Beyond The Ordinary
EC-135
Beyond The Ordinary
In the 1990 HBO movie By Dawn's Early Light, (The) Looking Glass is the code name for the United States Strategic Air Command's (SAC) airborne command and control plane. It is a flying bunker designed to manage nuclear forces if ground-based command centers (like SAC headquarters at Offutt AFB) are destroyed.
Key Aspects of 'Looking Glass' in the Film.
The Doomsday Plane: It is an E-4B or EC-135 aircraft acting as the primary command center during the nuclear crisis.
🔹️ Command Control:
▪️ The aircraft, with Alice (General
Fargo, played by James Earl Jones) aboard, attempts to coordinate a strategic response while managing conflicting orders.
🔹️ The Plot Conflict:
▪️ Looking Glass takes orders from
the actual President, who is trying to stop further escalation. However, they are challenged by the "Nightwatch" plane (carrying a "successor" president) which is trying to launch a full-scale attack.
🔹️ Mission:
▪️ In the film, Looking Glass is tasked
with recalling US bombers to stop the war, and ultimately attempts to prevent the Nightwatch plane from transmitting final launch orders.
🔹️ The name Looking Glass refers to
the real-world Air Force mission (Operation Looking Glass) where a plane was in the air 24/7 for 29 years during the Cold War, effectively mirroring the ground-based command structures.
Beyond The Ordinary
KC-135R 62-3554 ‘Cherokee Rose’ used in the record-setting flights., Bruce Radebaugh
Σ Music 4 US
In some parts of England, Us (or US) is often used for the word Our
Actually, I don't often get caught by the Cherozee Cherokee. With them, I never really lose my last wheel. Wheel count = Z (for Zero) is not wheel count = 0. But, I do play with the idea. Also, wheel count = 0 is not necessarily bad - as 0 is wheel shaped. 🙂
Beyond The Ordinary
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