20 Things You Didn’t Know About Octopussy (1983)

3. “Fill Her Up, Please!”

John William “Corkey” Fornof flew the Acrostar Bede BD-5J microjet, taking off and landing in Santa Clara and flying over Virgin River, Hurricane Arch Bridge, and Moab, all in Utah.

RAF Northolt in South Ruislip represented a Central American racetrack and Hangar 311 at RAF Oakley in Buckinghamshire doubled for the hangar that James Bond destroys. John Richardson used foreground miniatures and forced perspective for the jet's entrance and exit from the hangar as the aircraft was actually flying past it!

Inside the hangar, Richardson attached the jet to a Jaguar painted in military camouflage using a steel pole and director, John Glen had troops run in front of the car to make it appear as though the Acrostar was in flight. A miniature of the hangar with four-inch long steel panels was then destroyed at Pinewood Studios.

The Acrostar taxied to a stop in the same location where the Fort Knox gold depository had stood on Pinewood's backlot in Goldfinger. John Glen had originally intended to cut away from Roger Moore’s tongue-in-cheek line to "Fill her up, please", but realised its appeal when the film's trailer, which featured the line, got a great reception at his local cinema.

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I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.