Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

Other mistake: At the two-hour point when Terry-Thomas' plane lands on the moving train a nuclear power plant can be seen in the background several times. (02:04:38 - 02:05:02)

Other mistake: The Japanese plane and the German plane are actually the same aircraft type, a British Design called an "Eardly Billing." The "Japanese" version is re-dressed with canvas partitions between the wings, painted dragons, etc, the "German" has no canvas and German eagles, but they are the same machine.

Other mistake: As the planes go over Dover you get a very nice view of the modern harbour complete with cross Channel ferries and oil tanker.

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Suggested correction: This is not a mistake for two quite plausible reasons. First, the two flyers are the principal rivals in the race and it would be quite in character for one to try to impede the other by substituting a tool inferior to the one requested. Second, the Monkey wrench and the Pipe wrench are similar in appearance and function. The pipe wrench may have worked. Also, Wikipedia says: The term monkey wrench is also sometimes used loosely, usually by non-tradespeople, to refer to the pipe wrench."

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Mistakes

Factual error: The "American" aircraft is really a British design called a Bristol Boxkite.

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Suggested correction: Why is this an error? The "American" aircraft was fictional (there was no such thing as the "Phoenix Flyer") so they could have used anything to represent it. The design they used was known to work and was safe. The original Boxkite was actually a British version of The Farman and was similar in appearance the the American Curtiss.

The American pilot, while talking to the movie's heroine, states that his plane is a Curtiss. Check the scene in the restaurant, the night before he saves the German plane with the damaged tail. I tend to think the "Phoenix Flyer" was the name of that individual plane, and not the model of aircraft. That would mean that the pilot of the plane indirectly said that his plane was of American manufacture, as Curtiss was an American company.

Another interesting note is that in the scene with the runaway German plane, Orville Newton's plane is being wheeled out of the hangar, which has a "Bristol Company" sign over the doors. They "just happen" to be borrowing space in the hangar owned by the company that made the original Bristol Boxkites! It's a meaningless detail, but fun that they arranged it that way.

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Quotes

Count Emilio Ponticelli: It is a pity that the race will now be won by a Protestant.
Mother Superior: A Protestant? Sisters, don't stand there gazing. This good Catholic needs our help.

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Trivia

Trivia: In the beginning of the movie there is a reference to a Frenchman who had crossed the Channel by plane in the previous year (1909). The man meant is Louis Blériot, who flew from Calais to Dover in his famous craft 'Blériot XI' in 37 minutes. Again it was a competition race, for a 1000 Pounds set by the London Daily Mail.

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