Other mistake: Cpt. Yelland and civilian observer Lasky are trying hard not to mess up with the timeline. Changing little things in the past could have tremendous results in the present/future. However they already disrupted the natural timeline by shooting down 2 Japanese Zeros, killing both pilots, leaving behind CAG Owens in 1941 and rescueing secretary Laurel Scott who would've been killed for sure by the two previously shot down Mitsubishi Zeros.
The Final Countdown (1980)
1 other mistake - chronological order
Directed by: Don Taylor
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross, James Farentino
Character mistake: Following the barricade recovery of the Corsair, the Officer of the Deck instructs the helmsman to return to course "three five oh." No line officer would use the term "oh" in place of "zero", especially when giving course change instructions.
Captain Yelland: If the United States falls under attack our job is to defend her in the past, present and future.
Lasky: And after that?
Captain Yelland: After that, we take our orders from the Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces.
Lasky: Franklin Delano Roosevelt?
Trivia: For the memorable confrontation between two Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes and two American F-14 Tomcats, a trial flyby was close enough that powerful air turbulence from the passing jets violently threw both Zeroes out of control for a few seconds, like toys. The lead Zero pilot even lost his wristwatch and communications headset, which were vacuumed out of the open canopy. Out of radio contact for several seconds, the condition of the Zero pilots was unknown. Camera angles and distances between all the aircraft were modified so as not to further endanger the Zeroes for the final take as seen in the film.
Question: My question is regarding the scene with the refuelling plane. Was it on the ship when it went back into the past? If so, that doesn't make sense. The refueling plane would have to already be in the air, conceivably arriving from another location. That location would still be in the future.
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Answer: Apparently, the storm that pulls the carrier to another time can also catch planes in flight. It caught the planes launched to intercept the Japanese attack, and pulled them back to the future along with the carrier.