Those Magnificent Flying Machines: Difference between revisions

== Anime & Manga ==

* [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s entire filmography: scenic flying sequences are a signature element, and he grew up around old airplanes in the factory operated by his father and uncle.

** ''[[Nausicaa of the Valley of The Wind]]'' has fanciful gliders and balloons.

** ''[[Castle in The Sky]]'' might as well be considered flying machine porn.

== Literature ==

* ''The War in the Air'' by H.G. Wells, obviously.

* In [[Sergey Lukyanenko]]'s [[Alternate History]] duology ''[[Seekers of the Sky]]'', the deficit of iron in the world has drastically slowed down the scientific progress. As such, flying is still in its infancy. All flying machines are gliders made up mostly of wood and sheets. They do have engines, which can be started with either a chemical or an electrical lighter. Also, gliders can be outfitted with one-time booster rockets that drop off after their fuel is expended. Most of the time, gliders are only used to deliver messages, as flying them is extremely dangerous, preventing them from taking on passengers. All pilots must memorize wind maps, as no instruments are present in gliders. Chinese gliders are the most advanced, and their boosters allow them to cross entire continents in one go. Due to their fragile nature, [[Old School Dogfighting]] is impossible. In wartime, gliders may be used to drop bombs.

* ''Robur, the Conqueror'', by Jules Verne, on which the film ''Master of the World'' was largely based (and not so much on the same author's book ''Master of the World''), featuring the "aeronef" ''Albatross''. It was powered by electricity and used ''lots'' of airscrews for both lift and propulsion, and was made of highly-compressed paper.

* Those Babylon Rouges of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' certainly have a nice airship.

* ''[[Spore]]'' allows you to build your own not only as airships, but also as spaceships! That's right, you can really let your [[Steampunk]] ideas go loose in this.

* Several [[Final Fantasy]] games (most notably VI and IX) take place in worlds where the local civilization is just beginning to conquer skies. So the local [[Global Airship]] is usually built in this aesthetic.

 

** They have blueprints for a model helicopter, but the machine is a mix between a helicopter and a hovercraft. Considering Owen is a [[Reality Warper]] it's probably [[Fridge Brilliance|an easy mistake to make for a group of kids.]]

* Gil's bat-wing flyer in ''[[Girl Genius]]'' counts (and provides the page quote, [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030623 here]). The numerous [[Cool Airship|Cool Airships]] found throughout the work are examples as well.

* KK's steam helicopter in ''[[Freakangels]].''

* ''[[Hark a Vagrant]]'': [http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=231 The Jules Verne approach vs. the H.G. Wells approach.]

* ''[[Futurama]]'', despite being set in the 31st century, occasionally shows flying machines that fit this trope right alongside [[Flying Car|Flying Cars]] and [[Shiny-Looking Spaceships]]. Bender once referred to the protagonists' [[Cool Starship]] as "the Flying Machine", evoking this trope (though their ship is not itself an example).

** Leonardo's spaceship in "The Duh-Vinci Code" is probably an example, though, and there are more on the planet Vinci.

{{quote| '''Lisa:''' I just love these new planes!<br />

'''Hugh:''' Yes, it's a good thing they re-evaluated those wacky old designs! }}

* The flying machines built by [[Wrench Wench|Gadget]] in ''[[Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Animation)|Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers]]''.

* ''[[Dastardly and Muttley In Their Flying Machines]]''.

* [http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com/ Red Bull Flutag] showcases some hilarious, inefficient, ineffective but ultimately awesome "flying" machines.

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h6BzNwACDs This clip] presents black-and-white stock footage that includes several silly airplanes and helicopters failing (two examples at the beginning, then more about halfway through).

* An annual festival in Japan<ref>Can someone provide link? Google isn't very helpful right now.</ref> brings together man-powered contraptions to essentially leap off a cliff together in their pursuit of flight. Success is measured in distance and seconds, but isn't the sole criteria; points are given for design originality and sheer ballsiness.

* A series of 3-dimensional models in the Chinook Mall (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) are this. They're suspended from a track which they periodically move around.

[[Category:Tropes On a Plane]]

[[Category:Flying Tropes]]