Happy Fliers S.O.A.K. (2010) Online

Most of us wondered at one time what it would be like to fly an airplane. This comedy short gives you a taste in a funny way. Will people get the Top Gun satire? Some will some will not. It is a nice little gem that is entertaining and at times informative. Solid performances by lead actress Tiffany Shiau as Jamie and Brandon Hutzell as Tom. Maybe if they ever develop a full length narrative we'll see a fully developed character in Tom. I would have like to see a little more of the Jay Mie/Tom relationship. Would have been better if they used the same airplane for the training and the preflight. I do not know if that was by design or accident. Won't be surprise if we see some of this cast in major roles down the line.

Struggling flight school owner Cappy (an amiable portrayal by Alex Garza) decides to drum up extra business by concocting a crazy scheme to let ordinary folks with zero aeronautical abilities apply for lessons. This in turn causes much grief and frustration for ace flight instructor Jay Mie (an excellent and appealing performance by Tiffany Shiau). Director Larry M. Costales, working from a witty script by Mike Chinea, ably crafts a very funny and breezy comedic short that moves along at a constant swift pace and takes several sidesplitting potshots at the blockbuster '86 movie "Top Gun" (for example, the students all squabble with each other over who gets the nickname Maverick). Moreover, it's a total riot to watch poor Jay Mie try to retain her sanity and dignity while being forced to put up with these hopeless bumbling goofballs. The cast have a ball with the material, with especially stand-out work by D. Anthony Boone as the hyper-sensitive Sir Leroy Hampton and Kathie Bostian as the sweetly ditsy Vanilla. Both Costales' polished cinematography and Kristen Baum's lively score are up to par. An absolute hoot.