I Wanted Wings

Ray Milland was in a plane which was being test flown for a shot in the film. Sensing an opportunity, Milland (an amateur skydiver) was about to jump out of the plane to parachute for free, when the pilot informed him of engine trouble. Upon returning to the ground, Milland related the tale to the horrified film crew, one of whom was the costumer who informed him that the parachute on his back was merely a non-functional prop.

The training plane in which Captain Mercer (Brian Donlevy) takes Jeff Young (Ray Milland) up for his first flight, is a North American BT-14, a basic trainer. In 1941 all flying cadets at Randolph Field started with the Boeing-Stearman PT-13, a much simpler biplane for primary training. Using a BT-14 for one's first flight is like running before learning to walk.