Product Description

In 1940, Nazi air strikes had Britain on her knees. The RAF was desperate for planes and their supply of US aircraft, sent on ship convoys, had been sunk in the icy Atlantic by relentless German U-boats. In response, a remarkable decision was made to fly the planes across the unforgiving ocean.

Because of US neutrality, a message went out through the aviation grapevine only that a secret operation in Montreal needed experienced civilian pilots. The benefits were irresistible a vital and important job, a chance to fly the latest aircraft, and a large paycheck but the risks were colossal. These cowboys of the air are forgotten heroes of WWII, men who embodied the improvisational spirit that was key to Allied victory.

Flying the Secret Sky tells the story of passionate, risk-taking young men braving treacherous winter skies over the North Atlantic in primitive, unarmed aircraft. Told by the flyers themselves, including an American civilian pilot who ferried Winston Churchill, the film uses never-before-seen home movies and rare footage of Ferry Command aircraft and crews to reveal one of the great unknown stories of WWII and of aviation history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31018 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-08-12
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 74 minutes

Customer Reviews

Fascinating Untold Story
I saw this film at a preview screening at the High Museum in Atlanta. Although I am not a WWII history buff, and often find war documentaries to be boring, this was certainly not the case with this film! I found the story very compelling and in fact, was moved to tears by the end of it. Not only did it achieve high artistic standards, but the story was told with humor and compassion. The wealth of archival footage, including home movies, was very impressive and it gave the film a more personal feeling than your average war documentary. The fact that the filmmaker's father was one of the main pilots also gave it extra emotional resonance. I highly recommend this film; even an anti-war person like myself came away with a feeling of pride for what these people accomplished, and an even deeper respect for those who sacrificed for our country.

A welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition
"Flying The Secret Sky" is a 75-minute documentary showcasing The British RAF's little known activities in transporting military aircraft from North America to England before America's entrance into World War II. This hazardous and secretive aspect of military aviation in 1940 preceded America's entry into the war and was part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's assistance to Britain's efforts to defend themselves against Hitler's attacks. "Flying The Secret Sky" is the story of dedicated, risk-taking young pilots who flew across a wartime Atlantic in unarmed aircraft as told by the flyers in their own words. Of special note is the American civilian pilot who transported Winston Churchill. Enhanced with a profusion of previously unseen home movies and rare footage of Ferry Command aircraft and crews, "Flying The Secret Sky" is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Aviation History and World War II European Theatre DVD collections.

Flying the secret sky
I'm a little bit biased since my dad is the DVD, but still and all It was well written and very exciting to watch all the Lancs. flying around. I learned stuff maybe my dad didn't even know.
Watching this movie brought back all the stories my dad used to tell me as we'd have a few cocktails on Saturday nights.