Early this year my son, who was screening a series of classic films for friends, put on the 1981 Spielberg pulse-pounder Raiders of the Lost Ark, which came out in the year he was born and, therefore, stood to him, in terms of the history of film and the decline of taste, as Casablanca does to me.
Technicalities: The Story Behind the German Airplane in Raiders of the Lost Ark
Key Takeaways:
- The "German airplane" in *Raiders of the Lost Ark* was a cinematic prop designed by Ron Cobb, inspired by real flying-wing prototypes (Northrop N-1M, Lippisch Li P.04-106), but included design compromises for filming purposes.
- A significantly altered version of this prop was later created for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Walt Disney World, further diverging from historical or aerodynamic plausibility to suit the stage show.
- Expert aerodynamic analysis concludes that neither the original film prop nor its Disney World iteration would have been airworthy, citing critical flaws in engine placement, fin configuration, and the use of destabilizing tractor propellers on a flying wing design.
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