Yeah, I know, for the GAF this is 50 years into the "future", and for us old-timers it's a number of years in the past. And I was never a part of the flying part of SAC (Minuteman I & II missile maintenance officer), but I still get a lump in my throat and a thrill watching the aerial shots. I still have a mental picture of the only B-36 I ever saw actually flying over my house when I was a kid back in the '50's.
What kinda tickles me is the SAC commander, "General Hawks", but of course it could only be "Ol' Iron Ass" himself! Funny, I had another year of engineering classes to take so I didn't get commissioned with my AFROTC class. But I was in the room when LeMay himself swore in my buddies!
I really get a kick out of the "commercial DC-3 on final, declaring an 'emergency'!" Of course, this was the ruse they used to use when hitting a SAC base with a No-notice Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI). By the time I was in, the minute the IG team left the previous base, some staff NCO was on the horn to one of his buddies at our command post to let us know they were on their way..
Then it was A's & E's for a couple of days. I think it was rougher on the "head shed". SAC missile wing commanders had lots of responsibility and very little authority... We "phased out" one of our wing CO's after his
third heart attack! The worst part of one of these inspections was when we were "off duty" was being on "six-rings of the phone". If you didn't think you could answer in 6 rings, you had to call in and tell them. Kinda inconvenient if you were, ah...heading for the "reading room" for a few minutes. Then, you had to call them back when you were through...
The other movie that always gets me going, though it wasn't quite as inspiring, was "A Gathering of Eagles" starring Rock Hudson. That one right out of SAC Manual 66-12 and assorted leadership training films.
Ah, well... back to the 19th Century!