Correcting The Aviator

This Sunday night The Aviator is up for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. I won't be watching - I never watch awards shows - because I care not a bit about who wins those things and I don't want to be subjected to the silly political protest chatter from the enlightened Hollywood crowd.

I saw The Aviator a couple of weeks ago, and the first 90 minutes of the movie went by in a flash with lots of flying action and good pacing. Then time stopped. The second half of the movie (yes, it's that long) crawled along like a one-legged dog. I thought my Social Security would kick in before that thing ended.

The main villain in the movie, besides Hughes' own mind, was Juan Trippe, the head of Pan Am Airways. If you're only knowledge of Trippe was based on the movie, you'd probably figure he had a terrible effect on the aviation world. Today in the Wall Street Journal, Harold Evans sets the record straight. It's interesting reading for aviation buffs.