AIRLINE PILOT REVIEW OF DENZEL MOVIE - "FLIGHT

REVIEW OF DENZEL WASHINGTON MOVIE—“FLIGHT”

 

My, how the times are a changin’… Last night dozens of current and retired Black airline pilots, flight attendants and the Atlanta Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen assembled at an east Atlanta theater to watch a premier ( presented by the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals- OBAP ) of the aviation catastrophe film, “Flight,” starring superstar actor, Denzel Washington. For those reading this who are already “white knuckle” passengers, you might want to skip this one. That’s not because it wasn’t a great Hollywood production but due to the horrifying scenarios offered to moviegoers.

Any professional pilot’s worst nightmare is being confronted with emergency situations in an aircraft that exceed the limits of the pilot’s capability and experience. In the movie “Flight” the audience gets a microscopic view of a pilot’s greatest horror in aviation, catastrophic mechanical failure of a tail section component in flight after flying out of severe turbulence. But that’s not the worst part of it; Capt “Whip” Williams, portrayed by Denzel, is a divorcee, living on the wild side as a bachelor pilot, drinking and drugging himself into an uncontrolled downward spiral of alcoholism. A solidly crafted script propels “Capt Whip” into a horror show flight disaster after an all-night, booze and drug laden love fest with his flight attendant sweetie pie (played by real looker Nadine Velasquez), who displays audience shocking frontal nudity in the opening layover hotel bedroom scene.

While the movie audience was constantly shaking their heads in disbelief at the miraculous airmanship displayed by an inebriated Capt Whip, most pilots in the audience were entranced with focusing on the accuracy of detail in choreographing the inflight emergency for the film. Some pilots expressed concern that the protagonist (Denzel) was a roguish, amoral Black airline pilot. However, Capt Whip’s loss of professional discipline in ignoring crew rest rules regarding drinking, drugging and flying lacked plausibility in today’s commercial pilot world. No-Notice drug and alcohol testing at the airport and for flight physicals would prevent pilots with alcohol or drug issues from hiding under the radar for very long. Testing positive for alcohol or illegal drugs would result in immediate termination and loss of pilot licenses. No pilot who loves his or her career wants this to happen. The film script didn’t mention the Transportation Security Authority (TSA) which is currently another safeguard in commercial aviation to detect crewmembers not fit to fly.

The movie script of “Flight” would have been more plausible back in the seventies, before TSA and No-Notice drug and alcohol testing. That was a period when marijuana and cocaine use were the new fad, “designer drugs,” in society and many pilots filled by nature with the machismo of adventure enjoyed affluent lifestyles of partying and flying on the edge. This penchant for excess was fueled by a high stress vocation, grueling long duty days with frequent situations that tested a pilot’s skills and decision making to the limits. Any aviator’s worse nightmare was to report for work exhausted and hung-over and then be confronted with an inflight emergency. That is precisely what Denzel Washington faced as Capt Whip Williams: a catastrophic mechanical failure of a major flight control that led to a crash in which 96 of a 102 passengers and crew survived. The real drama of “Flight,” however, is portrayed in the struggle for Capt Whip to face the truth of his addictions.

Interwoven into the movie themes were sensitive peeks at issues of religious conviction, philosophies of life and human kindness. John Goodman and Don Cheadle were outstanding as Capt Whip’s Pusher-Man buddy and union lawyer, respectively. The private tormented lifestyle of Capt Whip through the accident investigation makes for gripping suspense which had audience members on the edge of the their seats frequently. The film has a wonderful surprise outcome that catches the audience completely off guard, as Capt Whip emerges with redemption and liberation. Denzel, as usual, was magnificent. Great Movie!

 

The reviewer is a retired airline Captain, Brian H. Settles, a former Air Force combat veteran and author of a personal memoire of flying titled, No Reason for Dying: A Reluctant Combat Pilot’s Confession of Hypocrisy
WWW.captbriansettles.com

FOR FATHERS WHO DESERVE FATHERS' DAY

 ON FATHERING: Nurturing the Gain from Pain

It all started for me in the Lincoln, Nebraska State Orphanage where I was deposited by a seventeen year old unwed mother who surrendered to the pressures not to keep me. The ( my ) biological father was a state champion level high jumper who was drafted into the Army and never knew his girlfriend was with child. He never recovered from the trauma of his mama’s murder at the hands of an irate suitor, never married and lived a wasted life battling alcohol and heroin Joneses.

The greatest blessing of my life was visited upon me being adopted out of that orphanage by Bernice and Howard Settles, who took me back to Muncie, Indiana to grow up.  Daddy was ex-jock who cultivated a lifestyle of womanizing and macho prerogative, a factory laborer lost in the fantasy of becoming a liquor store owner.  Mama sought to live the solid Christian existence pursuing the upward mobility dreams of educated Black Americans emerging from the suffering of the Civil Rights struggle. She held onto a conviction that anyone who put a glass of whiskey to their lips was doomed to a life of rakish and irresponsible behavior.  How two totally opposite souls could have forged a marriage was one of many great mysteries. Their marriage finally cracked under the weight of Daddy’s infidelity and they divorced when I was eight but not before a baby sister had been adopted out of my same Nebraska orphanage.

Mama had a tough time of it after Daddy left home until she got that good job as a librarian at the Muncie Public Library. Through all her struggles to raise us, Daddy never paid child support. Rather than send him to penitentiary, we let him off the hook, all the time my sister and me wondering how he could deny his children the love of financial support.  My love for sports ushered in a bond with Daddy that was dependent on my forgiveness of his abuse of Mama and financial neglect. He never understood who I was, suggesting it was foolish to become an Air Force pilot when there was lots of money to be made lawyering  for the small time dope dealers in Indiana.  His most profound counsel to me about getting trapped in a teen pregnancy: “If you goin’ to be screwing these broads, use a rubber.”  I think I was looking for a bit loftier moral guidance.  Inspired by Daddy’s poor example of Fatherhood, I vowed to myself that I was going to be somebodies’ Daddy when I grew up and try to do it right.

My aviation career was not what I had in mind but I survived two hundred missions flying jet fighters in Vietnam and spent most of my adult life as an airline pilot raising two sons, the greatest joy of this journey.  I loved being a Father and I made a lot of mistakes but I wanted to raise strong, independent sons who would not crack under the first strains of life, sons who would be unstoppable.  I could never have known I would spend most of my fatherhood raising my sons as a single parent father after their mother and I lost our conjugal way.  I wasn’t “The Great Santini” but what follows are some of the philosophies that guided my parenting mission:

1.     Be honest and tell the truth. Stand for Integrity

2.     Know that there are consequences for actions; make sure you are okay with the cost. 

3.     You get lunch money allowance, food, clothing and a roof over your head. If you want the fancy stuff, you do extra chores or neighborhood work to earn extra money for the designer items.

4.     You have responsibilities around the house, ie rooms get cleaned up, floors get mopped and vacuumed, dishes get done and you will learn to cook a few easy meals for yourself.

5.     You will learn how to wash and dry clothes in the machines and fold them up.

6.     Don’t spend all the money you make; learn to have a savings for special needs in the future.

7.     When they were small, I was slow to pick them up when they fell down, or not at all if I knew they were okay, ingraining  in them to pick themselves up and move on.

8.     Stand for possibility and understand that courage, commitment and great effort are required for success in life.  The Life that Is Loved requires work and dedication. Dreams don’t always come true but you still work for them as if it is so.

9.     Accept others for how they present themselves, being careful to remember things aren’t always what they seem.

10.                         Never be abusive to women; learn to be understanding and tolerant.

11.                         Be leery of the appearance of a free lunch.  Don’t seek one.

12.                          Understand that your Daddy isn’t perfect; forgive the flaws in his behavior and don’t repeat them when it’s your turn.

Today, I have four grandchildren and two sons busy at the process of marriage, being devoted husbands and fathers. This is the greatest reward for my endeavor at being a good father, through a vision that was fueled by the absence and disappointment with my father.  From the pain comes the gain. Happy Father’s Day to those out there who deserve it.

 Retired airline Captain Brian Settles is a Mercer University Adjunct  faculty member and author of the page turner memoire, No Reason for Dying: A Reluctant Combat Pilot's Confession of Hypocrisy, Infidelity and War.  www.CaptBrianSettles.com

REQUIEM FOR WHITNEY

Valley of the Dolls Redux- Requiem For Whitney

In witnessing the mystical music tour of Whitney Houston’s going home ceremony, I
was struck by the overflowing pews of show business stars brightly shining in
the New Hope Baptist Church. Some of the most successful entertainers in world showed up to be a part of the last rights for music diva, Whitney Houston, who died mysteriously and tragically in her Beverly Hills hotel bathroom just twenty-four hours before the Grammy Awards
were to commence.

As is customary in the arts, the music and song that were shared with us during
the funeral service elevated our senses to higher emotional levels, heaping greater sadness upon us as we underwent our inexorable shift from who Whitney was for us in recent years to reflection upon the extraordinary vocal talent that she was during her career. We are inspired to reflect on Whitney’s meteoric ascent from teenaged prodigy singing gospel songs at New Hope Baptist in Newark, N.J, to super star protégé of music mogul, Clive Davis.

Juxtaposed to her music and acting fame are the dominant images of a troubled mega-star,
sporadically sinking, drowning in the morass of insecurities, of an unimaginable
unmanageable love relationship with former husband, singer Bobby Brown and a
fantasy existence bogged down in a lifestyle of drug and alcohol addiction. One is left wondering: What Happened to her life? As a child of God, what happened to her?

In pondering these questions as I observed her super star of yesteryear cousin, Dionne
Warwick, tenaciously presiding over the funeral program flow, my mind flashed
back to the moving 1968 cinema hit, “Valley of the Dolls,” in which Dionne sang the theme song for “Valley of the Dolls.” How ironic that forty-four years later that life of fame, stardom and
disconnection from one’s self, about which cousin Dionne sang, seemed the life-imitating-art
world we viewed through the window of Whitney’s real life these past twenty years.

As is the case with too many artists, loaded with unmanageable sensitivity and
artistic talent, the clarity and passion through which they experience life is
often an unbearable burden where exaggerated reactions and substance excesses
become the escape vehicle.

Yes, Sister Whitney may have had a fighter pilot intensity toward living her life as that
humble childhood in Newark metamorphosed into an inexplicable albatross of
insecurity generating from an enigmatic place. Her life in a speedier lane accelerated to a warp mania when she crossed romance paths with Bobby Brown where a mind blowing intimacy overloaded the emotional circuitry, leading deeper into the unreality of show business swirl, fogged in by drugs and alcohol. The bleacher aficionados want to blame Bobby, but he seems merely a willing accomplice, grateful for being invited to share the bed of the exquisite beauty queen that was Whitney, happily disposed to full throttle perpetuation of the daze of confusion.

Paradoxically, the necessary marriage dissolution from Bobby left Whitney in a place where
many of us have not found timely answers- alone and unsupervised. Reeling in blurred vision, caught in an auto-pilot lifestyle of deleterious medicating, Whitney sought familial balm
bonding with her daughter, Booby Kristina, all the while swirling and dancing her way
unaware into to the doom of her own Valley of the Dolls. We pray that rumors of baby Kristina slipping off the edge into her own private maelstrom are not founded.

Wish it were that Whitney’s relationship with God could have secured a livable peace for her.
Sadly, it appears in the final analysis, like the late pop star, Michael Jackson, she could not count on her closest entourage of aides, family and medical support to save her from herself. How could Cousin Dionne have known over forty years ago that she was singing the ironically prophetic lyrics in “Valley of the Dolls” for her “Nippie” Whitney. What we are left to ponder are those final lyrical lines whose answers desert us and leave us blinking tears soaked in the
echoing questions: “Tell me, when will I know, how will I know, when will I know why?”

The author is Brian H. Settles, an Adjunct professor at Mercer University, public speaker,
former airline pilot, Vietnam combat pilot and author of a next generation
combat pilot story that stands on the shoulders of the “RED TAILS”: No
Reason for Dying: A Reluctant Combat Pilot’s Confession of Hypocrisy,
Infidelity and War

RED TAILS CHASING SKIRT TAILS AND ARCHETYPES

Iconic film director, George Lucas, has taken on the risky
business of producing a Hollywood film telling the WW II breakthrough story of
the Tuskegee Airmen, titled “RED TAILS,” featuring a mostly Black cast of
actors. The number two ranking as the
highest grossing film in its initial weekend on the big screen is less a
testament to the broad based interest in the Tuskegee Airmen Experiment by
America’s film goers than to the effectiveness of the Internet and Social Media
communication networking in the Black milieu.
In spite of the millions of Black ( and white ) Americans and
aviation enthusiasts who showed up in support of RED TAILS’ cinematic victory
in presenting this major piece of the American Civil Rights mosaic, the
Facebook and Yahoo Groups have blasted us with too many societal experts
imparting myriad criticisms of RED TAILS. The dissing of the film has varied from charges
of “one dimensional characters,” gratuitous archetypes, ie, devout flag waving Christian,
booze burdened and romance crazed renegade pilots, leadership bogged down in banal,
platitudinous speeches and finally an implausible a POW sub-story that
concludes with magical reappearance of shot down airmen at the end of the
movie. Any criticisms of RED TAILS’ lack
of credibility or deviations from historical accuracy miss the point. We should
be thankful the breadth of real romance stories occurring back then in Italy were
tactfully omitted. Those critics who really care about historical validity
should see Lucas’ prequel companion to RED TAILS, “DOUBLE VICTORY.” The latter documentary had powerful technical
input from Original Tuskegee Airmen to assure historical accuracy in capturing
the civil rights breakthrough. The OTA’s also consulted on RED TAILS, but it
was the intent in the latter case to produce a film more focused on entertainment
than factual representations, as many other epic military films like “MIDAWAY,”
“PEARL HARBOR” and “THE GUNS OF NAVARRONE.”
I give the military history buffs their due in justified
criticisms if there were erroneous factual references made as to the number of missions
or sorties flown, number of U.S. bombers lost or Luftwaffe aircraft shot down that
were not supported by history. We have
bountiful examples of African American contribution to the advancement of society
without undermining our credibility by resorting to the neediness of hyperbole.
In the final analysis, it appears that most of the Black
folks who would criticize RED TAILS are too young to remember or have not experienced
the burgeoning Civil Rights struggle of the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on
Washington that cracked open the door leading to the historical progress
African Americans have achieved in this country. Yes, the march for equality must go on.
As successful as they
have been, perhaps NO African American film director, not even Tyler Perry or
Spike Lee, could have drawn this large an audience for a Black fighter pilot
combat movie as George Lucas. The Black
community support has been outstanding, whether we get more films of this type
or not. What is important is that we collectively appreciate what the making of
this film represents vis-à-vis greater Black participation in achieving the
American Dream and having our stories told. It’s a long, long way from Amos
& Andy, Rochester and Step and Fetchit. We should welcome any sources that are
inspired to tell our stories, eschewing inclinations to engage in bad-mouth-
nit-picking of great cinematic efforts like RED TAILS. It’s entertainment; let’s enjoy it and be
proud!
The author of this piece is a next generation Black combat
pilot whose aviation career stands on the shoulders of the RED TAILS. A former airline captain and now author, Captain
Brian H. Settles, has written a Real Deal story of what it was like flying
combat missions as a Black fighter pilot in a war Dr. King denounced as “immoral”
and politically unjust. No Reason for
Dying: A Reluctant Combat Pilot’s Confession of Hypocrisy, Infidelity and War. See www.CaptBrianSettles.com and www.NoReasonforDying.com to see details and order copies.

George Lucas' " RED TAILS" A MUST SEE MOVIE

THE RED TAILS RIDE
AGAIN

Bravo and Right On for George
Lucas-the Hollywood movie director of “Star
Wars” fame who has taken a stand for
producing a film that artfully combines modern cinematic technology in the telling
of an important story that depicts how far the United States has advanced in
racial relations since World War II. This
is a movie that big money Hollywood
turned its back on, presumably due to the absence of marque white stars and
sporting a predominantly black cast of actors.
The fact that George Lucas possessed the passion and guts to go-it-alone
in re-telling the story of the experiment to train Black pilots in Tuskegee,
Alabama during the early 1940’s once again demonstrates that greed for profits
in “tinsel town” trumps industry support for great films that portray a profound
story from our American past that younger and senior Americans need to hear. In a Private screening last night, the
Atlanta Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, with 17 Original Tuskegee Airmen
present, came out for a pre-release viewing party.
The film title is “Red Tails,” the breakthrough film story of the Tuskegee Airmen who
courageously trained and served as fighter pilots, bombardiers and technical
support personnel in Italy during WW II against the German war machine. It was
a magnificent work of film making technology; the visual scenes with Dolby
Stereo put viewers right in the middle of the aerial dog fights, occurring at
blinding speeds with the deafening surges of high powered turbo-prop engines. Warning:
Movie-gowers must have fascination with airplanes and fighter pilot action;
there is a ton of it. But at the same
time, there are sub-themes of race relations, the bond of camaraderie among the
airmen who were fighting for the Liberty of African Americans at home as well
as the United States abroad. Contrasted with the discrimination these Black
heroes faced at home and from their white military counterparts, the sacrifice,
dedication to mission and desire to prove themselves worthy was powerfully
depicted in the dying and human sacrifice in this magnificent war saga. And,
yes, even romance between the airmen and the Italian beauties was tastefully
interjected as a part of the Tuskegee Airmen reality while stationed in
Ramotalli, Italy.
In the final analysis, the courageous
achievement of the Tuskegee Airmen is beautifully captured in “Red Tails,” a must see movie for all
Americans who believe in the greatness of a country that is known for its
ability to triumph over adversity and challenge to remain a beacon for
individual freedom and democratic ideals in the world. With the latent resurgence
of political polarization, in part brought on by the election of the first
African American President, Barak Obama, it is indeed inspiring to have a great, honest
film that injects fresh hope in the hearts of Americans who will make the time
to see this movie, “Red Tails.” African
Americans have absolutely NO excuse not supporting this film. Thank you, George
Lucas!
By – former airline Captain Brian H. Settles, author of a
next generation Black fighter pilot story about his combat tour flying almost
two hundred missions in Vietnam at the time of Dr. King’s assassination titled:
No
Reason for Dying: A Reluctant Combat Pilot’s Confession of Hypocrisy,
Infidelity and War
www.CaptBrianSettles.com

THE PRESIDENT'S CATCH 22...

I CAN ONLY BE WHAT I AM- A POLITICIAN

Agonizingly, we witness the perpetual tap dance of our political leaders attempting to avoid being pinned down to any position on any issue that will damage political life expectancy. The prospect for real leadership always takes a back seat to political expediency. With all the potential for leading through great vision, President Obama is caught in a malstrom of Catch 22's which are creating impossible leadership challenges that expose him to perpetual ridicule on his presidential decision making. Consider the following:

1. Obama's Wars: As a Senator, Barak Obama voted against the arbitrary decision to expand the War on Terror into Iraq to depose Sadaam Huessein, considered by many international law scholars as an outrageous act of aggression. With the wisdom of twenty-twenty hindsight, legions of Monday Morning quarterbacks are now clamoring for quick military exit from Iraq and Afghanistan. Based on historical attitudes about the invasion of Iraq, the President would love to have ended the dying of our sons and daughters in these box canyon initiatives upon taking office. Here's the rub- early on an image sabotage campaign promulgated the perception of the President being sympathetic to Muslim issues. To avoid the label of being "soft on terrorism" and exacerbate the tragedy of the societal destruction and killing in Afghanistan and Iraq, the President did not have the option of an immediate exit from our two wars given our incomplete (unaccomplishable ), constantly shifting military objectives. After taking the middle road of committing more troops in 2010, Iraq and Afghanistan became Obama's Wars. The very same politians who cherred for military action against the Taliban and Iraq are now lambasting Obama for not getting our troops out fast enough. Catch 22

2. UNEMPLOYMENT: It took two decades for the Free Trade Agreements to transfer U.S manufacturing plants ( AND JOBS ) to forein countries like China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam and Mexico. At present we have limited export advantage and a gargantuan Import imbalance. For profit motives manufacturing executives transferred U.S. plants away from American workers, exacerbating the impact of the financial meltdown that created the housing nightmare. The strain of uncertainty begotten by the economic calamity of high unemployment has generated the ubiquitous political mantra JOBS, JOBS, JOBS as President Obama's number one task. This is a systemic challenge that no one man, president, can erradicate over the short term. Just as it took decades to sell out the American manufacturing workers, it will take decades to develope the new technologies that will spawn new industries that produce significant increases in replacement industries to get the unemployed living productive lives once again. It is disengenous and manipulative of the issues to charge Barak Obama with failure for not getting America back to work. Catch 22

In the final analysis, the President is a politician who complicates his challenge by succumbing to the seduction of "trying to please all of the people all of the time." By not standing for his intellectual analysis of the issues and forthwith making the tough pronouncements and decisions that are the right thing to do, whether they are unpopular or not, he gives greater fuel for criticism for playing the game at which he desires to be most proficient- Politician. Forfeiting the Change We Can Believe In for political expediency has given credence to the conservative detractors and resulted in former supporters to begin slipping off of the support band wagon that got him elected. Catch 22, Again!

Brian H. Settles

www.CaptBrianSettles.com

Twitter@BrianHSettles