Following filming of a flying stunt on M40 motorway in Buckinghamshire (which was newly completed but not yet open to traffic) Joan Hughes (pilot of the Tiger Moth) was charged but later acquitted of seven counts of dangerous flying when the 'plane failed to make contact with the surface of the while passing under a bridge. A crosswind had prevented Hughes from landing the plane on the road before passing under the bridge as stipulated as a condition of permission to use the location. Norman Foster (who supervised the shooting of this scene) was also charged but acquitted of three counts of aiding and abetting. In addition to the court case filming permission was revoked immediately, leading to the sequence being completed with a miniature set of the site and the model aircraft used for other flying sequences.
The delivery of meals by toy train in the restaurant scene was copied by numerous Japanese restaurants.
In the first scene when all the men in the meeting room are laughing (which is the only time in any of Gerry Anderson's puppet series that this happens), you can see fillings in the teeth of one of the puppets.
At one point in the film, Virgil says, "I've got a tiger in my tank." This was the slogan of an ESSO advertising campaign in the UK ("Put A Tiger In Your Tank") at the time the film was being scripted.
The "Ball Room" set on Sky Ship 1 included over 600 painted ping pong balls. The set caught fire under the hot studio lights and had to be completely rebuilt.