Brakes on a Plane

Last month saw the release of adventure-thriller movie Brakes on a Plane. Staring Samuel L. Jackson, the film takes an in-depth look at braking mechanisms throughout the history of aviation. Jackson describes the film as "a horror-thriller-decelerative blockbuster epic"; critics have largely agreed.

Starting with the lassos and parachutes used by the Wright brothers, Brakes on a Plane charts the story of airline brakes through to the systems of modern times, and new developments such as regenerative braking. The movie also focuses on some of the all-time classic brakes. Jackson, capably playing the role of a disgruntled brake designer whose daughter has been kidnapped by terrorists, compares two legendary designs in the following classic line from the film. "The double-gauged Lockheed twin-disk XT-9000 Planestopper was one of the most efficient brakes ever used, but the XT-9000-A was a real bad motherfucker."