John Stringfellow flight achievement was referenced in the movie "The Flight of the Phoenix" (1965). The character Heinrich Dorfmann (Hardy Kruger), a German airplane designer, explains that it was a model airplane that made the first powered flight in 1848 and that though his own experience with airplane design is with building models, the principles are the same. His design for an airplane to be built from the scraps of their crashed plane will fly them out of the desert to safety. John Stringfellow John Stringfellow (1799 – 13 December 1883) was born in Sheffield, England and is known for his work
A Fire in the Sky over the radio. With no shelter immediately available, Webster and the boys dig themselves into the desert floor and cover themselves with sleeping bags in a desperate attempt to survive the impact. Governor Ritchie and Elliott try to fly out of Phoenix, but FAA Air Traffic Control refuses them clearance. Elliott orders the pilot to fly them out, which the pilot reluctantly tries to do. Their small aircraft is destroyed after hitting a larger commercial plane, tearing the landing gear off the commercial plane and forcing it to be diverted to San Diego. Meanwhile, Ann Webster (Jenny O'Hara), who has