Checking out some old-school planes

Is it worth your time?

If you're the type who gets a kick out of old newsreels or just loves vintage machinery, you'll probably dig this. If you need a plot or a main character, stay far away.

It's basically just watching people tinker with wood-and-wire airplanes. There’s a strange, quiet joy to it, though.

The experience

It feels like stumbling onto someone’s dusty home movie collection. The film just sort of happens, without much preamble or polish.

You see these pilots standing by their crafts, looking genuinely proud. It’s not like Open Range where everything is staged to look epic. This is just life, caught on grainy stock.

One pilot, C.J. Mack, shows up, and you get the sense he really knew his way around those engines. It’s funny how different the pacing is compared to something like The Last Mile.

Everything here moves slow. Like, really slow. Sometimes the camera just stays on a propeller for a bit too long, waiting for the engine to finally turn over.

• The sunlight hitting the grass looks surprisingly sharp.
• Nobody is acting. They're just doing their job.
• The hats! Everyone is wearing such serious hats.

I found myself wondering if they knew we’d be watching this nearly a century later. Probably not. It makes the whole thing feel a bit voyeuristic, honestly.

There isn't much to say about the 'performances' because, well, there aren't any. It's just folks being folks near a hangar. ✈️

Compared to the frantic energy in Frozen Frolics, this is practically a meditation. It’s dry, sure, but it’s real.

I caught myself nodding off for a second, then waking up just as a plane finally taxied out. It's that kind of watch. You don't need to pay attention to every frame to get the gist of it.

It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It’s just a record. And honestly? That's enough for me today.