By S. Clayton Moore
The eminent Colorado-based aircraft manufacturer Adam Aircraft might not be turning to vice just yet, but “Vice” is certainly turning to Adam Aircraft. The company’s A500 twin-engine piston airplane is prominently featured in “Miami Vice,” the new film by award-winning director Michael Mann.
In this still from the summer blockbuster “Miami Vice,” undercover agents Crockett and Tubbs fly a load of cocaine in an Adam Aircraft A500.
The futuristic-looking airplane was the perfect choice for a segment of the film centering on a smuggling run by its main characters Sonny Crockett, played by Irish-born Colin Farrell, and Ricardo Tubbs, portrayed by Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx of “Ray.”
The film is a large-scale, blistering crime drama about two undercover Miami-Dade police narcotics officers who get pulled into a dangerous game. While working undercover in the clubs and vice dens of South Florida, Crockett gets romantically entangled with Isabella, the Chinese-Cuban wife of an arms and drugs trafficker. Chinese actress Gong Li portrays Isabella.
The agents’ initial task is transporting drug loads into South Florida from South America in order to identify a group responsible for three murders. How do you get thousands of kilos of grade-A cocaine from Colombia to Miami? Just get yourself an airplane from Adam Aircraft, of course.
It’s not just a supporting role. Far from a mere product placement, like the one filmmakers reached with Range Rover, the appearance of the A500 in the film is integral to its plot. In the segment, Crockett and Tubbs fly their first shipment in the futuristic-looking aircraft, deceiving the Coast Guard’s radar by tucking the airplane tightly under the profile of a King Air.
The stars of “Miami Vice,” Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx and Irish actor Colin Farrell, both took turns flying in the A500 during the movie’s production.
Even in the original television series on which “Miami Vice” is based, Crockett and Tubbs always traveled in style. The A500 joins other snazzy vehicles including a Ferrari 430 Spider and a Donzi 38ZR speedboat.
Adam Aircraft founder Rick Adam is very pleased with his aircraft’s appearance in the sleek crime drama.
“The Adam Aircraft A500 is the ideal airplane for ‘Miami Vice,'” he said. “The A500 signature twin-boom profile reaches the level of high style and high performance necessary to meet the standards of a Michael Mann production, and the footage we’ve seen shows off the airplane’s extraordinary look, along with its superior speed and maneuverability.”
To complete the sequence, Adam Aircraft allowed its A500, based at Centennial Airport (APA) in Colorado, to fly to Florida and the Dominican Republic for two extended filming schedules. Adam Aircraft pilots Jan D’Angelo and Mike McCready flew the airplane on all legs of both trips, including circumnavigating Hurricane Wilma to meet the film crew. On a happier note, the Dominican Republic flight signified the first international flight for Adam Aircraft.
Director Michael Mann chose the Adam Aircraft A500 to suit the sleek, high-powered style of “Miami Vice.”
While shooting on location, many of the “Miami Vice” crew, including director Michael Mann and stars Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell, took the opportunity to fly in the airplane. For some segments, Mann even personally shot the action from the cabin of the A500.
The film appearance is another big milestone for Adam Aircraft, which has been progressing by leaps and bounds this year. The aircraft company continues development of its A700 AdamJet, which achieved a flight to 41,000 feet earlier this year. Meanwhile, the A500 twin-piston aircraft featured in “Miami Vice” has been type certified by the FAA and Adam’s orders for the aircraft are progressing steadily. Perhaps the A500 will be even more popular with pilots anxiously awaiting their orders now that it’s a movie star.
For more information on Adam Aircraft’s A500 and A700 aircraft, visit [http://www.adamaircraft.com].