Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag Synopsis & Summary

The excitement and danger that is part of an air-force pilot's training dominates this visually exciting documentary, shot and initially exhibited in the large-format IMAX film format. Inspired by the exploits of the pilot's grandfather, a Marine flyer who served in World War II, Fighter Pilot: Operation Red is the story of John C. Stratton, a captain in the United States Air Force who is eager to become a fighter pilot. With this goal in mind, Stratton's superiors assign him to Red Flag, an intensive training program at Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base. Red Flag puts young pilots through a rigorous series of flight exercises which closely simulate airborne combat conditions, and this documentary puts the viewer beside Stratton in the cockpit as he faces off against as many as 100 other jets flying in close pattern exercises. - Mark Deming, All Movie Guide