History Film / PanicInTheSkies

** While the exterior shots of the plane are fairly consistent in that they all [[StockFootage depict some model of Boeing 747]], the interior looks more like a McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

'''Panic in the Skies!''' is a 1996 American [[MadeForTVMovie made-for television]] disaster film that is directed by Paul Ziller and was premiered on The Family Channel on October 13, 1996. The film stars Creator/KateJackson, Creator/EdMarinaro, Creator/MaureenMcCormick, and Creator/ErikEstrada.

* MadeForTVMovie: And how.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Midway through the film, an unattended coffee maker starts a fire in the lower galley prompting Brett and Laurie to rescue another flight attendant from the elevator. That fire is never investigated nor mentioned again. [[note]] They sprayed a fire extinguisher into the elevator shaft, but the shaft was only full of smoke; the actual fire was in the galley.[[/note]]

'''Panic in the Skies!''' is a 1996 American [[MadeForTVMovie made-for television]] disaster film that is directed by Paul Ziller and was premiered on The Family Channel on October 13, 1996. The film stars Kate Jackson, Ed Marinaro, Maureen McCormick, and Erik Estrada.

** While the exterior shots of the plane are fairly consistent in that they all depict some model of Boeing 747, the interior looks more like a McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

** When the aircraft runs out of fuel, an engine flames out. The plane does not even bank. I would guess the autopilot kept the plane on a straight pattern. Totally unlike China Airlines Flight 006 that lost control over the Pacific Ocean when an engine flamed out and the plane was left on autopilot: the plane banked almost to 90 degrees and plunged 30,000 feet before the pilot could regain controls.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Midway through the film, an unattended coffee maker starts a fire in the lower galley prompting Brett and Laurie to rescue another flight attendant from the elevator. That fire is never investigated nor mentioned again.

* PercussiveMaintenance: The laptop they have hooked into the flight management system is only able to display data and perform some very rudimentary functions. Any time they want to change the plane's heading or destination, they are forced to jiggle a sparking cable until the autopilot responds favorably.

* ArtisticLicensePhysics: It is extremely rare that planes get struck by lightning and if they do, the electricity disperses itself on the fuselage and there is barely any damage.

** Somehow, the Power Book laptop they interface with the autopilot manages to run for over 12 hours on its battery. [[note]]This movie was released in 1996, and even two hours of battery life was something to brag about.[[/note]]

* {{Retirony}}: Almost. Early in the film it is stated that this will be Laurie's last flight before she retires.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Midway through the film, an unattended coffee maker catches fire prompting Brett and Laurie to rescue another flight attendant from the elevator. That fire is never investigated nor mentioned again.

** Somehow, the Power Book laptop they interface with the autopilot manages to run for over 12 hours on its battery.

* MagicalComputer: Despite its schizophrenic nature, the autopilot depicted in this film is certainly more impressive than what we even have today.

* Retirony: Almost. Early in the film it is stated that this will be Laurie's last flight before she retires.

* DeathFakedForYou: Brett is wanted by the FBI, and they are waiting to apprehend him when the plane lands. The plane had a "jump seater" flying with the pilots and engineer in the cockpit, so there were four bodies instead of the expected three. Laurie, believing Brett to have been telling the truth about why he was wanted by the FBI (he was a whistleblower), tells the FBI that she did see him on the flight, and that there are four bodies in the upstairs galley and "one of them must be them".

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Eventually, the plane comes to a landing in Vancouver. They pictured Vancouver as a tiny airport with a runway just as narrow as a taxiway. Vancouver Airport is not JFK, however it is almost as large. The news bulletin says that all the fire trucks and ambulances from the city were called in, and it’s only about a dozen vehicles in total. Wow. That makes of Vancouver the smallest city in Canada.

'''Panic in the Skies!''' is a 1996 American [[MadeForTVMovie made-for television]] disaster film that is directed by Paul Ziller and was premiered on The Family Channel on October 13, 1996. The film stars Kate Jackson, Ed Marinaro and Erik Estrada.

The autopilot that they rely on, begins to malfunction, homing in on airfield transponders at random, even airports that are too small to accommodate the large jet-liner. Both Laurie and Brett realize they may have to find a way to land the aircraft by themselves. Veering to a completely new heading, the airliner turns from its flightpath over the Atlantic Ocean to fly to the Pacific Coast of North America.

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Eventually, the plane comes to a landing in Vancouver. They pictured Vancouver as a tiny airport with a runway just as narrow as a taxiway. Vancouver Airport is not JFK, however it is almost as large. The news bulletin says that all the fire and ambulances from the city were called in, and it’s only about a dozen vehicles in total. Wow. That makes of Vancouver the smallest city in Canada.

** The New York ATC control is depicted as a small room located in an office. The controller uses a computer monitor, and the flight appears as “RAI 115-H” only. This control room, which is not busy at all, can even spot the aircraft on any position in the North American continent.

** When the aircraft runs out of fuel, an engine flames out. The plane does not even bank. I would guess the autopilot kept the plane on a straight pattern. Totally unlike China Airlines Flight 006 that lost control over the Pacific Ocean when an engine flamed out and the plane was left on autopilot? The plane banked almost to 90 degrees and plunged 30,000 feet before the pilot could regain controls.

** The Captain is sitting in the right-hand seat.

* MagicalComputer: The autopilot depicted in this film is certainly more impressive than what we even have today.

* ArtisticLicenseEngineering:
** The autopilot depicted in the film. In an actual airliner, the autopilot does not randomly home in on any airport's VOR signal and must have a flight plan programmed into it.

** A passenger is somehow able to interface an Apple PowerBook into the flight management computer.

* ArtisticLicenseEngineering: The autopilot depicted in the film. In an actual airliner, the autopilot does not randomly home in on any airport's VOR signal and must have a flight plan programmed into it.

* JustPlaneWrong: While the exterior shots of the plane are fairly consistent in that they all depict some model of Boeing 747, the interior looks more like a McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

* StockFootage: The various shots of the plane show multiple different liveries as the exterior plane footage was recycled from various other sources.

* ViewerFriendlyInterface: The autopilot display looks more like a modern phone app than a real-life Flight Management System.

'''Panic in the Skies!''' is a 1996 American made-for television disaster film that is directed by Paul Ziller and was premiered on The Family Channel on October 13, 1996. The film stars Kate Jackson, Ed Marinaro and Erik Estrada.

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