Talk:By Dawn's Early Light

Limited Number of 35mm Prints and Brief Theatrical Release?
I could SWEAR I saw this in the theater with my mom and it was in 35mm and wide. Very clear VFX. The mushroom cloud scene looked much more vivid, in particular. Am I mis-remembering this? -Reticuli65.186.61.58 (talk) 07:52, 20 May 2017 (UTC)

Unrealistic Elements?
This whole section seems a little unencyclopedic - I don't see any cites for any of this stuff. I'd suggest removing it, or linking to a 'Realism Problems with BDEL' web site, if any such thing exists. Banality 02:02, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

Before I make this edit, confirmation that there's a typo..?
the article states that: "receives a teleprinter message informing him that the second nuclear strike was directed at the Chinese, not at the United States, meaning that the United States will now suffer further casualties." - shouldn't that be "the US will _NOT_ suffer further casualties"?

Thanks wiki-ny-2007 (talk) 19:05, 21 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, that looks like an error. Good catch! JoeSperrazza (talk) 19:11, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

I noticed when Washington is Nuked the lights in the White House remain on.There is no EMP?
Ñ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 23.243.181.25 (talk) 23:07, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Tacamo
The Looking Glass EC-135, at the time of the movie, was not a TACAMO plane. In 90 TACAMO (VQ3 and VQ4) were flying EC-130's and were beginning the transition to the E-6 models. It is my understanding that the looking glass mission has since been added to the TACAMO platform in the E-6B. While TACAMO is referenced in the film (and Crimson Tide)TACAMOs primary role was communication with subs, NOT airborne aircraft. the antenna required to receive the ELF signals is extremely long and impractical for airborne platforms. 162.135.0.57 (talk) 21:01, 14 August 2015 (UTC) Matt Morgan - Avionics Technician, VQ4, 1988-1992

As ELF transmission facilities were "fixed-based", it was considered to be susceptible to nuclear attack. The premise of TACAMO's mission from its inception to the mid '90s was to maintain a survivable communication link between the national command authority (NCA), i.e. the President of the United States (POTUS) or surviving member in line of succession, and deployed Naval nuclear assets. During the late '80s to mid '90s, TACAMO changed its platform from the EC-130Q to the E-6A. Due to the fatigue of EC-135s, the Air Force's mission "Looking Glass" retired its aging platform, and mission components were incorporated into TACAMO's E-6A, which was redesignated the E-6B as Matt noted. Today, the E-6B is a survivable communications platform that communicates NCA orders to all nuclear assets of the United States using VLF and other type communications. During the movie, TACAMO's type aircraft wasn't mentioned. Yet today, TACAMO is flyin' the mission of "Looking Glass" and the two TACAMO aircraft mentioned in the movie flying over the oceans, one over the Pacific Ocean and one over the Atlantic Ocean, i.e. all three aircraft mentioned in the movie are flown by TACAMO reporting to POTUS flying in the Boeing 747--E-4. When the movie was released in 1990, all VQ-4 TACAMO squadron aircrew were instructed, if asked about the movie's content and real-world plausibility, to say we could "neither confirm nor deny in part or whole any element of the movie 'By Dawn's Early Light'." During my years in TACAMO, that was the only time I can recall being instructed in such a manner concerning a movie.... July 18, 2020. AMH1(NAC/AW) Wayne Humphrey retired EC-130Q and E-6A Flight Engineer, VQ-4 Shadows 1987-1996. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wmhumphrey (talk • contribs) 17:32, 18 July 2020 (UTC)

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Cocked pistol
The article makes no sense when it says that a condition level used in the movie, “Cocked pistol,” is actually only used in training, to avoid anyone mistakenly beating it and thinking we are close to a nuclear war, but then the section goes on to say that “Cocked pistol” is the very highest actual alert level, equal to DEFCON 1. Edison (talk) 21:27, 3 June 2022 (UTC)