Editing To Fly! (section)

=== Critical response ===
{{Quote box
| quote = Can you really call yourself a Washingtonian if you haven't seen ''To Fly''?
| author = —John Kelly
| source = ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (2016)<ref name=":6" />
| salign = center
| bgcolor = powderblue <!-- Accessible color, will not disadvantage readers with tritanopia -->
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''To Fly!'' was well-received by many film critics;<ref name=":47">{{Cite news|date=March 19, 1980|title=To Fly!: Movie Gives Feelings of Flying On Seven-Story Screen|page=11C|work=The Gaffney Ledger|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91308924/|access-date=December 28, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{Open access}}|archive-date=December 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228162912/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91308924/the-gaffney-ledger/|url-status=live}}</ref> John Alderson of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' summarized that "the subject charms its imagination, while the IMAX format goes right to the brink of sensory overload".<ref name=":26" /> Contemporary critics called it underrated and electric,{{Efn-la|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Voyages" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":7" />}} with David Handler of the [[Newspaper Enterprise Association]] dubbing it "the ultimate [[Psychedelic film|film trip]]".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Handler |first=David |date=March 26, 1982 |title=The longest-running hit film in nation: 'To Fly' |work=[[The Desert Sun]] |agency=[[Newspaper Enterprise Association]] |issue=200 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19820326.2.160&srpos=1&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-To+Fly%21+IMAX+1976-------1 |url-status=live |access-date=November 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129013040/https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19820326.2.160&srpos=1&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-To+Fly%21+IMAX+1976-------1 |archive-date=November 29, 2021 |via=[[California Digital Newspaper Collection]]}}</ref> ''The Washington Post'' called it an icon of the city<ref name=":18" /> and a must-watch to all Washingtonians.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|last=Kelly|first=John|date=January 10, 2016|title=A long time ago, big reels of film came to Air and Space Museum. No more.|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-long-time-ago-big-reels-of-film-came-to-air-and-space-museum-no-more/2016/01/10/164b7736-b658-11e5-a842-0feb51d1d124_story.html|url-status=live|url-access=limited|access-date=July 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021200641/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-long-time-ago-big-reels-of-film-came-to-air-and-space-museum-no-more/2016/01/10/164b7736-b658-11e5-a842-0feb51d1d124_story.html|archive-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref> The film was cited by scholars and authors as examplifying the role of screen size in amplifying a film's [[kinesthetic]] thrills.{{Efn-la|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lombard|first1=Matthew|last2=Reich|first2=Robert D.|last3=Grabe|first3=Maria Elizabeth|last4=Bracken|first4=Cheryl Campanella|last5=Ditton|first5=Theresa Bolmarcich|date=January 10, 2006|title=Presence and Television: The Role of Screen Size|journal=[[Human Communication Research]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|volume=26|issue=1|pages=75–98|doi=10.1111/j.1468-2958.2000.tb00750.x}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Frome|first=Jonathan|date=2006|title=Representation, Reality, and Emotions Across Media|url=https://www.academia.edu/2619922|url-status=live|journal=Film Studies|publisher=[[Manchester University Press]]|volume=8|issue=1|pages=22|doi=10.7227/FS.8.4|eissn=2054-2496|url-access=registration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127090724/https://www.academia.edu/2619922/Representation_Reality_and_Emotions_Across_Media|archive-date=November 27, 2021|access-date=November 27, 2021|via=[[Academia.edu]]}}</ref><ref name=":16" />{{Rp|225}}<ref name=":10" />}} Some called ''To Fly!'' one of the best IMAX films,{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name=":25" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":23">{{Cite web|last=McKerrow|first=Steve|date=May 8, 1993|title=Maryland Science Center brings hit IMAX movies back|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-05-08-1993128113-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622113351/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-05-08-1993128113-story.html|archive-date=June 22, 2021|access-date=November 20, 2021|website=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Graeber|first=Laurel|date=May 31, 2002|title=''FAMILY FARE''|page=44, section E|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/31/movies/family-fare.html|url-status=live|url-access=limited|access-date=November 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128095525/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/31/movies/family-fare.html|archive-date=January 28, 2018}}</ref>}} with guides like the ''[[Michelin Green Guide]]'' and one by ''[[BioScience]]'' calling it a must-watch for those planning to visit the NASM.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=September 1, 1976|title=People and Places — NASM: Space Scholars Welcome|journal=[[BioScience]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|volume=26|issue=9|pages=586|doi=10.2307/1297286|jstor=1297286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=[[Michelin Guide|Michelin]] Must Sees Washington D.C.|year=2011 |publisher=[[Michelin]]|isbn=978-1907099465|edition=4|publication-date=October 26, 2011|pages=40}}</ref>

The cinematography was praised for its innovativeness and vertiginous aesthetics,{{Efn-la|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Chernitsky" /><ref name=":50" /><ref name=":26" /><ref name=":24" />}} equated to theme park rides and [[epic films]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 7, 1983 |title=IMAX — TO FLY! |pages=26 |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=[[London]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97718927/the-guardian/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316033314/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97718927/the-guardian/ |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{Open access}}}}</ref><ref name=":30" /> which was further amplified by Segall's score.<ref name=":25">{{Cite news|last=Whitehead|first=Donna|date=October 8, 1992|title=New IMAX film invites the audience 'To Fly!'|page=19|work=[[Norwalk, Connecticut|Norwalk]] News|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/norwalk-news-oct-08-1992-p-19/|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|access-date=November 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120083523/https://newspaperarchive.com/norwalk-news-oct-08-1992-p-19/|archive-date=November 20, 2021|via=[[NewspaperArchive]]}}</ref> ''[[The Tampa Tribune]]'' rated the film three out of four stars, deeming the Horseshoe Falls and barnstorming scenes the best.<ref name=":30">{{Cite news |date=March 27, 1998 |title=Come "Fly' with MOSI; This pioneer showcase for the biggest of screens remains a visual thrill for all ages |page=5 |work=[[The Tampa Tribune]]|issn=1042-3761}}</ref> The opening scene was praised for being banal which effectively shocks audiences during the giant-screen transition.{{Efn-la|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":32" /><ref name=":26" />}} Donna Whitehead of ''Norwalk News'' called it intimate and stellar, and the ending uplifting.<ref name=":25" /> [[John Russell (art critic)|John Russell]], an art critic for ''[[The New York Times]]'', credited the cinematography to the audiences' immersion in the story, which progressively improves throughout the film. Critics called it poetic and [[paean]]-like, citing its expressive depictions of nature and aviation.{{Efn-la|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name=":45" /><ref name=":24" /><ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Finehout |first=Robert M. |date=January 1985 |title=Public relations film: Larger than life |journal=[[Public Relations Journal]]|issn=1942-4604 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=4–6|quote=A paean to aviation from gas balloon to moon landing...}}</ref>}} The film's vintage-contemporary duality was credited by ''The Gaffney Ledger'' for its nostalgic weight.<ref name=":47" /> Nathan Southern of [[AllMovie]] gave the film four and a half stars out of five, deeming it a visually vivid historical insight and "one of the greatest unsung landmarks of American documentary".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Southern|first=Nathan|title=To Fly! (1976)|url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/to-fly-v146451|url-status=live|access-date=November 18, 2021|website=[[AllMovie]]|publisher=[[RhythmOne]]|archive-date=January 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117081459/http://www.allmovie.com/movie/to-fly-v146451}}</ref> As the filmmakers intended, Alderson likened the space sequence to that of ''2001: A Space Odyssey''.<ref name=":26" />

The narration was praised as personal and meditative,<ref name=":7" /> though others found it cursory<ref name=":32" /> and superfluous. Some critics panned Ezekiel's character as banal and mawkish, and the omissions of [[List of aviation pioneers|real-life aviation pioneers]] were noted, alongside how in some shots the balloon appears to be immobile.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=March 27, 1998 |title='Grease' makes a well-oiled return Series: what's new on screen |edition=State |pages=10 |work=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |id=[[ProQuest]] [https://www.proquest.com/docview/263266080 263266080]}}</ref><ref name="Card" /> Filmmaker Mark R. Hasan thought the Betamax audio lacks quality in the dialogue, though he noted the film is highly degraded on videocassette from the original, and said ''To Fly!'' excels starting from the barnstorming scene.<ref name=":17" /> While some praised its effectiveness for inspiring audiences<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Jeremy|date=November 18, 2021|title=Film gimmicks that worked (and a few that didn't) - Slide 20|url=https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/film_gimmicks_that_worked_and_a_few_that_didnt/s1__34078445|url-status=live|access-date=November 20, 2021|website=[[Yardbarker]]|publisher=Playmaker|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726162635/https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/film_gimmicks_that_worked_and_a_few_that_didnt/s1__34078445}}</ref> even in smaller formats,<ref name=":17" /><ref name=":32" /> others found its panoramas to be boring, similar to other IMAX films that are said to overexploit immersion as a [[Movie gimmick|gimmick]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Heritage|first=Stuart|date=October 14, 2010|title=Why Imax is still the way forward for cinema|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/14/imax-cinema-3d|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207092457/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/14/imax-cinema-3d|archive-date=February 7, 2019|access-date=July 1, 2021|website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Daly |first=Sean |date=December 11, 2004 |title='Fighter Pilot': Hang Onto Your Popcorn Bucket |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/12/11/fighter-pilot-hang-onto-your-popcorn-bucket/727ae4c2-3490-46df-9def-ebb63b5401d2/ |access-date=August 28, 2023 |archive-date=August 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831101858/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/12/11/fighter-pilot-hang-onto-your-popcorn-bucket/727ae4c2-3490-46df-9def-ebb63b5401d2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> With familiarity to the later catalog of "more intrepid" IMAX films, the ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'' found ''To Fly!''{{'s}} impressiveness debatable for many modern first-time viewers. Because of this, the newspaper graded it C in a 1998 review.<ref name=":5" /> Meanwhile, documentarian Ross Anthony graded it B+, or two and a half stars out of four, noting that he would have graded it A in the 1970s, and deemed ''To Fly!'' "amusing and informative (on a basic level)".<ref name="Card">{{Cite web|last=Anthony|first=Ross|title=Flight Game: To Fly|url=http://rossanthony.com/T/tofly.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804233337/http://rossanthony.com/T/tofly.shtml|archive-date=August 4, 2017|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=Hollywood Report Card}}</ref>