Published in Midwest Flyer – April/May 2018 issue
THE MILLIONAIRES’ UNIT tells the unsung story of a group of Yale college students who took the initiative to learn to fly in preparation for America’s entry into World War I and became the founding squadron of the U.S. Naval Air Reserve.
The award-winning film’s video on demand release date of February 15, 2018, was chosen to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of First Yale Unit (FYU) member, Albert D. Sturtevant, the first U.S. Naval Aviator killed in combat, when his plane went down in the North Sea on February 15, 1918.
Narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor, Bruce Dern, grandnephew of one of the aviators, the feature-length documentary charts the romantic, little-known story of the origins of American airpower and features very rare archival footage and thrilling dogfighting sequences, filmed air-to-air with replica World War I aircraft, some with original engines.
Inspired by Marc Wortman’s book The Millionaires’ Unit, the film has been developed and produced by descendants of the First Yale Unit, including filmmaker Ron King, producers Harry Davison and Mike Davison, and narrator Bruce Dern, who are all grandnephews and grandsons of FYU members. Now available on DVD and Blu-ray, 120 min/Not Rated.