Okay, I wasn't sure exactly where to put this topic since it applies both to the book and the movie. I draw a lot of material from another movie, so I decided to stick it here.

This is my thought: Could the "Land Yacht" scene from Sahara (again, book and movie) have been inspired by the movie Flight of the Phoenix? I'm talking the original, Jimmy Stewart edition. The premise of the movie pretty much goes like this: guys crash plane in Sahara; guys build new plane out of undamaged parts. I know its not the Land Yacht, but the idea is still similar: build a new vehicle out of what you can salvage from the old. Both take place in the Sahara.

If you must know how I came to this conclusion, my wife and I rented the Flight of the Phoenix remake tonight and I was explaining the plot to her. She made the connection to Sahara (she's so cool! haha... :lol:) and I've been intrigued ever since.

- Andy

Man crashes. Man survives. Man rebuilds. It's a staple for fiction. No matter how you dress it up. w:

its classic...theres man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs. himself. Those are the 3 conflicts and i believe thisone would be man vs. nature. Pretty damn smart of them if u ask me. I dunno if i would have been able to do that. w:

Interesting parallels, andyhuff and wife.

As well as missing ships, submarines and locomotives, Clive has also searched for missing aircraft in particular the White Bird. In Sahara, I think it was the pioneering female pilot, Amelia Earhart that Clive based Kitty Mannock on. The world renowned heroine's resting place would certainly be a worthy discovery for Cussler's fictional heroes. Whilst there are similarities with Mannock's converted airplane and the Phoenix, its also Dirk Pitt's innovative abilities that are once again displayed just like the ocean-going bathtub in Cyclops.

Great topic, andyhuff th: