie my son excitedly screamed, “AIRPLANES!”  Now at only two years old he is somewhat easily impressed, but his smile was satisfaction enough for me.

The opening scene awakened everything I have loved about planes since I was a very little boy.  From there on in it just kept getting better and better.  I found the animation to be exceptionally clear and clean.  The scenery was beautiful and the planes were stunning, but he part that really struck me was the sound.

Clearly there is nothing quite the same as seeing and hearing the real planes in person, but about halfway through the movie when Skipper the Corsair fired up his engine it gave me the chills.  I found myself ignoring the dialogue at times in the movie just listening to the sounds.

Along with all of the beautiful sounds of engines, it was also fun to hear some of the different voices of the characters.  Most notably to me were the voices of Iceman (Val Kilmer) and Goose (Anthony Edwards) from Top Gun.  That was the movie that really sparked my love of aviation so it was fun to me to hear their voices again.

Obviously the story is not realistic as there is no possible way that a crop duster could keep up with any actual racing aircraft, but that is what animated movies should be about.  Kids should be encouraged to shoot for the impossible.  We should all long to have lofty dreams that takes our utmost to accomplish.

How many movies these days truly inspire kids to shoot for the stars anymore?  Most shows these days are trying to turn kids into teenagers before they even start school.  Instead this movie is just a simple story about a simple character that has a huge dream that he makes a reality.

What could be better in a story for children than that?

Admittedly, I am a huge avgeek, and that likely plays into how much I love this movie, but I honestly feel like it could have a huge impact on the future of aviation.  Kids need something more to be passionate about than stupid pop stars.

It was awesome to hear a group of kids with their parents outside the theater saying, “That was an awesome movie.  We need to buy it on DVD,” and their parents immediately responding, “Definitely.”  This is the kind of start that we need in general aviation.

There is so much more I would love to say about this movie, but I honestly could not say it better than Dan Pimentel, of the Airplanista Aviation Blog, did in his review of the movie after seeing it last week at EAA Airventure in OshKosh Wisconsin.

If you need just a little glimpse at the beauty of this film just take a look at the trailer.  Then hurry out to the theater and enjoy an hour and a half of pure animated aviation awesomeness.

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August 9, 2013 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Filed Under: Aircraft  Aviation  Aviation Films
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