A Robert Redford film. He played an air-traffic controller.

[MrsStarskie]

I have looked through the Filmography on Wikipedia but can't see it. It was probably a made for TV movie rather than a great cinema epic. Afternoon with tea and biscuits kind of a film. I am sure it was Robert Redford.
Can anyone with ideas help please?

NO way would Robert Redford have been in a made-for-TV movie!

Can you tell us more about the plot?

Have you looked through his movies on IMBD? Try chatgpt

Are you 100% sure it was Robert Redford? Can you give some more info about the plot? I do like these threads

It was a while ago that I saw this movie. The airliner he talks down is damaged and tricky to control.
@SpanielsAreNutty I take your point about quality.

Crisis in Mid -Air 1979
George Peppard maybe as opposed to RR

• Star: about:blank George Peppard
• Type: Made-for-TV drama (CBS)
• Year: 1979
• Role: Peppard plays Nick Culver, an air-traffic controller.

Plot (short version):

• A stressed air-traffic controller is haunted by a mid-air collision that occurred on his watch.
• His career and marriage begin to fall apart as investigations and guilt mount.
• When another crisis occurs, he must confront his past and prove he can still do the job.

This TV movie focused more on the pressure inside the control tower rather than passengers on a plane, which was unusual for the 1970s “airport disaster” style films.

✅ Because the lead (George Peppard) had a similar rugged look and era to Robert Redford, people often remember it as a Redford film.

@WednesdaysChild73 Thank you, I think you have solved it for me. Yes it deffo featured the controllers. Main character was haunted by his history.
So many experts here on MN.
Now to see if I can find it, YouTube probably best chance.

I love a bit of mystery solving glad to have been of help! Let me see where I can find it for you to watch

Ah I did that, I didn't remember the start. Maybe I missed it first time.

Ha Ha, the ads with the movie are exhibits themselves.

NO way would Robert Redford have been in a made-for-TV movie!

IIRC, Redford starred in the first twilight Zone made for TV episode about a passenger who keeps seeing a creepy figure on airplane window while the airplane is in flight. He goes crazy by the end about it of course.

Good Morning Ladies, Update:
It wasn't the George Peppard one. That imo in has not aged well.
This morning I tried CoPilot. I did not mention Robt Redford so I did not get a screen full of Waldo Pepper. But I got -
Ground Control with Kiefer Sutherland
It is a bit techie but a good ending. Simple acknowledgements between two professionals. If you watch it I would be interested in your opinions.

But lots of stars guested in The Twilight Zone. Very different from being in a made-for-TV movie!

Think it was William Shatner in that Twilight Zone episode, with the thing outside on the plane wing.

It was, with John Lithgow playing the part in the film version.

yeah you're probably right, but RR was in early Twilight Zone. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734603/

That’s an interesting one. I can’t immediately recall Robert Redford playing an air-traffic controller either, especially in his bigger films. It might actually be a smaller TV movie or maybe even a brief scene that’s easy to miss in the filmography lists. Do you remember roughly what decade it looked like it was from? That might help narrow it down a bit.

@graceallen
I solved the puzzle actually. It wasn't RR. details upthread.
Ground Control with Kiefer Sutherland
It is a bit techie but a good ending. Simple acknowledgements between two professionals. If you watch it I would be interested in your opinions.