28 October 2015

Live And Let Fly: Our favourite private jet moments from Bond films

At PrivateFly we love a good Bond movie. Speed, stunts, gadgets, travel…for us it’s a Oscar winning combination. So we couldn’t be more excited about the release of Spectre this week, 007’s 24th outing on film.

And no Bond film would be complete without an aviation scene or two. In fact over 150 different aircraft and spacecraft have featured across the movies to date.

Spectre is no exception. The plot takes place across a broad sweep of locations – including London, Rome, Mexico City, Tangier, and Sölden in Austria – so there is no shortage of jetting around. And when it comes to aircraft on screen, we don’t have to wait long.

The opening pre-title sequence in Mexico, involves a fight between Bond and assassin Sciara inside a green MBB Bo105 helicopter. This is a twin-engine helicopter, often used in real life for medevac or police flights. And flying this one is Chuck Aaron, the world-famous Red Bull aerobatic helicopter stunt pilot.

Another helicopter, the Eurocopter AS365, features in a thrilling chase sequence, filmed above the Thames and the MI6 building. The villain is onboard as Bond makes chase on a boat.

And a BN-Islander aircraft also stars in a classic 007 snow scene. The BN Islander is a popular and hardy turboprop aircraft, used for landing on difficult terrain. And this scene definitely qualifies as difficult! Bond is in the airplane, which he crashes into a convoy of Land Rovers, before sliding down the slopes through a building, overcoming the baddies and getting the girl – naturally.

Private jets have featured many times in other Bond films: Discretion, speed and cutting-edge cool are clearly essential requirements for the superspy. So here are some of our other favourite private jet moments from the 007 back catalogue.

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Private jets featured heavily in the recent Bond outing, Quantum of Solace (2008). Daniel Craig’s 007 is seen flying in a Bombardier Challenger 604, a popular long range jet, offering great transatlantic performance with a roomy interior.

Several scenes featuring Bond and other characters were filmed at private jet terminals at Germany’s Friedrichshafen airport and at Farnborough airport.

Other private aircraft also feature briefly in the movie including a Citation V and a Hawker 800.

Octopussy (1983)

In Octopussy (1983), Bond flew in the world’s smallest private jet, the Bede BD-5J, the lightest jet aircraft in the world, weighing just 358.8 lb (162.7 kg).

The tiny, single-seater aircraft was designed in the late 1960s by US aircraft designer Jim Bede.

It has a small, streamlined fuselage and a tiny cockpit, with the pilot forced into a semi-reclined position. It was sold in kit form and proved very popular before the Bede Aircraft Corporate went bankrupt in the mid-1970s. A few hundred BD-5 were completed, with some still flying today.

The smallest aircraft available to charter through PrivateFly’s network is the (comparatively spacious) Diamond Twin Star, which seats up to 3 passengers.

Goldfinger (1964)

Bond villain Auric Goldfinger famously met his end being sucked out of the window of his private jet in 1964’s Goldfinger. The aircraft, piloted by Pussy Galore, was a Lockheed JetStar, the premier executive jet of its day.

It was a large and heavy aircraft, seating 10 passengers, and notable for its four rear-mounted engines. 204 aircraft were produced before the company ceased production in 1978. Goldfinger’s jet had a rather unusual customisation: surveillance in the lavatory.

If Goldfinger was looking to charter a similar private jet today we would recommend the Challenger 300 or G200, both of which offer longer flight ranges and more comfortable (surveillance free) cabins than the JetStar.

If you need advice on your next private jet mission, our Flight Team can assist. Contact us or call (24 hours) on +44 1747 642 777

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