Question: I don't understand the floor plan of the farm. In the first scene of interest, Whip is in the living room and Nicky, to his right, comes out of the bathroom, having had a shower. But, in the second scene of interest, Whip is drunk in the living room and Nicky, to his right, comes in through the front door - where before it was the bathroom.
Question: Can inverting a plane completely upside down and then turning it 180 degrees truly keep it from going down in a sharp nosedive and "gliding" to safety? Seems rather far-fetched but made for a very interesting exciting movie focal point.
Question: Does anyone feel that Whip was set up in that hotel room? I mean IMO it was just a little too convenient for him to be awakened by the sound of an unlocked room door, just to go inside to find an untouched mini bar. Also, who was it that was watching him when he went to visit his son? It's almost like the film tried to touch on a conspiracy but then decided to let well enough be.
Answer: I don't really think it was a setup. No one was setting him up. They just wanted answers to why he's hiding. I find it hard to believe that no-one heard the loud banging (mini fridge with booze, passed out drunk in the bathroom) plus the loud radio from 2:08 to 9:15. Not even the night guard heard that? He should have definitely been in the room with Whip to keep an eye on him. When he visits his son, the person watching him might have been a news person. The NTSB wants the flight crew to keep their silence and distance from reporters so that they can do their investigation. Too much from the press causes misinformation and hysteria. But yes, the longer the silence the more it can be used against you. So in a way it could have been a conspiracy theory.
Question: Whip is talking to co-pilot Ken Evans in the hospital after he wakes up from his coma. When Ken is talking about Whip's health, he mentions him reeking of gin or something. If Whip smelled that bad of alcohol, why didn't Ken alert security before takeoff?
Answer: Possibly misplaced loyalty to a friend/co-worker and wanting to protect Whip's career. Ken may have believed he himself could handle any flight situation that might arise if Whip was incapable; he may have intended to confront Whip later to demand he get help or else he'd report him.
Chosen answer: Popular mechanics wrote an article covering this. In short, inverting a passenger jet is certainly doable, but the specific chain of events seen in the film are more of a stretch. Possible, but...challenging, to say the least!
Jon Sandys ★