Visible crew/equipment: When the young Danny and Rafe are in the real aeroplane, in one shot before it comes to a stop you can see the shadow of a camera and cameraman. (00:02:40)
Continuity mistake: When Rafe hits Danny's dad, his hands on the plank changes between shots, and the plank goes from being held away from the body, to close to the body between shots. (00:03:35)
Factual error: In the beginning of the film, there are scenes at "Mitchell Field" on Long Island, New York. The actual spelling is "Mitchel Field." (00:04:50)
Continuity mistake: In the scene near the beginning of the movie where Rafe is being reprimanded by Maj. Doolittle for stunt flying, Rafe starts to talk about the various accomplishments that Doolittle has to his credit. The scene shifts to Doolittle and you can see in the background some of the trophies that he won in various air races and endurance tests. One of the trophies has a small model of an F-86 Sabre jet. The scene takes place in early 1941 and the F-86 didn't exist until the 1950's. In fact, jets weren't around until the end of the war and mostly in the hands of the Germans. (00:05:50)
Continuity mistake: When Rafe is talking to Danny about going to Britain, Danny's position changes from being at the side of the truck to being at the front of the truck. (00:09:00)
Continuity mistake: When Rafe is looking at the letter exam on the wall, the eye exam on the wall keeps changing between shots. (00:12:20)
Suggested correction: The eye chart in this shot does not move, the angle of the camera shifts over by a few feet. This can be verified if you look at the edge of the beige medicine cabinet. In the top picture, you can not see the back plate. You also can not see the left side of it as well. In the second picture, from a few feet over, now both are visible.
Continuity mistake: When Rafe goes to thank Evelyn, Evelyn at one point goes up to his ear and whispers, but her position at his ear keeps changing from really close to a bit further away between shots. (00:14:55)
Continuity mistake: When Rafe is leaving Evelyn's cubicle near the beginning, he turns around and says, "Miss I really like you," and he is not holding onto the drip pole, but in the following shot he is. (00:15:35)
Continuity mistake: When Rafe is going in for medical tests and to thank Evelyn her for not taking his wings away, when Rafe starts acting a little strange Evelyn asks "This isn't your chart?" When it cuts to Rafe he is holding onto the IV just underneath the IV bags, but in the following shot his hand is much further down the pole. (00:15:40)
Continuity mistake: When Rafe meets Evelyn outside the hospital with a bottle of wine, he accidentally hits his nose with the cork and lays his head on Evelyn's lap. Her right hand is holding some ice, but her left hand is nowhere to be seen, but in the following shot her left hand has appeared on Rafe's chin and cheek. (00:17:40)
Continuity mistake: Just after Rafe pops himself in the nose with the champagne cork, there is a bit of blood running down his right cheek. It disappears when the camera cuts back to him. (00:18:25)
Factual error: When Eveleyn and Rafe are going to the Queen Mary, you can see to the left the modern buildings for the actual New York. (00:24:25)
Continuity mistake: In the scene in front of the hotel on the night before Rafe ships out to England, Evelyn puts a scarf around his neck. There is a camera shot from his back: no scarf; then another one from his front, and he's wearing the scarf again. (00:27:10)
Factual error: When Rafe's train leaves New York you can see an Amtrak Genesis engine through the window. Amtrak wasn't created until 1971 and the Genesis diesel engines weren't designed until 1992. (00:29:45)
Continuity mistake: When Rafe first meets his commander in England, the commander is standing next to a guy looking at a plane. The commander turns around and looks at Rafe, but in the following shot the other guy is now also looking at Rafe. (00:30:25)
Continuity mistake: Close to the beginning of the film when we first see the president being wheeled into the room with his staff at the table, at the beginning of this scene you can see that the wheelchair has already turned into the room, but in the following shot it's turning into the room again. (00:31:20)
Continuity mistake: When one of the pilots of the "pride of the pacific" crew is painting a woman on the side of his airplane, he is brushing it on with his right hand, but in the following closeup, he is now brushing it on with his left, then back to his right in the wider shot. (00:33:50)
Continuity mistake: Just after the shot of Evelyn sitting on the rocks, it cuts to Rafe in England. The first shot we see that the pint of lager on the bench is half empty, but it refills itself in the next shot. (00:36:15)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where we see an Admiral getting some news from Washington to transfer another 12 destroyers to the Atlantic, one of the guys he's talking to moves from standing side by side with another officer to further away. (00:37:25)
Factual error: As the RAF aircrew are running for their aircraft during the scramble sequence, one of the Spitfires can be seen showing a serial of 'AR4474' briefly. This is incorrect not only for a wartime Spitfire, but is completely out of sequence for any UK military aircraft. All four flying Spitfires used during filming had similar inaccurate serials. (00:38:20)
