Vintage shots from days gone by!

You know, I think I would avoid Eastern Airlines, Miami and any flight with '01' in it.........Anyone remember Flight 401?

Doc.

 

El Charro in Tahlequah, Oklahoma still does.

 

what a waste of machinery!

 

From "Old Ship Galleries"
http://www.photoship.co.uk/Browse%20Misc%20Galleries/

 

Hughes Flying boat, flew only once, in Long Beach Harbor

 

Martin Flying Boat

 

I remember seeing the Spruce Goose when it was "parked" outside, rotting away.

 

Short Sunderland

 

I believe the PT boat on the left is PT-695, Better known as PT JOE. It was built for Russia on the lend/lease program, was loaded onto a freighter in Long Beach, Ca. and destined for the USSR. WWII ended and the boats were unloaded, and sold as surplus. Also on board was the PT-694, which became the infamous PT-73 from McHales Navy fame. The 695 was purchased by a doctor in Long Beach and revamped into a motor yacht and named PT Joe. This boat was found abandoned in San Pedro, Ca. in the 80s and the Sea Scouts in Rio Vista, Ca. purchased the boat and tried to restore it to a PT Boat. Unfortunately, the boat sank several times due to punctures in the hull. I was offered the boat for free, but unfortunately I was never able to secure a slip or yard to complete the repairs needed and had to decline. The Boat was cut up and scrapped. Sad Story. Neat to see this picture as very few photos are on the internet of this boat.

 

The Spruce Goose is now in the Evergreen Air Museum in Oregon.

 

I HATE that friggin name!
Its the Hughes H-4 Hercules!

Doc.

 

Not to mention I severely doubt the meatheads who dumped those cars drained the oil or gas tanks; polluting the hell out of that waterway out of sheer laziness.

 

My father-in-law has one of these. An battery operated fastback. Doesnt work anymore and fairly beat up, He used to let my nephew play with it when he was tiny. I think he regrets that now.

 

Too bad for you, Doc. Even the Evergreen calls it the Spruce Goose as does the T shirt I bought there.

 

I believe that. I remember once upon a time when someone was done changing their motor oil, they would dump it in the back yard. I would even see someone dumping oil on the curb and even down a gutter.

 

One of these (with the box) sold in the Automobilia auction at Barrett-Jackson this year for (better sit down...) $920.00 or about four times what a really nice one usually goes for on eBay.
I have one of the orange '66 coupes which I paid slightly less for ($12.00) at an estate sale last year.

 

Wow, that's crazy. Is your coupe Battery powered or?? Wen Mac produced the 57 Chevy in Red, Blue, Yellow, and Black.

 

Two passengers were lost in the second crash, which was due to pilot error:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19531019-0

 

Battery powered with 2 D cells; one side of the brass battery terminal was missing but I jumped it with wire and I got it running, kinda - the switch needs cleaning I think.

 

Way back when I was a young lad I got a job down at the local service station. The place had been there for years already. Of course they always start you off doing lube jobs and oil changes. When the oil drain dolly got full I asked what to do and was instructed to roll it around the back and drain it in the dirt, "keeps the dust down" they said. When I went back there I had to be careful where I stepped!

They tore the place down 20 years ago... and the lot still has a wire fence around it. The whole damned neighborhood is polluted. There used to be a chimney in the middle of the lot with a flame burning 24/7 for about 10 years.

Later when I was an apprentice at the dealership they used to come around with a tanker spray truck in the summer and collect the used oil to spray on the logging roads to keep the dust down.

 

This one was backwards:

 

Damn reality getting in the way again!!

Doc.

 

When they moved the Howard Huges "Monster" from Hughes Aircraft in Culver City, crews of public works had to hold up power lines as the slow moving aircraft made its way to San Pedro for a maiden flight of 15 ft. off the water piloted by Howard Hughes in 1947. My dad & I watched as the plane flew a short distance before setting back down on the water, once proving to to the Government that it did indeed fly, they reimbursed Hughes for all the money he spent on developing & producing the one & only prototype.
My ships home port was in San Pedro in 1953, & we would see Hughes plane from the water taxi going to our ship each time in port.
Of course the war was over by then, so Hughes kept the plane stored at a pier with engines covered up against salt air, & fired up occassionaly as the years went by. Later, Long Beach city brought in the Queen Mary next to Hughes & provided a tourist attraction bringing in needed funds until Hughes sold the plane to Evergreen & they moved it to Oregon.

I have seen the "Spruce Goose" after it was moved to Oregon & its in good company with a great display of other WWII fighter planes.---Don

 

Oh to have such leg and body room once again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I flew up and back to Melbourne yesterday and I was in the middle seat both ways. On the way down I had a 300 pound Rugby player (gridiron to you) sized guy sitting beside me and his left arm almost took half of my seat up - luckily the guy on the other side was asleep and up against the window so I could lean over him. When the seat belt sign went out the guy in front of me pushed his seat back and almost hit me in the nose. Sheesh.

On the way back we had an almost new plane and the seat I sat in felt like a mattress without any padding - stuffed if I could do a twelve hour flight in one - have to take a sleeping bag to pad it out. While airfares are down so too are the simple things you need - leg room, seat width, comfortable padding - flying today sucks Uranus.

An interesting fact I found out - the Sydney - Melbourne route is the fifth busiest in the world - see, hear http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_busiest_passenger_air_routes

 

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I had both the 66 and 67 when they were new,with the 66 I got the gas motor which could never get running and all I have left is the original gas container and slicks. I still have the 67 but its rough from many years of playing with it and will restore it one day and I think I dropped the 66 causing severe damage so its probably got tossed in the trash years ago,I did pick up a decent 66 and a very nice 67 with the original box off ebay a few years ago.

 

I like those Flexible Buses. Anyone have any details on them?

 

Ohmigod, the middle seat both ways!!! I love Australia and have been on a couple occassions, the first time on the upper level of a stretch 747 and the second time in the first class cabin of a 747 which absolutely ruined me for coach class. I had accumulated enough frequent flyer miles for my wife and I to make the trip. I have sworn to not go back until I can either win the lottery and, therefore, afford again to fly first class, or the "beam me up, Scotty" alternative has been perfected.

Does anyone know what aircraft was in this photo? It looks absolutely fantastic.