On the maiden flight of the first hypersonic commercial plane which can make the flight from New York City to London in four hours, a minor disaster occurs resulting in the plane actually ...
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Title: Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land (TV Movie 1983)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Lee Majors | ... | Captain Cody Briggs | |
| Hal Linden | ... | Josh Gilliam | |
| Lauren Hutton | ... | Erica Hansen | |
| Ray Milland | ... | Q. T. Thornwell | |
| Gail Strickland | ... | Nancy Gilliam | |
| George DiCenzo | ... | Bowdish (as George Di Cenzo) | |
| Tess Harper | ... | Janet Briggs | |
| Terry Kiser | ... | Freddie Barrett | |
| Heather McAdam | ... | Laurie Hansen (as Heather Mc Adam) | |
| Michael Sacks | ... | Pete | |
 |
Gary Bayer | ... | Martin |
| Pat Corley | ... | Joe Pedowski | |
| Robert Webber | ... | Felix | |
| Jocelyn Brando | ... | Mrs. Harvey | |
|
|
Diane Stilwell | ... | Betty |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
On the maiden flight of the first hypersonic commercial plane which can make the flight from New York City to London in four hours, a minor disaster occurs resulting in the plane actually leaving the Earth's atmosphere and orbiting around the globe. A lack of heat-resistant tiling prevents the plane from simply re-entering the atmosphere. With oxygen (and therefore time) running out, the crew of the plane and the crew on the ground must figure out a way to return the plane and its passengers to safety. Written by Afterburner <aburner@erols.com>
Taglines:
A special plane . . . not built for outer space . . . suddenly it's there! See more »Certificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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Captain Cody Briggs: Joe, did you ever skip a flat rock across a lake and watch it skim and bounce along the surface? I wanna give reentry that kind of shot.
Joe Pedowski: I have skipped a few rocks on a few lakes in my time and I never saw yet one that didn't sink. It's one chance in a million.
Captain Cody Briggs: So was this accident.
Joe Pedowski: I am scared out of my mind being up here inside this plane and you want me to go outside?
[laughs nervously]
Joe Pedowski: oh no!
[pause]
Joe Pedowski: I'll need a wire stripper and some wire nuts... and a dry ...
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The movie is loosely based on the novel "Orbit" by Thomas H. Block, from 1982. In the novel, a hypersonic plane on a cruise from New York City to Sydney exceeds its cruise altitude, due to sabotage by a revenge-seeking company engineer. See more »Goofs
The handset on the passenger telephone has a port for a cord at the bottom, yet there is no cord between it and the cradle. See more »Quotes
Joe Pedowski: You're gonna try to fly this thing back?Captain Cody Briggs: Joe, did you ever skip a flat rock across a lake and watch it skim and bounce along the surface? I wanna give reentry that kind of shot.
Joe Pedowski: I have skipped a few rocks on a few lakes in my time and I never saw yet one that didn't sink. It's one chance in a million.
Captain Cody Briggs: So was this accident.
Joe Pedowski: I am scared out of my mind being up here inside this plane and you want me to go outside?
[laughs nervously]
Joe Pedowski: oh no!
[pause]
Joe Pedowski: I'll need a wire stripper and some wire nuts... and a dry ...
[...]
See more »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
27 February 1983 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Starflight One See more »Filming Locations:
Laird International Studio - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USACompany Credits
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When I saw this film during it's first airing back in 1983, at the age of 14, I thought it was a good movie. It had one of my favorite actors, Lee, the Six-Million Dollar Man, Majors in it. My generation also grew up on disaster films and this movie carried on the torch. Actually it is probably one of the last of the 70'ish type disaster movies. The plot, IMO, closely resembled that of AIRPORT-77, only this plane was stranded in space instead of underwater in the ocean.
I, especially now as an adult, can see why people may dislike this film. Although this film is supposed to be realistic it is about as realistic as and child's fairy tale. You know what, I don't care. I still enjoy this film. I don't watch a film like this for the real life science and technology. I watch it for fun and take the science and technology about as seriously as I do that of a Star Trek film or show.
Chezzy films may not be for everyone but for those that don't mind a little cheese this film will probably be worth viewing, at least once.