Goofs

In the movie, the aircraft flown by "Bird Dog" was not actually a Cessna O-2 observation aircraft, but was a civilian Cessna 337 Skymaster, painted gray. An O-2 would have multiple windows in the doors and floor to allow visibility of the ground.

When Capt. Clark falls after been shot in the shoulder, the M-16 he is carrying doesn't have a sling and is a stunt rubber replica as the stock flexes when caught between the two men, the M-16 is then picked up by Col. Hambleton and has a sling fixed to it.

After driving through the mud the tires on the jeep are dry with very little mud when Bartholomew Clark gets out.

The "Jolly Green Giant" helicopter is actually a Siskorsky S-61, a type built for the U.S. Navy. The Siskorsky HH3-F was used by the U.S. Air Force and featured a ramp at the rear of the fuselage. The S-61 did not have a ramp.

When Hambleton ejects from his crippled aircraft, the parachute that opens is a Para-Commander, a sport parachute that never would have been used in an ejector seat. The actual parachute would have been an unslotted 28' diameter white/green/orange parachute with a four-line release system for steering.

When Hambleton calls in the first air strike from the ground, the planes report carrying full loads of "snake and nape". However, the visual shows the planes carrying something along the lines of sparrow missiles. The girth of Snake Eye bombs and Napalm bombs (snake and nape) are easily discernible from the long, slender rocket-like missiles that these planes carried.

The "Huey" helicopter is a UH-1N "Twin Huey" and was used by the U.S. Air Force's 20th Special Operations Squadron in a counter-insurgency role. It wasn't used by rescue squadrons.

The birds used in the end to bomb were F100's which were already withdrawn by 1972 in VN,

When the Viet Cong discover Hambleton's helmet and ejection gear, one of the soldiers is seen carrying an M-16 rifle. VC soldiers were issued the AK-47 rifle; not the M-16. It is possible, though, that the VC soldier picked up the M-16 from a US soldier who was wounded or killed in a previous action.

Though the movie shows the flight crews wearing them, the first David Clark headset was not introduced until 1975, 3 years after the Hambleton rescue and after or near the end of the war itself.

During the scene when they are bombing the village where the Jolly Green crashes, the shadow of the UH-1N flying overhead is obviously the shadow of a Bell Jet Ranger camera platform.

After Capt. Clark "borrows" the helicopter of his superior, the shadow of the camera helicopter can be seen on top of the clouds.

As Hambleton walks around the side of the Vietnamese farmers dwelling, he scares a chicken. A length of string can clearly be seen tied to the chicken's leg and is pulled by a crew member off screen in order to panic the bird.

The camera is filming the "pilot" of the Jolly Green Giant as he is flying above the jungle to perform another pass at a rescue attempt of the downed navigation officer. Through the pilot's window is a glimpse of a parking lot with multiple cars, including a blue and a white car very visible through the trees.

In the first few minutes of the movie, as Iceal Hambleton (Gene Hackman) walks towards the helicopter, he carries a golf club in his right hand, and incorrectly salutes the helicopter pilot with his LEFT hand.