Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies

Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies is a 1973 American adventurecomedy film based on a story by Steven Spielberg. The film centers on a barnstorming pilot Cliff Robertson and his son Eric Shea as they fly around the United States in the 1920s, having adventures along the way. English actress Pamela Franklin provided the love interest. One of the driving forces behind the production, Robertson was a pilot in real life, although Hollywood stunt pilot Frank Tallman flew most of the aerial scenes.

Shelby and Eli carry on a tempestuous relationship, but when Shelby is confronted by Elis strident professions of love, she brutally ends the affair. Trying to comfort Rodger, whom she truly cares for, she is shunned and leaves. Eli ultimately accepts that his running away and dragging his son along on an aimless journey through Kansas is not good for either himself or his young son. Abandoning the barnstorming tour, the pair of aviators make their way back to their former home, where there are people who still love them.Steven Spielberg had developed the story of a flyer with a young son, containing themes that interested him aircraft and flying and parental responsibility. Spielberg expected to be the screenwriter and director. However, the executives who had bought the story left the studio. and the new executive turned the story over to another writer and another director. Spielberg would not make a film for Twentieth Century Fox until 2002s Minority Report even then, this was a coproduction with DreamWorks. ........

Source: Wikipedia