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51-476: When first released in 1973, the Learjet 35 was among the fastest medium haul jets of its era. As of 2020, more Learjet 35s have been sold than any other Learjet aircraft, with many still in service after 50 years. The aircraft are powered by two Garrett TFE731-2 turbofan engines. Its cabin can be arranged for six to eight passengers. The longer-range Model 36 has a shortened passenger area to provide more space in

102-571: A Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter, a Learjet 35 , and a B-25 bomber converted into a camera platform. Three Mitsubishi A6M Zero replicas, originally built for the film Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), were flown by pilots from the Confederate Air Force, now called the Commemorative Air Force . Two of the replicas were featured in a dogfight with F-14 Tomcats; it was the first time such a dissimilar engagement had appeared in film, with

153-542: A Dolby Digital 5.1 EX audio track, as well as a DTS 6.1 ES audio track. On November 4, 2008, a high-definition two-disc Blu-ray set was released, but lacked some of the earlier background materials. A 4K Ultra High-Definition disc set was released in May 2021 as a limited edition with some additional special features, a copy of the film on Blu-ray disc and a copy of John Scott 's original motion picture score on CD . The Final Countdown received mixed reviews from critics. On

204-407: A jet stream , or to refuel. Commercial flights are often categorized into long-, medium- or short-haul by commercial airlines based on flight length, although there is no international standard definition. The related term flight time is defined by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) as "The total time from the moment an aeroplane first moves for the purpose of taking off until

255-407: A flare gun to force the pilot to fly to Pearl Harbor. During a struggle with another crew member, the flare gun discharges, destroying the craft and stranding Scott and Owens on the island. The Nimitz launches a massive strike force against the incoming Japanese fleet, but right after that, the time vortex storm returns. After a futile attempt to outrun the storm, Yelland recalls the strike force, and

306-450: A great-circle route extending northward towards the Arctic region. The apparent curve of the route is a result of distortion when plotted onto a conventional map projection and makes the route appear to be longer than it really is. Stretching a string between North America and Japan on a globe will demonstrate why this really is the shortest route despite appearances. The actual flight length

357-414: A low fuel burn, and comfortable cabins. Together with the Learjet 25, the Learjet 35 was a favorite among celebrities. The Learjet 35 is one of Bombardiers most successful light jets and remains one of the fastest in its category on the private jet charter market. The Learjet 35 has been used to film aerial sequences for movies. A camera-equipped Learjet 35 was used to film some of the aerial sequences for

408-455: A non-stop flight between Papeete and Paris-Charles de Gaulle , using a Boeing 787-9 and covering 15,715 km (9,765 mi; 8,485 nmi). in a scheduled time of 16 hours and 20 minutes. As of 2023, it continues to hold the record for the longest ever scheduled commercial nonstop flight (by great circle distance) as well as the world's longest domestic flight . As of November 9, 2020, Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24

459-559: A number of the crew being fired and replaced. Taylor's direction was considered workmanlike, as he had a reputation for bringing projects in on time and on budget, but suggestions from U.S. naval aviators were ultimately incorporated into the shooting schedules with the "B" crew placed in charge of all the aerial sequences that became the primary focus of the film. In order to film the aerial sequences, Panavision cameras were mounted on naval aircraft while camera-equipped aircraft and helicopters were leased from Tallmantz Aviation , including

510-513: A production line that ended with serial number 677, in 1993. On February 12, 1996, a Learjet 35A, N10BD, owned by Cable Television Founder Bill Daniels and piloted by Mark E. Calkins, Charles Conrad, Jr., Paul Thayer, and D. Miller completed an around-the-world flight in a record 49 hrs, 21 min, and 8 sec. The record remains standing as of 2015. This aircraft is now on display in Terminal C of Denver International Airport. When first released in 1973,

561-465: A surface contact is spotted on radar, Yelland launches two ready alert Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighter jets from VF-84 to intercept. The patrol witnesses a civilian wooden yacht being strafed and destroyed by two Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters, killing three of the five crew members. The F-14s are ordered to drive off the Zeros without firing, but when the Zeros inadvertently head towards

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612-670: Is a 1980 American science fiction war film about a modern nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that travels through time to the day before the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor . Produced by Peter Douglas and Lloyd Kaufman (founder of Troma Entertainment ) and directed by Don Taylor (his final directing role), while Kaufman also served as an associate producer and had a minor acting role. The film contains an ensemble cast starring Kirk Douglas , Martin Sheen , James Farentino , Katharine Ross , Ron O'Neal and Charles Durning . The film

663-471: Is not further expanded upon). The film was released on DVD on March 30, 2004. It was later released by Blue Underground on a two-DVD set (with both full-screen and widescreen formats) and a special two-disc limited edition set with a hologram cover. Each DVD edition was accompanied by special featurettes, including a "behind-the-scenes" documentary and a commentary track by the producer and other studio principals. These THX certified releases also feature

714-428: Is operated by private, corporate and air taxi operators. Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1980–81 General characteristics Performance Related lists Flight length In aviation , the flight length or flight distance refers to the distance of a flight. Aircraft do not necessarily follow the great-circle distance , but may opt for a longer route due to weather, traffic, to utilise

765-400: Is the length of the track flown across the ground in practice, which is usually longer than the ideal great-circle and is influenced by a number of factors such as the need to avoid bad weather, wind direction and speed, fuel economy, navigational restrictions and other requirements. In the example, easterly flights from Japan to North America are shown taking a longer, more southerly, route than

816-596: Is the shortest commercial flight in the world, covering 2.8 km (1.7 mi) in two minutes scheduled flight time including taxiing. The world's longest ever commercial flight was Air Tahiti Nui Flight TN64 in early 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impossibility of transit in the United States through Los Angeles International Airport , Air Tahiti Nui scheduled and operated in March and April 2020 Flight TN64 as

867-402: Is the world's longest active commercial flight between Singapore and New York–JFK , covering 15,349 km (9,537 mi; 8,288 nmi) in around 18 hours and 40 minutes, operated by an Airbus A350-900ULR . The shortest distance between two geographical points is the great-circle distance . In the example (right), the aircraft travelling westward from North America to Japan is following

918-522: The Florida Keys , over two five-week periods in 1979. Scenes at Pearl Harbor consisted of mainly stock footage with most of The Final Countdown exteriors shot on the Nimitz while at sea, and at drydock for interiors. During operations, an emergency landing took place with the production crew allowed to film the recovery of the aircraft on the Nimitz ; the sequence appeared in the final film. Crew members of

969-543: The Luxembourg to Bucharest route operated by Luxair , the scheduled flight length remains constant while the flight duration varies depending on aircraft used. On Thursday mornings, Luxair operates a DHC-8 turboprop with a scheduled duration of approximately 3 hours, while on Saturday mornings, Luxair's use of an Embraer 190 jet reduces the scheduled duration of the flight down to approximately 2 hours 20 minutes. The Final Countdown (film) The Final Countdown

1020-435: The Nimitz were used as extras, a few with speaking parts; a total of 48 of the crew appear as "actors" in the final credits. The difficulties in filming a modern jet fighter were soon apparent when the first setup to record an F-14 takeoff at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, resulted in both camera and operator being pitched down a runway. Dissension in the production crew led to major changes during location shooting, with

1071-535: The Nimitz , Yelland gives clearance to shoot them down. The Nimitz rescues survivors from the yacht: prominent U.S. Senator Samuel Chapman (Charles Durning), his aide Laurel Scott (Katharine Ross), her dog Charlie, and one of the two downed Zero pilots ( Soon-tek Oh ). Commander Owens (James Farentino), an amateur historian, recognizes Chapman as a politician who could have been Franklin D. Roosevelt 's running mate (and his potential successor) during his final re-election bid , had Chapman not disappeared shortly before

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1122-536: The "totally different speeds...environments and weaponry" of the aircraft causing extreme challenges for the jet pilots. In one scene where an F-14 "thumps" a Zero by flying under and streaking upward in front of the slower aircraft, the resultant " jet blast " of turbulent air was so intense that the yokes of both of the Zeros in the scene were violently wrenched out of the pilots' hands and caused both aircraft to momentarily tumble out of control. The lead pilot's headset, along with his watch, were ripped off and out of

1173-488: The 1980 film The Final Countdown . The Learjet 35 also appeared in the movies Between the Lines (Ep. 3.05, 1994), A Wing and a Prayer (1998 TV Movie), Free Fall (1999), Prison Break (season 4) (Ep. 4.18, 2008), The Bourne Legacy , Fast & Furious 6 (2013), and many others. A 2018 survey by Corporate Jet Investor found 14.9% of Americans recognized the Learjet brand compared with 12.5% for Boeing . The Learjet 35

1224-664: The Cold War, the Finnish Air Force has used the Learjet 35/36 as a shorter range AWACS aircraft, for monitoring Soviet bombers and fighter jets coming over the Baltic Sea and over the Arctic. Learjet 35s made the bulk of Argentina's Escuadrón Fénix flights during the 1982 Falklands War mainly on diversion and reconnaissance flights. Production on the 35/36 series ceased in 1994. There are still well over 500 Learjet 35s in service around

1275-509: The Japanese attack; the dumbfounded Japanese pilot is overcome and shot and killed by the other U.S. Marines of the on-board detachment on Nimitz . In the aftermath, Scott and Owens develop an attraction for each other. Chapman is outraged that Yelland knows of the impending Japanese attack but has not told anyone else, and rebuffs Yelland's claim that the Nimitz is capable of handling any attack. An attempt to warn Pearl Harbor by radio fails as

1326-550: The Learjet 35 was among the fastest medium haul jets of its era. As of 2020, more Learjet 35s have been sold than any other Learjet aircraft. As a private jet the Learjet 35 was popular because of its good range (it can fly 2,056 miles nonstop), takeoff and landing performance (its Honeywell engines provide 3,500 pounds of thrust and can land on short runways at regional airports), fast cruise capabilities (it can cruise at speeds as high as 451 knots true airspeed (KTAS) , or 424 KTAS with four passengers), good handling characteristics,

1377-487: The Learjet 35 was among the fastest business jets in its class. In 1976 American professional golfer Arnold Palmer used a Learjet 36 to establish a new round-the-world class record of 22,894 miles (36990 km) completed in 57 hours 25 minutes 42 seconds. Because of its speed and long range, leaders of many nations bought the aircraft as their primary or secondary jet. Countries who did this include: Brazil, Chile, Finland, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia among others. During

1428-484: The Navy has no carrier Nimitz and considers it a prank call. Chapman then demands to be taken to Pearl Harbor to warn the naval authorities in person. Yelland agrees in front of Chapman, but instead then orders Owens to fly the civilians and sufficient supplies via helicopter to an isolated Hawaiian island ( Puʻuwai, Hawaii ), assuming they will eventually be rescued. When they arrive, Chapman realizes he has been tricked and uses

1479-584: The Pearl Harbor attack. When a Grumman E-2 Hawkeye scouting aircraft discovers the Japanese fleet task force further north in unpatrolled waters, poised to launch its attack on Pearl Harbor, the Nimitz crew realizes that they have been transported back in time to the day before the attack. Yelland has to decide whether to destroy the Japanese fleet and alter the course of history or to stand by and allow history to proceed as they know it. The American civilians and

1530-455: The Zero pilot are kept isolated. Still, while being questioned, the Japanese pilot forcibly obtains an M-16 rifle from one of the guards, kills two of the other U.S. Marine guards, and takes Scott, Owens, and Lasky hostage. He threatens to kill them unless he is given access to a radio to warn the Japanese fleet about the Nimitz . Lasky tells Commander Owens to recite and describe the secret plans for

1581-463: The aft fuselage for fuel tanks. The engines are mounted in nacelles on the sides of the aft fuselage. The wings are equipped with single-slotted flaps . The wingtip fuel tanks distinguish the design from other aircraft having similar functions. The concept which became the LJ35 began as the Learjet 25BGF (with GF referring to "Garrett Fan"), a Learjet 25 with a then-new TFE731 turbofan engine mounted on

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1632-432: The aircraft carrier, fears that there may have been a nuclear strike on Hawaii or the continental United States. He orders general quarters and launches a RF-8 Crusader reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft returns after photographing Pearl Harbor, but the images show an intact row of U.S. Pacific fleet battleships, of which several were destroyed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. When

1683-463: The aircraft was FAA certified in July, 1974. It could carry up to eight passengers. There were 64 base-model 35s built. The Model 35A is an upgraded Model 35 with TFE731-2-2B engines and a range of 2,789 miles, with a fuel capacity of 931 US gallons (3,524 L) with refueling accomplished at ground level through each wingtip tank. It was introduced in 1976, replacing the 35. Over 600 35As were built, with

1734-437: The aviation term of "Flight Haul Type", such as "short-haul" or "long-haul". Flight haul types can be defined using either flight distance or flight time. David W. Wragg classifies air services as medium-haul being between 1,600–4,000 km; 900–2,200 nmi; short-haul as being shorter and long-haul as being longer. David Crocker defines short-haul flights as shorter than 1,000 km (540 nmi), and long-haul as

1785-452: The film premiere and exploited the film as a recruiting tool to the extent that the theatrical poster appeared in U.S. Navy recruiting offices shortly after the film's release. Ebert and Gene Siskel selected the film as one of their "dogs of the year" in a 1980 episode of Sneak Previews , which surprised some readers of Ebert's column because he gave the film an unimpressed but hardly rancorous 2 stars out of 4 and praised some elements of

1836-423: The left side in place of the 25's General Electric CJ610 turbojet engine. This testbed aircraft first flew in May, 1971. As a result of the increased power and reduced noise of the new engine, Learjet further improved the design, and instead of being simply a variant of the 25, it became its own model, the 35. By 2018, 1980s Learjet 35As start at $ 500,000. When released in 1973, Learjet's marketing claimed that

1887-519: The moment it finally comes to rest at the end of the flight", and is referred to colloquially as "blocks to blocks" or " chocks to chocks" time. In commercial aviation, this means the time from pushing back at the departure gate to arriving at the destination gate. Flight time is measured in hours and minutes as it is independent of geographic distance travelled. Flight time can be affected by many things such as wind, traffic, taxiing time, and aircraft used. A flight's length can also be described using

1938-463: The nuclear-powered warship. Once at sea, the Nimitz encounters a mysterious electrically-charged storm-like vortex . While the ship passes through it, radar and other equipment become unresponsive, and everyone aboard falls into agony. Initially unsure of what has happened to them and having lost radio contact with U.S. Pacific Fleet Command at Pearl Harbor, Captain Yelland (Kirk Douglas), commander of

1989-661: The ocean in a screaming recovery. At one point during filming, one of the Tomcat aircrews held up a profane sign addressed at Katharine Ross in retaliation for the actress denying a request from the VF-84 pilots to meet her in a hotel the previous day. The shot made it into the dailies and reportedly infuriated Ross. During the climactic attack on Pearl Harbor, scenes reproduced in monochrome from Tora! Tora! Tora! featured Aichi D3A Val dive bombers, Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters and Nakajima B5N Kate torpedo bombers. The Final Countdown

2040-476: The open canopy of his Zero, resulting in a few anxious moments as the F-14 pilots were unable to establish contact. During a scene when a Zero fires on an F-14, in order to get on the "six" of the low and slow Zero—that is, to bring one's aircraft directly behind the target aircraft in a position corresponding to six o'clock on an analog clock face—the jet fighter did a low pull up that ended just 100 feet (30 m) above

2091-892: The opposite. Flight Haul Type terms are sometimes used when referring to commercial aircraft. Some commercial carriers choose to refer to their aircraft using flight haul type terms, for example: While they are capable of flying further, long-haul capable wide-bodies are often used on shorter trips. In 2017 - 40% of A350 routes were shorter than 2,000 nmi (2,300 mi; 3,700 km), 50% of A380 flights fell within 2,000–4,000 nmi (2,300–4,600 mi; 3,700–7,400 km), 70% of 777-200ER routes were shorter than 4,000 nmi (4,600 mi; 7,400 km), 80% of 787-9s routes were shorter than 5,000 nmi (5,800 mi; 9,300 km), 70% of 777-200LRs flights were shorter than 6,000 nmi (6,900 mi; 11,000 km). The Westray to Papa Westray flight in Orkney , operated by Loganair ,

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2142-564: The production (particularly the details about life on board the aircraft carrier). Christopher John reviewed The Final Countdown in Ares Magazine #5 and commented that "there is nothing wrong with what is on the screen in Final Countdown ; what is on the screen, however, is only half of the film. Maybe someday, like Close Encounters of the Third Kind , someone will go back and put in

2193-494: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , the film received an approval rating of 52% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. Vincent Canby of The New York Times considered it more of an interesting, behind-the-scenes tour of Nimitz : "We see planes landing and taking off with beautiful precision and, just to let us know that things don't always run smoothly on Nimitz , we also see one plane, which has lost its landing hook, landing safely anyway because of

2244-498: The ship and its aircraft safely return to 1980, leaving the past relatively unchanged. Upon the return of the Nimitz to Pearl Harbor, Pacific Fleet admirals board the ship to investigate the Nimitz ' s unexplained disappearance. Lasky leaves the ship with Scott's dog, Charlie, and encounters the mysterious Mr. Tideman face-to-face. Tideman is revealed to be a much older Owens. He and his wife, Laurel Scott, invite Lasky to join them as they have "a lot to talk about". Peter Douglas

2295-424: The ship's emergency gear". Roger Ebert commented that "logic doesn't matter in a Star Wars (-like) movie". He went on to clarify: "Unfortunately, the movie makes such a mess of it that the biggest element of interest is the aircraft carrier itself". Later reviews concentrated on the intriguing aspect of the time travel story, again stressing that the military hardware was the real star. The U.S. Navy sponsored

2346-399: The shorter great-circle; this is to take advantage of the favourable jet stream , a fast high-altitude tail-wind that assists the aircraft along its ground track saving more time or fuel than the geographically shortest route. Even for flights with the same origin and destination, a flight's duration can be affected by routing, wind, traffic, taxiing time, or aircraft used. For example, on

2397-451: The world, despite the model being almost 50 years old. As of January 2018, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board database lists 25 fatal accidents for the 35/35A, and two for the 36/36A. The original Model 35 was powered by two TFE731-2-2A engines and was 13 inches longer than its predecessor, the Model 25. First flight of the prototype Model 35 was on 22 August 1973, and

2448-492: The years. In 1980, the aircraft carrier USS  Nimitz departs Naval Station Pearl Harbor for naval exercises in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The ship takes on a civilian observer, Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) — a systems analyst for Tideman Industries working as an efficiency expert for the U.S. Defense Department — on the orders of his reclusive employer, Mr. Tideman, whose secretive major defense contractor company designed and built

2499-530: Was produced with the cooperation of the United States Navy 's naval aviation branch and the United States Department of Defense . It was set and filmed on board USS  Nimitz (CVN-68), filming operations of the modern nuclear warship, which had been launched in the early 1970s. The Final Countdown was a moderate success at the box office. The film has later developed a cult following over

2550-465: Was released to theaters in the United States on August 1, 1980. A novelization by Martin Caidin , based on the screenplay, was released in the same month and largely dovetailed with the film presented on screen (the novelization ending with Lasky accompanying Tideman/CDR Owens and Laurel to their home, where it is revealed that the time travel phenomenon explored in the film had an extraterrestrial origin that

2601-541: Was the driving force behind The Final Countdown . With a limited budget and a promising script, he was able to attract interest from the U.S. Navy. Officials from the Department of Defense offered full cooperation after seeing a script, but insisted that for safety and operational readiness, the film schedule would be dependent on the "on location" naval consultant, William Micklos. Principal photography took place at Naval Air Station Key West , Naval Station Norfolk , and off

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