Flying Wing Tires

Thick rubber tires on the Nazi Flying Wing plane sit firm on the dusty Tanis airstrip, one set pinned by blue wheel chocks placed by German mechanics. Indy and Marion hide nearby during stakeout; when engines rev and the cockpit traps Marion, the blocked tires hold fast as the unbraked side swings the fuselage into a violent pivot, scattering fuel and combatants before colliding with obstacles.

2 appearances

Purpose

Support plane weight on rough airstrip and enable controlled taxiing or pivoting; immobilize aircraft via wheel chocks during ground operations

Significance

Blocked tires spark the plane's fatal spin during botched takeoff, endangering Marion and forcing Indy's desperate wingtop fight, which derails the Nazis' Ark transport and heightens mission stakes

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Stakeout and Escalation at the Flying Wing

The Flying Wing's tires and their chocks determine the plane's pivot point: one set is blocked, causing the fuselage to rotate around the braced wheels when the engines surge and the other side swings into a tank truck.

Before: One set of tires is braced with blue chocks, plane stationary.

After: The plane pivots around the still-blocked tires and collides with a tank truck, leaving tires and chocks disrupted.

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S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Locked In as the Wing Roars

The Flying Wing's tires and their chocks anchor the plane asymmetrically; one set remains braced, causing the fuselage to revolve around them once the throttle is jammed—this uneven immobilization produces the violent pivot into the tank truck.

Before: Firm on the pavement, one set secured with blue chocks.

After: One side continues to hold while the unbraked side swings, contributing to the collision with the fuel truck.

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