The Skyfleet S570 is a fictional prototype double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by Skyfleet Aeronautics. The aircraft first appeared in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale and was subsequently seen in the 2008 James Bond video game Quantum of Solace.
History[]
Casino Royale (film)[]
Prominently featured in Casino Royale, the Skyfleet S570 was described as the world's largest passenger airliner and (according to an in-film news article) represented ten years of research and development. The S570 was powered by twin-mounted CE856i engines designed in collaboration with NASA and a consortium of European engineers, which were designed to use 25% less fuel than conventional single-mounted engines. The aircraft was expected to be carry 850 passengers in a three-class configuration. The article notes that 20 companies had placed orders for the aircraft at a cost of $300 million dollars per unit. The S570's first flight was expected to be a non-stop flight from Sydney to London and was planned for the beginning of the next year.
During the film, the terrorist financier Le Chiffre uses a Ugandan warlord's money to short-sell stock in Skyfleet, thus betting the money on the company's failure. The banker plans to bring about said failure by destroying the company's prototype airliner. After his original bomb-maker is killed by James Bond in Madagascar, another is hired to complete the job. The bomb-maker infiltrates Miami International Airport and steals a fuel tanker; attaching a keyring-sized bomb to the vehicle. As he attempts to blow up the prototype with the truck he is intercepted by 007 and a fight ensues on-board. Eventually the terrorist is forced from his vehicle and Bond narrowly prevents the truck from colliding with the plane. With his plan foiled, Le Chiffre is left with a major financial loss and is forced to set up a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro.
Alternate Continuities[]
Quantum of Solace (video game)[]
To be added
Behind the Scenes[]
As can be seen in concept artwork, originally the producers intended to use Airbus and their forthcoming A380. However, production delays held back its appearance in the film.[1] The S570 was actually a Boeing 747-200, originally used by British Airways as "G-BDXJ". It was refitted with two mockup engines on each inner pylon and external fuel tanks on the outer pylons, somewhat anachronistically resembling a B-52 Stratofortress. This aircraft survives, permanently grounded and repainted plain white, at Dunsfold Aerodrome, England, where all the airfield action was filmed [2] The location is now used as Top Gear's famous Top Gear Test Track around the airfield, and the aircraft can be commonly seen in footage filmed in the show.
Gallery[]
.png "Skyfleet S570 exits hangar (Casino Royale).png (2.65 MB)")
.jpg "Miami, Le Chiffre and Kratt (Secret Cinema).jpg (243 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ Lamont, Peter [2015] (1st Nov 2016). The Man with the Golden Eye: Designing the James Bond Films (in English). Signum Books, p.168. ISBN 0995519110.
- ↑ Boeing 747 in Casino Royale [1] (2007).