Practical Effects
Real aerial stunts—no CGI, just genuinely dangerous flying.
Acting
Bellamy and Cabot's beefy rivalry carries the entire picture.
Director
Russell Birdwell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Russell Birdwell was primarily a publicist—this was his only directing credit, likely because Howard Hughes (who produced) needed someone disposable for dangerous aerial shoots.
Released during the depths of the Depression, aerial circus films offered audiences cheap thrills and the fantasy of skilled labor as entertainment—pilots as working-class heroes.
US
