Universal Studio Aircraft Aug. 1980?

Wed Oct 04, 2006 6:35 pm

In August of 1980, I went on the Universal Studios Tour. On that tour, I saw the following:

1: PB4Y nose with turret, Cockpit, fuselage sections,

2: B-29 nose and some sections of fuselage,

3: Beech 18/C-45

4: T-33 Shooting Star

5: PBY Nose section forward of the pylon

My question is, does anybody know the where abouts of hese items?
I have a hunch on some, but nothing confirmed. I doubt they were scrapped, but who knows!
Blue skies,
Jerry

Wed Oct 04, 2006 8:44 pm

I had also have always wondered what came of all of the studio stuff. I remember being at Universal in Orlando and seeing a Ventura or Lodestar on the tour. It was complete, but cut mid fuselage. The remainder of the fuselage and tail section were stored with a bunch of other random stuff on the back lot.

Dante

Wed Oct 04, 2006 9:56 pm

I found a few slides of the aircraft parts at Universal. I'll try to scan them tomorrow and post'em.
Jerry

Wed Oct 04, 2006 10:29 pm

Here's a few shots from the Universal backlot tour from 1986:

This last one was a shot of my left thumb :roll:

and the B-17 fuselage mockup from the Amazing Stories episode "The Mission". Somewhere I've got a shot of its nose. Close up, it looked about as realistic as that Diamond Lil mockup we've seen on this board...

Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:12 pm

Great shots and more stuff than I had seen in 1980. Looks like they consolidated them in one area.
I've got closer shots of the B-29 from the right rear, the PB4y Nose Turret, and the PB4Y fuselage section. My PBY shots are from a distance. they wouldn't let us off the tram! :cry:

I wonder if any of the PB4Y stuff is what's being offered by Ed Kaleta?
Jerry

Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:06 am

The B-29 in the photo has Enola Gay on it's side was this for a movie on Paul Tibbits? I wonder where that fuselage section ended up.

Thu Oct 05, 2006 7:32 am

My guess on the B-29 Section is that it was used for the studio cockpit shots for the TV movie "Enola Gay" staring Patrick Duffy, Gregory Harison and Billy Crystal. It was made about 1977 and you can see the access panel removed from the right side of the cockpit. Somebody knows where this stuff is or went!
Jerry

Thu Oct 05, 2006 7:37 am

The Goose looks like the one from Tale of the Golden Monkey.

Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:11 am

http://www.twinbeech.com/b-29nose.htm

Well, I think I've found where the B-29 nose section ended up. It looks as though it's with "Vintage Aircraft" located in Chino.

John

Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:59 am

jpeters wrote:http://www.twinbeech.com/b-29nose.htm

Well, I think I've found where the B-29 nose section ended up. It looks as though it's with "Vintage Aircraft" located in Chino.

John

Nice find.

Thu Oct 05, 2006 10:34 am

Wasn't the flying Goose from TOGM restored and then it crashed recently ?

Thu Oct 05, 2006 10:40 am

f4phan wrote:Wasn't the flying Goose from TOGM restored and then it crashed recently ?

And being restored again...
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... php?t=2922
How many lives does a Goose have?

Thu Oct 05, 2006 11:04 am

It may not have been the same Goose. Hollywood is known for using non-flying aircraft on the studio lot, and a lot of the "Gold Monkey" series was shot at the studio. Look at the photo and you'll see some "shacks" behind the tail. That was probably part of the set. I'll bet there were actually two "Gold Monkey" Gooses, a flyer and the studio one for the lake and dock scenes.
Jerry

Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:08 pm

I saw that Stearman there in 1989 except it was all together. Wonder where that got to? There's a story that a complete but disassembled P-51B was scrapped there in 1974 when a warehouse got cleaned out.

Dan

Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:15 pm

What on earth is that strange looking thing pictured in Chris's #4 picture??

It looks like some sort of strange mock-up and kind of reminds me of the fictional nazi "flying wing" mock-up used in the film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or even a sci-fi mock-up from an old "Star Wars" movie. What do you guys think?

John