Red Tails

[Jon Ferguson]

Red Tails comes out on Friday. I will probably see it over the weekend and write up a movie review on my blog on Monday.

[Treetop_Flyer]

Stacy and I are going to go see it Friday night as well. Aviation Date Night...awesome. ;)

[Dana]

I saw the trailer on TV... no idea what the movie will be like, and I've gotten to expect (if not like) computer animation for the flying scenes, but it looked like bad computer animation.

[MEdwards]

it looked like bad computer animation.
Hi Dana, that was exactly my reaction, but I only saw it for a few seconds. Hope it turns out to be better than that.

[CarlOrton]

While I haven't yet seen the movie, there was a special screening here in Ft Worth last night. Three Tuskegee Airmen were the honored guests. No comments in the paper about the quality of the computer animation, but the three Airmen said that the depiction of the training was spot-on. Looks like they did their homework on that part of it.

[Sonex1517]

I saw the preview at Oshkosh under less than perfect conditions (outdoors) but have to say I sure liked what I saw...and the online trailers look great...

[Zack Baughman]

I know Red Tails has already been raked over the coals for having CGI rather than real airplanes, for inaccurate markings on the aircraft, for P-51s pulling Pitts-like maneuvers, etc. etc. Just keep in mind that this is entertainment and not a history lesson and should be judged as such. To be fair, George Lucas has produced a companion documentary to Red Tails called "Double Victory." This tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen in true historical nature without the "Hollywood" effects. For more on "Double Victory," you can visit this link: http://www.history.com/images/media/pdf/_Double_victory_Classroom.pdf

I'd also suggest that if you are truly interested in learning more about the Tuskegee Airmen, have a look at the following EAA Timeless Voices of Aviation interviews with Alexander Jefferson and Robert Martin.


http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=65959536001

http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=1416866952

[rudymorris]

Jon, et. al.,

I too want to see the movie...knowing Lucas and Star Wars...the CGI will be VG and exciting.

One of the young actors appeared this week on one of the late night talk shows and his historical perspective was a little off.
He implied that the Red Tails 'Won the war'...not accurate. In addition he went on the explain how prior to Red Tails, the fighter pilots 'ran off chasing German planes so they could become Aces' leaving the bombers all alone!? When the Red Tails showed up, they had a new strategy and stayed with the bombers in close air support. He even made the statement that the Red Tails 'never lost a bomber' because of their new tactic!?

My understanding of the fighter escort tactics was just the reverse...the fighters had traditionally stayed close to the bombers...the Germans would straf the entire group, sometimes head-on taking out lots of bombers in the process. About the time the P-51s arrived on the scene the AAF brass began to re-think their strategy and decided to allow the fighters to fly high cover and intercept the German fighters before they could pounce on our bombers. Correct me here if I'm wrong. If my understanding is correct then this young actor sure didn't pay attention to the history involved in the film production.

I'm all for acknowledging the contribution of the Tuskegee Airman...it is long overdue. However, I'm concerned that Hollywood may try and turn them into 'super heroes' that 'saved the war'.

BTW...the young actor also implied that all Tuskegee Airman were fighter pilots...also not true...there were some 900+ Red Tails...400+ went into fighter training and most saw combat. The other 500+ went into bomber training and only about half that number saw combat before the war was over. It will be interesting if Lucas even talks or shows the bomber aspects of the story.

Will be interested in how the film portrays the Red Tails and hope that Lucas and company get it historically accurate.

[MickYoumans]

I'm glad to see the Tuskegee Airmen getting the recognition they deserve and hope the movie will portray history accurately. Since it is coming out of Holywood I imagine it will be overly dramatized. The urban legend is that the Red Tails never lost a bomber on their watch. The records show 25 bombers were shot down under their escort which I think is still a very respectable record. It just amazes me how the urban legends and folk lore trumps documented facts at times. I'm anxious to hear what you guys think after seeing the movie. I'm sure I'll go see the movie but I want to wait for the crowds to die down a bit before going.

[Floatsflyer]

I'm glad to see the Tuskegee Airmen getting the recognition they deserve and hope the movie will portray history accurately. Since it is coming out of Holywood I imagine it will be overly dramatized. The urban legend is that the Red Tails never lost a bomber on their watch. The records show 25 bombers were shot down under their escort which I think is still a very respectable record. It just amazes me how the urban legends and folk lore trumps documented facts at times. I'm anxious to hear what you guys think after seeing the movie. I'm sure I'll go see the movie but I want to wait for the crowds to die down a bit before going.

This is not the first screen treatment of the Tuskeegee Airmen. In 1995, HBO produced the made for TV movie "The Tuskeegee Airmen" starring Laurence Fishburne and Cuba Gooding Jr.(who is also in Red Tails). It's extremely well done and because of HBO's reputation for producing true events drama as accurately and historically as possible, the epilogue of this film also includes the information that they did not lose a single bomber under their escort. Every article I have read or documentary I have seen on the subject, all state this as fact. I'd be curious to knowfrom what source your information is from.

Here are some additional Tuskeegee facts:Tuskegee Airmen facts:
Tuskegee Army Air Field, located at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, was the training center for all black fighter pilots during World War II.There were 996 original Airmen. These included pilots, bombardiers, and navigators. More than 10,000 black men and women served as their vital support personnel. 450 served in combat overseas in the European Theater of Operations, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. 66 of the Tuskegee aviators died in combat. 33 Tuskegee Airmen became prisoners of war. None of the bombers they escorted was lost to enemy fighters. They flew 15,533 sorties between May, 1943 and June 9, 1945. They destroyed 251 enemy aircraft. They sank a German destroyer using only their machine guns. They disabled more than 600 box cars, locomotives and rolling stock. They won more than 850 medals, including 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, eight Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars, 744 Air Medals and clusters, and three distinguished unit citations. For every pilot, there were at least 10 black men and women on the ground in support roles including mechanics, medical technicians, administrative support and cooks. They were trained at Chanute Field, Illinois. White American pilots were not allowed to fly more than 52 missions, but black American pilots often flew up to 100 missions due to lack of replacements. The all-black 477th bomber group was activated and scheduled to
fight in the Pacific, but the war ended before their deployment.

[MickYoumans]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen

Read the "Controversy over Escort Record" section.

[Floatsflyer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen

Read the "Controversy over Escort Record" section.


Thanks Mick, very recent research conducted by educators and some corroboration by a living Airmen himself. Interesting, thanks again. As you said, still impressive.

[flyingriki]

Saw it today in the first showing here. Not the best made movie. Well over a hundred digital artists and a lot less pilots.....
Lot's of goofy stuff pilots will notice, and not the best acting or scripting. Still - a great show and fun to see so much aviation and a few real planes and a tribute to the guys that were so denigrated at the time. I understand there were some real recreations of attacking Germans fighters but missed them in all the excitement.
Only saw Steve Hinton in the credits. Was expecting to see many familiar names.
Weird that Lucas had to go overseas and fund it himself (?). Says a lot about Hollywood...... oh well.

[Holyize]

I saw the trailer while watching the Nets play the Warriors. Finally, aviation movies are back! I just know that it's going to be awesome.

[Frank Giger]

I'll probably wait until it's out on Blu-Ray, watch it once through and then wind up replaying the best of the flying bits (gotta love a Big A--ed TV).

On the "never lost a bomber" counter-claims, they reinforce the record of the squadron. When one has to dig really deep to find the exception to the rule, it speaks to a helluva record.

On escorts abandoning bombers, it was a problem that surfaced from time to time - but for a host of reasons, including directives aimed at achieving long term air superiority as well as kill hunting. "Engage fighters attacking the bombers" can be interpreted a lot of ways by a flight commander, after all. Does it mean drive them off or decisely engage and destroy them? And what is the expectation from the squadron commander?

"Six bombers damaged by enemy aircraft and y'all didn't shoot down a single one."
"They made a single pass and dove away, disengaging."
[Silence from the commander]

Next mission the flight commander pursues and they shoot down two - but in the process lose the bombers, which are attacked later on to the loss of some of them.

The Eighth figured out that keeping the escort with the bombers kept a second attack on the bombers by the same group of enemy, or a more prolonged first attack (German gun cam footage on un-escorted bombers show long runs on them followed by second and third passes), and changed expectations of escort flights.

The "Red Tails" were very, very good at cohesive teamwork that lead to sticking strictly to mission parameters, which made them sought out for escort duties, regardless of the color of the pilots.

[Joe LaMantia]

Frank,
I think you have a good grasp of some of the tactics employed. There is a "big picture" to the story that focuses on the impact of the P-51, which didn't appear in numbers until late 1944 (Nov). The idea of keeping the fighter escort close to the bombers was necessary due in large part to the lack of range of the P-38's and P-47's. General Doolittle took over the 8th Air Force about the time the P-51's came into the ETO and was a strong promoter of using them in fighter sweeps. The Bomber guys were very much opposed to that idea, but Doolittle was convinced that they could have a big impact on the German Air Force before D-Day. He was right, the P-51's were hitting the German fighters before they approached the bomber formations and as the weeks past the bomber loss rate went way down. Doolitte was switched from the Italian theater air commander to England by Hap Arnold. Essentially Arnold swapped Gen. Spatz , a bomber guy for Doolittle. So in Italy where the Red Tail flew they were expected to stay with the Bombers, and that didn't change much until Doolittles' results could no longer be ignored.

I to will wait for the DVD on this movie.

Joe
:cool:

[DanChief]

I saw the movie last night.

Full review here: http://flightmusings.blogspot.com/2012/01/redtails-movie-review.html

Brief review: Not good.

[Treetop_Flyer]

I really can't understand the negative vibe I'm getting here. I went and saw Red Tails on Saturday afternoon and loved it. Sure it wasn't perfect, but no movie ever is. The action sequences were great and I didn't think the CGI was all that bad. Sure, some of the manuvers are a little over the top, but c'mon...it's entertainment...not a documentary. I loved the actors and thought they did a good job. I liked the use of humor to break up the more solemn moments. Botttom line is that its a decent aviation movie and worth going to see in the theater. Just my opinion though.

[Hiperbiper]

Red Tails was Crap.
Too much money to CGI and not enough money for the writers. Damn little for Historians.

This movie did as much blashphamy to the Army Air Corps, all escort pilots, the Tuskeegee Airmen and the ETO as the movie "Pearl Harbor" did to the early war in the Pacific and Europe.

Hollywood continues to make crap films about historical figures with the lens on the end result; not what percipitated to produce that result.

The Grandness of the Tuskeegee Airmen wasn't in their bag of kills or even their bomber loss ratio; it was pure and simply that they were PERMITTED to ever sit in the cockpit of a P-40 or P-51 or a B-24. This film misses all of that.

IMPO; The Tuskeegee Airmen movie with Lawarance Fishburn (sp) was mush more watchable and accurate.

Lucasfilms MIGHT recoup some of their money on the release of "Red Tails X-box"

This thing will be in the Wally World $5 bargin bin in a week...


Chris

[Jon Ferguson]

I saw the movie on Friday and was considering writing a review (bad review for the most part) and this morning read Dan's review. Yep he sums it up quite nicely. So for a review of Redtails see Dan's blog:

http://flightmusings.blogspot.com/2012/01/redtails-movie-review.html

No point in beating a dead horse.

Jon

[Zack Baughman]

I SINCERELY appreciate the recognition the Tuskegee Airmen are receiving in the media and public's eye right now due to the release of Red Tails. With any luck, some of the folks who have seen the film will be inspired to go pick up a book and learn more about the battle the Tuskegee Airmen fought to be allowed to fight for their country and their commendable combat record. That being said, the film itself is lousy in my opinion. Some really superb actors were hamstrung with an absolutely horrible script and storyline. I know producer George Lucas and screen writer John Ridley have said numerous times that they were not making an historical documentary, but rather a throwback adventure film in the vein of the 1940s action flicks like The Flying Tigers. I can accept that. I can accept the sometimes spotty CGI and mismarked airplanes that defy the laws of physics. What I can't accept is a movie that does a poor job delivering on what it proclaims to be - an action flick. It just wasn't very good. I wanted to like it, I really did. But I found I had to focus on the great set design and costumes to make it through the crummy dialogue and storyline and get back to the admittedly fun dogfights and flying scenes. The rest was just filler. If I had to grade Red Tails, I'd give it a C at best.

Now all that being said, I do encourage folks to go see the film themselves and form their own opinions. I've heard through the grapevine that there are a few other WWII aviation flicks in development, but if this one falls completely flat, they may not get the backing needed to be made. Not everyone has the personal finances that George Lucas does to bankroll their own film. And as I said, the flying scenes, while not at all realistic, were somewhat enjoyable. I just wish Mr. Lucas had watched the British made-for-tv movie First Light to see how good an aviation movie can be made on a small budget.

[Holyize]

I really can't understand the negative vibe I'm getting here. I went and saw Red Tails on Saturday afternoon and loved it. Sure it wasn't perfect, but no movie ever is. The action sequences were great and I didn't think the CGI was all that bad. Sure, some of the manuvers are a little over the top, but c'mon...it's entertainment...not a documentary. I loved the actors and thought they did a good job. I liked the use of humor to break up the more solemn moments. Botttom line is that its a decent aviation movie and worth going to see in the theater. Just my opinion though.

I agree. Heck, if the movie can encourage 100 viewers to at least read up on the real story, then it's all good.

Remember, this movie was not produced for our benefit since we're a small minority compared to the public that don't know a single thing about aviation and its history.

[Jon Ferguson]

Hey Holyize is that a Mig-15?

[Jon Ferguson]

At least with the CGI they can get the planes mostly right. I think back to Top Gun where the Mig's were really F-5's.

[Floatsflyer]

I agree. Heck, if the movie can encourage 100 viewers to at least read up on the real story, then it's all good.

Remember, this movie was not produced for our benefit since we're a small minority compared to the public that don't know a single thing about aviation and its history.


I agree these are key points. Too often, when it comes to big or small screen treatments of aviation related subjects(fictional or non) some aviation enthusiasts get too caught up in the minutia of detail and become irritated and offended if all is not correct. This movie is not meant to be a pure history lesson or a PHD dissertation. It's a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen and the battles they fought and overcame in the air and on the ground. The on-screen prologue "Inspired by true events" rather than " Based on a true story" is not an insignificant distinction and says what the intention was. If Red Tails can encourage audiences to find out more about the Airmen and aviation in general that is a great benefit to all of us.

As an aviation action picture, I enjoyed it with all the flaws and warts. Lucas put up the $56Million budget himself together with the financial and production services participation of the Czechs. 20th Century Fox distributed it as a "pick-up"(after it was completed) as they and other studios had no interest in it as a production financing investment. They saw no universal commercial appeal for the subject especially in the foreign markets and even less for an unknown all-black cast with no stars. By studio standards they were convinced they were not wrong to come to this conclusion, that's how the "biz" works even if the name George Lucas is attached.

Fox saw so little box office potential that they spent very little(in relation to budget cost) on print advertising and marketing to promote the film. I live in the 3rd largest film and TV production centre and movie-going audience city in North America(after only LA and NYC). Fox placed no weekend ads in any of the 4 daily newspapers here. This is way beyond unusual. But there attempt at self-fulfilling profacy failed as Red Tails flew high.

Red Tails placed 2nd in the North American weekend box office. Fox analysts predicted a poor showing in the $9-11 million range. It grossed $19.1 million on a wide release of 2500 screens. That's a very good per screen average of $7,600(the key indicator for distrbutors) and a better average than any other movie currently in wide release. If Red Tails loses 50% or less in its second weekend it just may prove to have "legs". It also proves that enthusiastic word of mouth can trump a studio's decision making.

[John Craparo]

The writers could have done a better job of developing the characters. I really did not feel much emotion for them and I think that is a shame. I have no objection to the CGI, technically I found it amazing whether or not the aircraft could perform as depicted. The HBO movie starring Lawrence Fishburne did a nice job of depicting real men by introducing each early in the film as they traveled to the Institute. Flyboys used a similar approach to humanizing the new recruits as they traveled to France. I also did not like the way these men wore their caps in the film. Cocked sideways reminds me of how kids wear their baseball caps today. I'd have preferred them perhaps tipped at an angle with visors pointing forward. The German-made Red Baron movie had von Richthofen wearing his hat the same way. Perhaps not my ideal, thus this distracted me. I also found it interesting that the Colonel was named Bullard, the surname of the real Lafayette Escadrille's African American pilot who was not allowed to fly after the US entered WWI. If that was a purposeful tribute to Eugene Bullard, I applaud them.

[swo49]

Hi All!
I attended the movie in Annapolis, MD on the Friday night that it came out with my family. We all enjoyed the movie very much.
Steve Oxman

[Floatsflyer]

Red Tails does have some legs! In its 2nd weekend it grossed $10.4 million in North American box office, a drop of only 44%. Very impressive for a major wide release that 20th Century Fox still refuses to support with any print advertising. Total 10 day gross in $34 million. Based on this, the analysts predict up to $60million in total theatrical box office is achievable. All on word of mouth.

[DanChief]

Red Tails does have some legs! In its 2nd weekend it grossed $10.4 million in North American box office, a drop of only 44%. Very impressive for a major wide release that 20th Century Fox still refuses to support with any print advertising. Total 10 day gross in $34 million. Based on this, the analysts predict up to $60million in total theatrical box office is achievable. All on word of mouth.

For a film that cost $54 million to make, I think the Production house wariness is reasonable.

[Sirota]

Let me start by saying I'm a big fan of the Red Tails - the real Red Tails, not the movie. I truly believe they are heros. But.... I received this from a local WWII vet. I don't believe him to be racist or to have any agenda other then getting the truth out. I don't know whether to believe this or consider it more internet crap but I'm passing it on so someone can affirm or discredit it.

Letter to the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

From: Bob Powell
Date: July 3, 2008

This letter was not written for publication, but to enlighten you and you and your staff about some of the errors and misleading
information you continue to publish, Perhaps it should be published to set your readers straight. As a WWII Historian and former 8th AF fighter pilot flying 87 missions over Europe during WWII, I am dedicated to factual reporting about the air war in Europe and aviation in general, and I take issue with the media (and not with just AJC) continuing to publish untrue and/or misleading statements about the Tuskegee Airmen (T/A).
Although I have great respect for the pilots and achievements of this WWII Fighter Group, I do not appreciate the continuing repetition of myths and untruths about their military record, the latest example in the obit on Lt. Col Charles Dryden in today's paper, repeating the same errors which appeared in his obit story a few days ago.

For more than 60 years the myth that they "never lost a bomber they were escorting to an enemy fighter", was their primary claim to fame! Then, several months ago, their Historian, William E. Holten, announced that his research proved that this was not true, that they
had, indeed, lost some 25 bombers to enemy fighters. This myth still gets published occasionally, but far less frequently since he made
this disclosure, thank goodness. Lies told often enough tend to bemome truths in the minds of many. However, it now seems to have
been replaced by another false claim, i.e. that the Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 combat missions. ALSO NOT TRUE!

Their own official records indicate that the T/A only flew 311missions. Their so-called 15,000 "missions" were actually 15,000 "sorties.". Apparently, none of your reporters know the difference between a "mission" and a "sortie," so let me define these for you
and them. Combat Mission is an assigned flight to accomplish a military objective. This can be flown by one pilot or a squadron or
group of pilots flying together. It is recorded as one mission. Combat Sortie. When, for example, 48 or 64 pilots fly together on a
combat mission it is recorded as 48 or 64 combat sorties.

The T/A did not fly 15,000+ combat missions - as stated in your articles about the demise of Col. Charles Dryden. They flew 15,000+
"sorties". To have flown that many "missions" during the time they were in combat in the MTO, they would have had to fly about 25
missions a day everyday they were in combat. Do the math. That's one mission every hour, everyday they were in combat. Impossible! Weather alone would have prevented this, not to mention the problem of keeping all of their aircraft flyable everyday over that period of time. FACT: Their official records indicate they flew only 311 missions, a far cry from 15,000 claimed. Please advise your reporters of the difference between a mission and a sortie so that another T/A myth is not appearing in every mention this Fighter group.

The Dryden story also stated that the 99th Squadron of the T/A was "the most successful squadron in American history." NOT SO! It would be more correct to say they have been the most publicized squadron in American history, however, thanks to a fully-paid public relations staff in Washington, D.C., the only such office of any military unit other than the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard..

Although I do not have complete combat statistics on all the fighter groups flying out of Africa and Italy (the MTO), I do have the stats
on all of the 16 fighter groups flying in the Eighth Air Force over western Europe. And, when these records are compared, the Tuskegee
Airmen rank at the bottom of the list despite the fact that they had four squadrons to only three for the 8th AF groups. FYI, and one of the reasons the T/A exploit their 15,000+ sorties (which they call missions) is that on a normal mission they would put up 64 fighters
compared to only 48 for the 8th AF groups. And, since they did mostly ground support missions rather than bomber escort missions, the
average length of their missions was about half that of the time in the air flown by the 8thAF fighters. Re the above mentioned stats, I
would be delighted to provide these for your information if requested.

Another gross error in your first story on Colonel Dryden is that the implication that he was, individually, awarded the Congressional Gold Medal recently. ALSO NOT TRUE. Through the efforts of the New York Senator, this medal was awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen, authorizing all Tuskegee Airman to receive this award. It was not awarded for individual achievements, as implied, but for the role played by the T/A in breaking the color ban for pilots, a civil rights accomplishment, not for their military achievements.
Had this award been given for their military achievements alone, it should also have been awarded to each and every other fighter group
in WWII whose records exceeded those of the Tuskegee Airmen. In my opinion, this was a "political award" instead of a military award. No other bomber or fighter units have been awarded this Medal, only Unit Citations. These are facts. Check them out, and here's to more factual reporting and a better AJC.

Most sincerely,

Robert H. Powell, Jr.
Author/Editor/Historian/Pilot 352nd Fighter Group
1545 Rainier Falls Dr
Atlanta, GA 30329
404-636-3747

[DRGT]

Let me start by saying I'm a big fan of the Red Tails - the real Red Tails, not the movie. I truly believe they are heros. But.... I received this from a local WWII vet. I don't believe him to be racist or to have any agenda other then getting the truth out. I don't know whether to believe this or consider it more internet crap but I'm passing it on so someone can affirm or discredit it.

I don't this is the place to discuss that internet post. Like many viral internet post, it does contains some facts – but not completely accurate. Therefore it seemed to me to be targeted to incite a political discussion rather than clarifying historical facts. Every real historian I have met is very meticulous and fastidious about the facts.
The movie – I agree with most of what has been noted in earlier posts. It is not a historical rendition or a theatrical masterpiece. However, as a pilot, I found it entertaining. I like action adventure movies and this is one. Probably best seen on the big screen than on TV – but I’ll get the dvd as well. The real value to society will be if the movie spurs people to research the history, discuss it and learn from it (not included in the text books when I was in school).

[dewi8095]

The real value to society will be if the movie spurs people to research the history, discuss it and learn from it (not included in the text books when I was in school).

Isn't that what the vet in Atlanta is trying to do?

Don

[DanChief]

The real value to society will be if the movie spurs people to research the history, discuss it and learn from it (not included in the text books when I was in school).

That's laudable, but the more likely result is continued shallow understanding of history based on cartoon cutouts.

[Nostalgair]

Hi All,

I'm new here, but was fortunate enough to fly in one of the Tuskegee Airmen's original Stearman trainers. It now resides here in Australia and was a wonderful experience.

As you can see below, it now sports an all-over scarlet paint scheme.


Cheers,

Owen
My Aviation Blog
http://www.owenzupp.com/_blog/Owen_Zupp


1518

[Hartmann]

I saw the movie "Red Tails" on opening night. I thought the animation of the planes and presumably all the vintage equipment at the airports were very well done, just like the "Dog Fights" series on the History Channel. I didn't realize that all their mechanics were also black.
I only had a problem with the fact that in the beginning of the movie they had dog fights with the ME 109's with yellow noses, who were the expert "Abbeville Boys" of the 1940's fame against the British Spitfires, with the slow P-40's and managed to keep up with them and shoot down numerous ME 109's without suffering ANY casualties! Later they were up-graded to the P-51's and kept up with the ME-262's, which flew 100 mph faster, and shot down several of them too! I heard that they only shot down two ME-262's. There was also an episode where they totally shot up a German airport and came away with nary a scratch.
Incidentally the theater where I saw it was not completely filled on opening night.

[Hiperbiper]

Nostalgair;
Howdy! (That's Southern Americian for Hello)

I realize you guys are "down under" and the water in the Loo swirls the wrong way but is this the way all airplanes there fly?

Chris