A documentary in production, “The Millionaires’ Unit: America’s Pioneer Pilots of the Great War,” had its initial screening at this week’s AirVenture.
About 45 minutes of the documentary, which is expected to be two hours long when complete, was shown to Oshkosh crowds several times.
The documentary is the story of the First Yale Unit, a group of privileged college students who took the initiative to learn to fly in preparation for the United States’ entry into World War I. They were the first to fly and the first to die for the United States, producers note.
Produced by family members, and told through unpublished letters, diaries and photographs, the documentary features air-to-air film of replica World War I-era aircraft “to deliver an immediate understanding of what it took to fly these early planes and the heroism and sacrifices necessary to win the defining war of the 20th century,” producers say.
For more information: MillionairesUnit.org
