Q: What is The Aviator rated?
A: The Aviator is rated PG-13 for “for thematic elements, sexual content, nudity, language and a crash sequence.”

Q: Whatever happened to the Spruce Goose?
A: It is at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinville, Oregon.

Q: How did the Spruce Goose end up in Oregon?! Wasn’t it on display in Long Beach, California?
A: Interestingly enough, Disney (who owns Mirimax, which put out The Aviator movie) plays a large role in the Spruce Goose departing from its origins in California. According to the Evergreen Aviation Museum:

“In the late 1980s, after the deaths of Jack and Bonita Wrather, the Disney Corporation purchased the former holdings of the Wrather Corporation. In March 1990, Disney informed the Aeroclub of Southern California of its intention to discontinue the dome exhibit, leaving the Flying Boat looking for yet another home.

In 1992, the Aero Club of Southern California began requesting proposals for custody and preservation of the aircraft. Organizations submitting proposals had to meet two criteria:

1) Have access to land on which to house the Flying Boat and
2) the funding necessary to move and care for her.

Evergreen’s plan, as envisioned by Captain Michael King Smith, proposed to not only preserve and protect her, but also to display her as the central exhibit in a living museum.

The move to Oregon brought a new set of problems for the Flying Boat. The move would require disassembly, packaging, transportation, and re-assembly.

Q: What is the time period in which the movie takes place?
A: The mid-1920’s through the end of the 1940’s.

Q: How did Leonardo DiCaprio prepare for the complex role of playing Howard Hughes?
A: For over a decade, DiCaprio has had a fascination with Howard Hughes and it was actually DiCaprio’s idea to make The Aviator movie. DiCaprio didn’t take the role he was playing lightly. He spent months “living and breathing” Howard Hughes – reading biographies, watching movies, listening to tape recordings and mastering aspects of Howard Hughes life. This included DiCaprio learning how to fly daredevil arial maneuvers!

Q: Cate Blanchett was great as Katharine Hepburn. How was she chosen for the role?
A: Director Martin Scorses sought Cate Blanchett for the role. Cate has a history of doing great performances with real-life characters, such as her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the movie Elizabeth. Obviously it was the right choice as Blanchett won an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress) for her role of Katharine Hepburn.

Q: Martin Scorses seems to have a unique directing style. Can you tell me more about it?
A: Martin Scorses is a man with a vision who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. Perhaps Academy Award winning cinematographer Robert Richardson describes it best when he says, “Marty arrives on set knowing exactly what he wants. He knows the angles, the camera moves, even the lens sizes. And yet at the same time, he is also always open to discussion on how to achieve what he would like to see, and is prepared to make alterations whenever necessary.”

Q: Was Howard Hughes really in a plane crash that he survived as shown in the movie?
A: Yes, Howard Hughes was in a plane crash. In fact, the filmmakers filmed the plane crash scene in the same neighborhood where it really happened. Some of the people still in the neighborhood remembered the crash. The crash happened on July 7, 1946 at 7:20pm during a test flight of Hughes X-11 aircraft. The craft developed an oil leak, that was undetected. Hughes could have bailed out, but wanted to try to steer the plane away from a residential area to a golf course. But it was too late. He crashed in a Beverly Hills neighborhood. Three homes burned and Hughes was seriously injured. Hughes didn’t follow his flight plan for the X-11 flight, which was supposed to be over before the oil leak caused a propeller to fail. Hughes apparently had wanted to “show off” the plane over Beverly Hills and deviated from his flight as a result.. Interestingly enough, this wasn’t Hughes only plane crash. He also was in a crash on the set of his movie Hell’s Angel. In that accident he was knocked unconscious and broke a collar bone.