Test pilot features some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Clark Gable stars as reckless test pilot Jim Lane. He forms a romantic relationship with Myrna Loy cast as Ann “Thursday” Barton. Spencer Tracy stars as Gunner. Subsequently, Ann discovers how dangerous Lane’s job can be, but sticks by her man.
Test flying a new bomber, an early Boeing B-17 flying wing, something goes wrong. At 30,000 feet, the bomber enters a spin. Sandbags which substituted for bombs break loose and trap Gunner. Unwilling to bail out without his buddy, Lane manages to crash land. He rescues the badly injured Gunner just before it burst into flames. Sadly, Gunner dies from his injuries. Clearly, Lane realizes, the toll his job takes on his wife. He gives up test flying and joins the US Army Air Corps.
Eighteen cameras filmed the flying scenes for Test Pilot. They proved to be the most thrilling ever shown in an aviation movie. One sequence required fifty aircraft. Filmed at March Field near Riverside, California, Gable alternates as pilot and passenger. Loy, Tracy, and Lionel Barrymore watched as spectators as the aircraft roared down the runway. Suddenly, one of the planes pulled out of a dive too close to the ground. The 50-ton ship bounced over the heads of the camera crew. Only Joseph Novak remained to operate the camera. As a result, he captured one of the most startling pictures of a plane yet made.
Victor Flemming, a licensed pilot, directed Test Pilot. Filmed a number of airports, Paul Mantz provided technical advice. Gable and Tracy, both student pilots, obtained enough flying hours to apply for their pilot licenses,