My first apartment in 1990 was on Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA. I could see the Queen Mary and The dome that house the Spruce Goose from my 3rd floor windows. I was there when Disney bailed and the Spruce Goose was moved. I remember the impact of the community of Long Beach after. The redevelopment of that area with the current aquarium. I’m know in my 50’s and live in SW Washington. It has been on my list for the 20 years I have lived here to find out what became of the Spruce Goose. This film has definitely put the Evergreen Museum on my winter plans. Thank you for such a well researched film. Like everyone else, I did not realize how much that plane meant to my circumstances until I watched this.
My dear friend Bob Dutton who died in 2005 is in this video @17:57 on the far right carrying the propeller. I haven't seen him in so long, and the last time I saw him he was so sick before he died. This was quite a shock seeing that face! RIP my friend!
It’s good to hear that an important part of the USAs aviation history has been rescued , often important history has been lost because it’s not considered financially viable
I'm glad you have this memory of your friend. Maybe the video of him doing what he loved and looking healthy and happy will be the one that now springs to mind when you think of him.
man, the quality of this video, it should definitely be played on loop in the museum. i havent been to the evergreen museum in ages and now i want to go so badly
You can explore more of the plane than you used to, back when I was there in 2005 you can still go inside of it but apparently can go further and they have a lot more really cool stuff out there, when you're approaching the museum it will blow your mind I promise you that! I still can't even picture how big this thing was, even when I was there
Should also hit up a drag race at Woodburn as well! They usually have a lot of really awesome stuff at that race track! There is a lot of cool stuff to do around that area and in the whole state, let's be honest LOL
In 2006 the Oregon Air Guard had a "Dining Out" at the museum. They had a Glen Miller style swing band that played until midnight while hundreds of members of the Oregon Air Guard and their spouses ate and danced under the tail of the Spruce Goose. Many of the members there toasted Michael Smith, their friend and comrade in arms.
LOL That was the same day my sweetheart of now 22 years and I were visiting the museum. We got rushed out as it neared closing time. I have a bit of a family tie to the Spruce Goose... Dad was one of the men that hand logged the Spruce that went into the aircraft in Southeast Alaska. I know what island the logs came off of too.
@@krissfemmpaws1029 Cool! So do I. My great uncle worked with his dad in teh oilfield of Humble Texas where Howard was born. Then they left on a train 20 miles south to Houston and bought a house. My uncle was a oil wildcatter in Humble where Sr. Hughes invented his drill bit that changed the world. He remembered visiting little Howard just after he was born. The family has pictures...those old silver nitrate pics..on the wall. He also got to be the master electrician for John Wayne's crew during the filming of "Hellfighters" in 1968. They hired him to blow up the wells and then put them out with Boots and Coots for the movie. We have pictures all over the walls of that as well. They hired him because he was the best.
My wife and I were staying in a beautiful campground along the Oregon coast. In a spur of the moment conversation , a fellow camper mentioned that they had just got back from visiting the Spruce Goose. Although seeing this magnificent airplane was on my bucket list, I somehow forgot that it was in Oregon, and in fact , only a hundred miles from where we were staying. The next day , I fulfilled my bucket list item and spent a wonderful afternoon with this amazing piece of aviation history. All this from a chance conversation with a complete stranger. if you haven't gone, you have to give it your best effort to do so,
Apparently you can stay in your camper/rv/van on the museum grounds?! 🤯🙃😁 From the website: Take in the night skies next to historic aircraft and park your RV overnight at the Evergreen Museum. Parking passes include one-night parking and one adult museum admission ticket. General: $35 per vehicle Museum Members: Free Harvest Host: Free
I was fortune to get a chance to visit the museum, I was delivering a load of groceries locally and my boss suggested I take the time to visit the spruce goose, I planned on spending 20-30 minutes there, 3 hrs later I finally left, it's a amazing plane and the access granted is spectacular, I encourage anyone to go, you will be very impressed, PS yes I had a very cool boss he even paid me for the time I spent admiring the plane and museum 👍
We live just down the hwy. from the Evergreen Museum. This really helped fill in the blanks for me since I was not able to follow the details if the plane's journey from California. I was busy with our 2 young children and we did not have TV at this time. But I will always remember the day that the Spruce Goose crossed Hwy. 18 to its new home. Our children were part of the "Gosling Crew" that followed it across on foot. They were too young to understand, but I was so happy that they had the chance to participate in this little piece of history. We still have the little, yellow shirts they wore.
I was one of the lead mechanics on the disassembly crew back in 92. Great video and a good general overview. Stand Soderberg was a great guy and had a lot of stories from 1947 to the present day. My prize possession is a picture of the Goose signed by Mr. David Grant the copilot on the flight. He was kind enough to sit down with me one day and give me the full account of the flight with Mr. Hughes. FYI...the Evergreen guys took the props and engines off and we did the rest.
All I know about the museum there- My husband, having been in the Korean war and Viet Nam, visited there with me. He was a recipient of the Distinguished flying cross and had over a year of flying time in the Air Force. He was very emotional while visiting the museum. Thank you to those whose effort made the museum possible.
Beth, Thanks for sharing your husband's very exciting visit to this very special museum, I too a Nam Vet, had flown many areas in-country, came to tears my first USAF museum in Dayton OH visit after seeing again an "Ole Girl" that gave Col. Fisher his MOH.
I worked at Evergreen International as a contract maintenance mechanic from 1997 until 2012 at JFK airport alongside with their maintenance team. I’ve never worked with a more dedicated and experienced team and this story is an excellent reminder of that. We were mostly all ex Pan Am employees who grew up with the Queen of the sky 747-100/200 and 400’s . Hopefully one day I can venture out to McMinnville and see that beauty in person . Thanks for that glimpse of a giant😉
The airlines maintenance don't seem to be as good as they used to be. Companies being bought from one another, bankruptcy, take overs blah blah. With the improved technology and much of the skills removed from the actual job due to that technology seems to dilute much of the influence of the skilled and experienced folks need to complete their jobs. As I know it today, few pilots have ever flown a Cessna light plane yet pass tests and simulators to fly commercial planes. I'd rather have a pilot who knows what to do when all of the automation fails and can fly by the seat of his pants when and if something major occurs during flight. If there isn't an issue in the simulator that might happen and then it does happen, those pilots wouldn't have much experience in core methods to fly the plane.
It's well worth the trip, i have driven from Seattle several times to see it. The whole museum is FIRST CLASS and the rocket/space exhibit is frankly, amazing also (imax too!) It is probably the best museum i have ever visited.
@@Garth2011 I don’t understand the what you mean “the airlines maintenance don’t seem to be as good…” remark . I’ve been a mechanic for close to 30 years , and no matter the airline, we always put the safety of the people flying on the aircraft first and believe me there is no dilution of skills due to advancing technology as a matter of fact the technology makes our jobs more challenging and personally the rewards are greater for me to know that 30 years ago working on a 747-100 ,with its analog technology forced us to think harder and fine tune out troubleshooting skills to a point where working on a new 747-8 or 787 may require less brute force but those skills learned on the classics make the troubleshooting a little easier and the computer tech doesn’t hurt either …. Won’t comment on the piloting part of the post because that’s not my bag..😉
When I was 7 years old, my dad brought me down to Mcminnville to watch them drive the hull over to the museum grounds. Absolutely unforgettable memory! I've been in the museum 5 times and just brought my 6 year old son to see it.😁😁😁.
I was living aboard my sailboat in the downtown marina in Long Beach which was next to the Queen Mary and the dome housing the Spruce Goose when I went to see Howard Hugh’s creation. I was like everyone else awestruck at the size of the plane but it wasn’t till I was on the platform outside the plane looking in through the cockpit windows and saw the life size figure of Howard at the controls that it really struck me. How small and insignificant he looked against this gigantic backdrop and to think that those two small hands and 10 fingers were in control of this monster of a plane was amazing. It was truly sad how a genius like him wound up in his later years.
I lived 2 miles inland from you for 32 years next to the LB Airport. It was the most impressive aircraft I had ever seen. By living near the harbor and airport I saw such a plethora of modern and WW2 aircraft which for me was about any aircraft buff could ask for. I was saddened to see it leave....but it looks like the Goose is in a good nest. Is the submarine still next to the Queen? I had my sailboat in San Pedro at Flitz and PT boat was being restored there, I guess I had the best of both worlds. Happy New Year!
Glad they repainted it silver. Too many visitors in Long Beach called the plane a White elephant. Hughes dreamed big, and the H4 showed the world just how big! Kudos on a excellent tribute to an incredible aircraft. 👏👏
I was a crew member on John Wayne’s yacht, the Wild Goose, in 1980. My last charter on board was when the Spruce Goose was towed out of the hanger after all those years. We had many local celebrities and dignitaries on board for the occasion. I was at the controls of one of the boat’s runabouts or shore boats with some guests to get a closer view of the plane as an aircraft took a picture that was made into a postcard. So I’m there with the Wild Goose, the Spruce Goose, and my boat. Kinda cool! Once it was open for viewing next to the Queen Mary, I got a chance to see the inside of the enormous plane. Great documentary of the various owners and of the massive undertaking to move the Spruce Goose to Oregon, where I now reside. I haven’t been to the museum yet, but I’m sure I will to complete my brief history with the aircraft.
It’s one of my bucket list items. One of these days will be able to go from very close to Long Beach to do the same trip this majestic plane did. Thanks for the documentary. And thanks to all the volunteers that made it happen.
I’m actually sorry to see it moved to Oregon. In the late 80’s I took my wife and son on a long weekend vacation trip to Long Beach. I wanted our son to see the Spruce Goose. I had grown up in Navy Aviation due to my Career Navy Officer Dad. For 27 years he maintained the Navy’s aircraft. From the War in the Pacific to Korea to the Cold War to a Carrier off the coast of Cuba during the Missile Crisis. After retirement, he built F-4s and F-15s at McDonnell Douglas. I wanted my son to love Aviation as much as my Dad and I did. It was a fantastic trip. Spent a few nights on the Queen Mary. And visited the Spruce Goose. My son loved it. My life long plan eventually worked. He grew up wanting “to build rocket ships and airplanes” just like my Dad. He obtained Aerospace Engineering degrees from Michigan and Washington U. in St. Louis. Went to work for Boeing in St. Louis building the latest versions of the F-15 and the F-18. Boeing had acquired McDonnell Douglas by then. Today, he works for a company that’s building a very large, black, triangular shaped Air Force plane. I think you can guess what it is. I will always remember the look of wonder and amazement in his eyes when he first saw the Spruce Goose. That was such a magical weekend. I’ve always wondered if that was the moment he decided, as he would always say, “to build rocket ships and airplanes” for a career? Thank you Spruce Goose.
Maybe take a Road Trip to Oregon when current events wind down; there are lots of things to see and do there. Evergreen Museum has a much bigger collection than it opened with now, including some early cold war jets you rarely see to a couple Titan Missiles. You also have Tillamook Air Museum, which while it has a more scant collection the Hangar it is based out of itself if a sight worth seeing, once housing K-Class maritime patrol blimps.
Incredible video. My wife and I saw the Spruce Goose when we were in California on our honeymoon in September of 1991. Still married and our 30th anniversary coming up in a few weeks. Glad the Spruce Goose was preserved for all to see. Best wishes from Tennessee,
Man, you've got to be the true hidden gem of RUclips. 13k subscribers only? I'd put your content up against any of the big ones like Wendover, RealLifeLore, etc. Keep it up. Being born and raised in the Portland area, Wilsonville more specifically, your content is fascinating. I'm frankly surprised local media hasn't picked you up.
I completely agree. Being a SoCal resident and visiting it there I never knew the story of where and how it got to its new home. Fascinating story that I will share with others. Thank You for creating this.
Agreed, I live in Tigard/Beaverton, kinda on the edge of both. I've been to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum quite a bit, and I am honestly surprised they don't show this as a back story as to how the plane got there. The quality of video, music, and editing, it's all so professionally done and chosen, truly well done.
Having been to the Evergreen Aviation Museum in the past couple years, I can attest that the Spruce Goose is indeed a sight to behold, almost an 8th wonder of the world. The museum itself contains so many wonderful exhibits of both aviation and space exploration and is well worth a trip. So many thanks to the people whose vision brought the museum to life and saved this magnificent plane.
I was 12 when it got shipped up here, it was quite a sight to see in person on that barge. It was a bit of a wait to see it assembled but the museum is absolutely top notch. You can’t really explain the wonder of it, you have to see it in person but being able to stand in it and sit in the seat Mr. Hughs piloted it from was a special experience.
Evergreen... associate with legal/moral corporations and blend into the landscape. One component open and one hidden. Is this the same Evergreen associated with 1980's CIA..? Uh.huh...
I live in the town and I go there to the water park during the summer I love the museum me and my class went their to see the Massive Evergreen 747 ontop of the museum
Not really, they ended up owing major funds to all the contractors. And never did pay full price for all the work done. Bankruptcy closed them down, employees lost a lot of money by not being paid.
I was able to see the Spruce Goose in 2011. Sitting in the pilots seat where Howard Hughs sat was an experience of a life time. Huge doesn't give justice to the size of this plane. The Evergreen Aviation Museum is amazing and the people that work there were great.
Been to the museum a number of times... The "Spruce Goose" IS a Great Display... Also going up to the MiG-29 "Fulcrum" was inspiring to me. I remember when it first came out to western observers & did the airshow in Finland, in 1986. Wow. Seeing it up close was really exciting to me...
Evergreen and the museum were my business clients, and In 2005 I had the pleasure of a private tour of the Spruce Goose by the team that oversaw disassembly, shipping from Long Beach, and reassembly. We were allowed to sit in the pilots’ seats, and I have some great photos of sitting in the same place as Howard Hughes as well as photos of the interior. We also toured inside the wings down narrow catwalks where engineers monitored each of the 8 engines. They allowed me to open the top hatch at the rear of the cockpit area, climb up the ladder and look down the fuselage and across the wings for an incredible vantage point and a real sense of the size of that airplane. Great video, Peter. It brings back some wonderful memories.
- that’s a day to remember. Also one of the stories you’ll get to sit on a front porch and tell to young whipersnappers as they gather around your feet as you begging to rock in the rocking chair telling yarns of youth and glory.
I've visited the Evergreen Museum 3 times and am still amazed at it's size. Included in the Museum is a very good collection of other aircraft including the SR71 Blackbird.
I was one of those who stood at Waterfront Park when the Spruce Goose was on the barge there. I was in awe of the size. I knew it was big, but WOW! Later we saw it in the museum in McMinnville. Awesome!
People these days have zero interest in history....look at the thousands of college students asking for killing Jess. What happened to my country. I'm. 70
I was fortunate enough to visit this museum in 2022. As a veteran NAVY aviation mechanic. This is on par with Smithsonian curation. My wife who isn't a space and plane nut had a good time and couldn't stop talking about it for the next week. I highly recommend a visit if you get a chance.
I live in Aurora which is about 40 miles from the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. I highly, highly recommend a visit to this fabulous attraction. Everything is well presented and the aircraft they have on display are immaculate!
@@MrTruckerf My great uncle worked with his dad in the oifields of Humble, Texas where Sr. invented his drill bit. Howard was born in Humble, Texas and they lived near the river. My unclel said Howard's mom was a germophobe and scrubbed hi all the time and hated the oilfields...so they took the train to Houston and lived there until he was older. I wish that Humble would have named the Houston Intercontinental Airport in Humble in honor of Howard, but they named it after President Bush. Nobody living here now even has a clue that he's a native son of the town.
Having worked for the Evergreen Aviation Museum in the early 2000's it might be of interest for your viewers to know that making the interior of the aircraft safe for visitors took quite some time, even after the museum and the exhibit was opened. By the end of my tenure, the viewing platform for the hold had been completed and opened, but access to the flight deck was not available to the general public. I only got to go up there once, to my disappointment! In the meantime, the museum was able to obtain some other fantastic aircraft including a decommissioned SR-71 Blackbird.
I was just there a couple of weeks ago. Yep, not only does the space museum across the parking lot have the Blackbird, but it's on the main floor, so we can actually touch the nose tip. And, they also have one engine partially outside the cowling so we could see its complexity. And, they also have all the secret electronics on display. Also, they've somewhat-recently cleaned and opened up the flight deck for visitors to visit. You have to pay an additional $30 per party of up to 4, make a reservation for later that day, and a docent will take you up the spiral staircase and give the grand tour. Up there, you can look allllll the way down to the end of the inside of a wing, see all the gauges & controls, and actually sit in either pilot seat. One of the cool things is that you can sit in those seats and look out down the "runway", aka museum entrance, with the McMinnville Airport just across the highway. It was uber-cool!
@@HeidiKohne Before they built the space museum the blackbird was tucked under the wing of the Spruce Goose in the Air Museum, that was quite the sight to see!
The Blackbird is one of my very favorites there. The museum is worth a trip for just the Blackbird and Spruce Goose alone, and there's so much more to the museum.
Very beautifully produced -- well done! This was an unexpectedly well made video that surpassed my expectations when I selected it on a whim, having heard of the "Spruce Goose" over the years. Thanks for posting this.
I’ve live my life in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Dibble, your documentaries are amazing! Your Oclaca State Park episode made me get in my car and go there. I am from McMinnville. My sister worked for Del Smith. Thank you for your terrific work. I will definitely add to the tip jar!
One interesting tidbit. Del’s other son, Mark Smith, was an Indy Car driver in the 1993 and 94 seasons. Mark is notable for almost breaking the curse of the “Smiths” at the Indianapolis 500, in which no driver named “Smith” has ever qualified for the 500 (despite being the most common surname in the US. In 1994 Mark Smith almost broke the curse until the last minutes of qualifying when he was bumped from the field by Bobby Rahal. Smith attempted to bump his way back in but on his final attempt he crashed and the curse of the Smiths lives on to this very day. After 1994 Mark retired from professional racing to concentrate on his business ventures and on that fateful day in 1995 was the one behind the wheel in the accident that took his brother’s life. Mark was uninjured
I got to meet Del as a kid in the 2000s while visiting the museum. He was generous enough to let my sibling and I each pick any one item from the gift shop. Have really fond memories of that museum and the Goose growing in the area and the annual school trips we would take there. Appreciate the content you provide.
This is the most fascinating and well produced video I have ever seen on RUclips. At some parts of it I got tears in my eyes. I has similarities with the saving of the sunken old warship Wasa in Stockholm, Sweden in the sixties, where my father played an important role. Both projects are characterized by being led by a few devoted idealists recruiting super competent professionals to realize it. With amazing results.
🎉❤I was able to go see it in this museum in 2009….spectacular!! And I live just about 1 1/2 hrs away .. was so cool thanks for this video it is fascinating 👏🤩👍🏻✈️🛩️
Being an Oregonian, you should know that the chief engineer for the original design and construction of the spruce goose was a man by the name of Glenn Odekirk, a graduate of Oregon State University. Glenn just happens to be my great uncle.
I was lucky enough to see the Spruce Goose last year on a month long roadtrip. I had never heard of it before that day. It was an incredible sight. The Evergreen Air Museum is one of the best museums I’ve ever been too.
I've seen it and its as iconic as any plane in history. The engines are attached and the wings are so strong they have never sagged. Amazing plane Howard!
Very neat video. I've long had a curiosity about the Spruce Goose's move to Oregon. I had seen the great airplane once, when I was a kid, in the mid 1980s during the time that the "Hercules" was still in Long Beach.
I totally forgot about the Spruce Goose and in the time I was in the Northwest, we never visited the museum to see it. The way you did this really tells the right story for a plane few people even remember.
I remember driving home through McMinnville on the highway late one day, passing the buildings and saying to the family I think I just saw the spruce goose. 18:46 Love the Evergreen Museum! I got to visit twice.
We live in Oregon and loved going to that museum when the boys were younger - they loved the air themed water park next door as well - such a nice tribute to the spruce goose. Thank you!
Just visited the Museum in Oregon again and it was great to see the Spruce Goose again! Also huge bonus was they had your video playing on repeat in the museum as well! I came back here to watch your video again! Great work!
In 2004 or 2005 I visited the McMinnville museum, having happened upon it by accident as I explored the Oregon coast with my brother and his family. As a former Navy flyer who has visited a number of aviation museums, I can testify that this is an outstanding museum, and seeing the Goose there was certainly a highlight.
I was fortunate enough to see this aviation wonder in 2019 while visiting an old high school friend in Portland. The sheer magnitude and enormity of this plane was breathtaking and overwhelming at the same time. The statistics on the miles and miles of electrical cables alone was fascinating. The museum was run all by ex retired military volunteers. A great bunch of people willing to answer any questions and also give some background on the exhibits.
You did a great job on this presentation. I have visited it several time in Long Beach and McMinnville. For fans of the Flying Boat like me, the display in Long Beach was better but the fact that in McMinnville you can actually sit in the pilots seat where Mr. Hughes sat is almost magical. Howard Hughes was one of the greatest minds in aviation history. The book, Empire, by Bartlett and Steele is a fantastic read and detail MANY things about Mr. Hughes' life that really make you appreciate how gifted and shrewd he was. He was a man with many faults but never lacked courage or intelligence, and his beat down of Owen Brewster at the Senate investigation is truly epic! R.I.P. Mr. Hughes.
It is a beautiful museum, with many outstanding artifacts in both aviation and space. Worth a trip! And the Spruce Goose is, of course, an enormous, perplexing, and informative period piece that is one of a kind and really quite awe inspiring. Worth going!
Wow the engineering to more her up the coast was as challenging as the engineering to build that beauty. Thanks for telling us the story! It was much more complicated than getting it to the harbor for its maiden flight. So glad it worked out.....she is a sight to see!
I've been to the museum 3 times and have enjoyed it very much every time. The Spruce Goose is awesome, but there is a lot of awesome airplanes in that building. Among my favorites are a beautifully restored Boeing B17 Flying Fortress, a beautiful F4 Phantom which in my opinion is one of the most " Bad Ass " looking jet fighters ever, an awesome old Ford Tri Motor passenger plane, and many, many more lovely restorations. I have yet to visit the new Space Museum, which I am looking forward to someday. If you haven't been you will definitely be amazed and enjoy yourself. Plan on an all day visit. And bring the kids for sure !!!
I have been there 6 times and just love going inside to see how huge it is. It's a great museum and the SR 71 Blackbird parked next to it is awesome. If anyone has the chance to go there do it, you won't regret it.😊
I was lucky to tour this plane a couple of times when it was located at Long Beach, California. I happen to be there for a year in 1990-91 for training in my field of work and would visit the Queen Mary with lunch engagements and then over to see the Spruce Goose. Little did I know at the time (nor now in 2021) that it was on borrowed time at the Long Beach location. So I was very lucky to see this plane in person as it's highly unlikely I'll ever venture to Oregon to see it. Thanks for the story
If you ever visit Portland it’s a pretty short trip out to the museum. The pacific north west is quite beautiful with tons of things to go and do, well worth a mini vacation seeing as flights are so cheap. Portland itself is in sad shape compared to what it was 20 years ago but all the surrounding areas are great and you have Mt. Hood near by, the ocean beaches near by, hood river and the gorge, sun river, etc. So much to go and do if you enjoy outdoor activities. Well worth a trip.
An interesting side note I just learned: the locks in Oregon City have been out of operation since 2011, creating an impassible point on the Willamette, but after a whole decade closed plans are finally being made to repair the locks and reopen them to the public. Hopefully it won't be too long before it's once again possible to travel the river all the way to Portland from cities further south in the valley.
Thanks for doing that research. When he said that it passed through those locks, I knew that they weren't in operation any more and was wondering when they stopped.
Yeah, some of the delay in opening them to the public, per se, is that the land was originally Native American, so there's been some property ownership discussions before any decisions could be made on creating a park & various commercial/retail/restaurant options in that area.
Great Video. I remember seeing the plane in Long Beach in the late 80s. Watching this video I was surprised how old I am, because I thought I remembered the discussion of how to get it to Oregon being a lot more recent than 1992. I'll have to get by McMinville. It was a very cool display in Long Beach, and I'd like to see how it is at Evergreen.
We lived in Oregon City where we fished the Willamette River. Our neighbor, Melvin Freeman guided the Spruce Goose parts up Willamette River to McMinnville, Oregon! The picture you have on title page,"Willamette River" is the Oregon City falls where we caught many Chinook salmon. Tommy Lee Jones made movie right at the falls pictured here, about a soldier he trained!
Back in the 1990s I was taking flying lessons, I remember landing at McMinnville airport and walking over to the "greenhouses", looking at the pieces awaiting assembly. No security or fences that I recall, just a nice stroll to say "hi" to the plane. Fun times!
As to why they didn't fly it there... FAA regs would be one reason, but say Hell with them anyhow and you decide to outlaw it. It's been mothballed for a very long time. You've got ancient lumber and fabric that could have come apart, the effort of resurrecting all those old systems and making sure everything is working, you've got no pilots that are exactly qualified for this thing, you've got nowhere to land it, and finally, if something happened, it's the only one. If it were certainly air worthy though, I think it would have been cheaper to dig a lake at it's site. It would have been so much cooler to fly it to it's new home but incredibly risky. This was a prototype and a very old one at that. I've heard it said that it was maintained in flight ready condition but who knows? You'd need it thoroughly inspected before you could try and the team of inspectors and crew required, and then any repairs and maintenance, it was probably cheaper and tons less complicated to just dismantle it and move it instead of going through thousands of miles of red tape and bureaucracy just to get clearance to attempt it. You'd be burning money the entire time getting flight clearance and having the inspection team go over the thing and if they found that something was catastrophically bad, that was all in vain. Dismantling and moving it was the sure thing. Let's just be grateful that it's been preserved.
Very well said. I've also been wondering where they could've even landed it... Somewhere on the Columbia? I don't know if anywhere on the Willamette would've been suitable. And they'd still have to pull it out of the river and transport it quite a long distance over land. It's a lot of fun to think about though. 😋
@@peterdibble I'd think if someone had Oprah Winfrey money, they could have dug a big enough water strip to land it at the destination. Put the building over it and drain the lake afterwards. It's possible. Not practical but possible.
It was probably in near perfect condition up until 1980 being in a climate controlled hangar until 1980. 10 years in a geodesic dome wouldn't really cause much decay. Give it an annual and get a ferry permit. If the motors had compression they could be run. They have almost no hours. It would be a great firefighter lol
Thanks for sharing. This was fascinating. I got to see it when it was in Long Beach and I hated to see it go as well. I’m glad it has a good home and I hope to be able to go see it there one day
The journey from Long Beach to the coast of Oregon then flat bed semis through Oregon to near Willsonville was great to watch. It was better in the dome!
Out of all the videos you have done thus far, this one's my personal favorite. I was mesmerized by the evolving story, and thrilled by its every turn. Thank you.
Subscriber and long-time fan of your channel, Peter. I agree with others - you cannot comprehend the enormity of the plane and the challenges of moving it until you visit the Museum. Some great vintage videos and photos try to make this point but it's still amazing to experience in person. Hats off to the Smiths for taking on this project. BTW the large collection of aircraft and spacecraft is itself a reason to visit the Museum. It's a usual destination for out of town visitors.
Glad to see you got some well-deserved recognition by the museum. I wish I could have been there for the official unveiling of the exhibit around your documentary, however I was stuck at work!
I've lived in Ontario all of my life but got a chance to go down the California - free - in 1992. Four days into my visit, the Rodney King riots broke out in L.A. so we booted our way down to San Diego and, apparently, just caught our chance to see the Goose before she was dismantled later that year. Very cool story and well told, sir. You should take whatever next step you have available to become the well-known documentarian you deserve to be. Thank you.
I remember visiting the Museum when I was a child. That aircraft has inspired me for my whole life! I'm glad it found such a wonderful home where it can inspire people for years to come!
Though I will probably never get a chance to see this as I live over 2000 miles away, I want to thank the Smith Family, everyone at Evergreen, members of the Aero Club, and everyone else who had a hand in saving this piece of aviation history.
We were there in 2002. Incredible. Seeing it in person really gives you the perspective of ow big it really is. Thank you for this fantastic video. Incredible job and love the graphics.
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My first apartment in 1990 was on Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA. I could see the Queen Mary and The dome that house the Spruce Goose from my 3rd floor windows. I was there when Disney bailed and the Spruce Goose was moved. I remember the impact of the community of Long Beach after. The redevelopment of that area with the current aquarium. I’m know in my 50’s and live in SW Washington. It has been on my list for the 20 years I have lived here to find out what became of the Spruce Goose. This film has definitely put the Evergreen Museum on my winter plans. Thank you for such a well researched film. Like everyone else, I did not realize how much that plane meant to my circumstances until I watched this.
My dear friend Bob Dutton who died in 2005 is in this video @17:57 on the far right carrying the propeller. I haven't seen him in so long, and the last time I saw him he was so sick before he died. This was quite a shock seeing that face! RIP my friend!
He's not pictured at 7:23 too?
Could he be second from the left?
How nice for you ❤️
It’s good to hear that an important part of the USAs aviation history has been rescued , often important history has been lost because it’s not considered financially viable
I'm glad you have this memory of your friend. Maybe the video of him doing what he loved and looking healthy and happy will be the one that now springs to mind when you think of him.
man, the quality of this video, it should definitely be played on loop in the museum. i havent been to the evergreen museum in ages and now i want to go so badly
Go! They've added some new things in recent years.
@@HeidiKohne I plan to. My dad and I are going to ride our motorcycle to the beach so we plan on stopping there on our way out
You can explore more of the plane than you used to, back when I was there in 2005 you can still go inside of it but apparently can go further and they have a lot more really cool stuff out there, when you're approaching the museum it will blow your mind I promise you that! I still can't even picture how big this thing was, even when I was there
Should also hit up a drag race at Woodburn as well! They usually have a lot of really awesome stuff at that race track! There is a lot of cool stuff to do around that area and in the whole state, let's be honest LOL
@@dmeemd7787 never been one much for drag racing. Pats acres racing complex is more my jam. They have drift events almost once a month.
Thank you for showing this documentary. Being a HH fan this was great to watch. From north east England
In 2006 the Oregon Air Guard had a "Dining Out" at the museum. They had a Glen Miller style swing band that played until midnight while hundreds of members of the Oregon Air Guard and their spouses ate and danced under the tail of the Spruce Goose. Many of the members there toasted Michael Smith, their friend and comrade in arms.
Excellent!
LOL That was the same day my sweetheart of now 22 years and I were visiting the museum. We got rushed out as it neared closing time.
I have a bit of a family tie to the Spruce Goose... Dad was one of the men that hand logged the Spruce that went into the aircraft in Southeast Alaska. I know what island the logs came off of too.
@@krissfemmpaws1029 Cool! So do I. My great uncle worked with his dad in teh oilfield of Humble Texas where Howard was born. Then they left on a train 20 miles south to Houston and bought a house. My uncle was a oil wildcatter in Humble where Sr. Hughes invented his drill bit that changed the world. He remembered visiting little Howard just after he was born. The family has pictures...those old silver nitrate pics..on the wall. He also got to be the master electrician for John Wayne's crew during the filming of "Hellfighters" in 1968. They hired him to blow up the wells and then put them out with Boots and Coots for the movie. We have pictures all over the walls of that as well. They hired him because he was the best.
Thanks, Michael Runnels for the historical note summoning up images of an inspired night out, at the museum. Ah, to have been there!
@@krissfemmpaws1029 They said in the film that it was "Birch wood -- from Oregon."
My wife and I were staying in a beautiful campground along the Oregon coast. In a spur of the moment conversation , a fellow camper mentioned that they had just got back from visiting the Spruce Goose. Although seeing this magnificent airplane was on my bucket list, I somehow forgot that it was in Oregon, and in fact , only a hundred miles from where we were staying. The next day , I fulfilled my bucket list item and spent a wonderful afternoon with this amazing piece of aviation history. All this from a chance conversation with a complete stranger. if you haven't gone, you have to give it your best effort to do so,
Thanks for sharing
@@JTA1961 I will come all the way from NZ.
Apparently you can stay in your camper/rv/van on the museum grounds?! 🤯🙃😁
From the website:
Take in the night skies next to historic aircraft and park your RV overnight at the Evergreen Museum.
Parking passes include one-night parking and one adult museum admission ticket.
General: $35 per vehicle
Museum Members: Free
Harvest Host: Free
Fate smiled. Pretty cool how it worked out for you.
These documentaries are amazing
I was fortune to get a chance to visit the museum, I was delivering a load of groceries locally and my boss suggested I take the time to visit the spruce goose, I planned on spending 20-30 minutes there, 3 hrs later I finally left, it's a amazing plane and the access granted is spectacular, I encourage anyone to go, you will be very impressed, PS yes I had a very cool boss he even paid me for the time I spent admiring the plane and museum 👍
That's a superb boss!!
That is a good boss.
Is he hiring? lol
We live just down the hwy. from the Evergreen Museum. This really helped fill in the blanks for me since I was not able to follow the details if the plane's journey from California. I was busy with our 2 young children and we did not have TV at this time. But I will always remember the day that the Spruce Goose crossed Hwy. 18 to its new home. Our children were part of the "Gosling Crew" that followed it across on foot. They were too young to understand, but I was so happy that they had the chance to participate in this little piece of history. We still have the little, yellow shirts they wore.
How fun! Thanks for sharing.
I was one of the lead mechanics on the disassembly crew back in 92. Great video and a good general overview. Stand Soderberg was a great guy and had a lot of stories from 1947 to the present day. My prize possession is a picture of the Goose signed by Mr. David Grant the copilot on the flight. He was kind enough to sit down with me one day and give me the full account of the flight with Mr. Hughes. FYI...the Evergreen guys took the props and engines off and we did the rest.
Very cool!
All I know about the museum there- My husband, having been in the Korean war and Viet Nam, visited there with me. He was a recipient of the Distinguished flying cross and had over a year of flying time in the Air Force. He was very emotional while visiting the museum. Thank you to those whose effort made the museum possible.
Beth, Thanks for sharing your husband's very exciting visit to this very special museum, I too a Nam Vet, had flown many areas in-country, came to tears my first USAF museum in Dayton OH visit after seeing again an "Ole Girl" that gave Col. Fisher his MOH.
Pls thank him for his service from me 🙏🏼
You did it again, Peter. Outstanding....!
I worked at Evergreen International as a contract maintenance mechanic from 1997 until 2012 at JFK airport alongside with their maintenance team. I’ve never worked with a more dedicated and experienced team and this story is an excellent reminder of that. We were mostly all ex Pan Am employees who grew up with the Queen of the sky 747-100/200 and 400’s . Hopefully one day I can venture out to McMinnville and see that beauty in person . Thanks for that glimpse of a giant😉
The airlines maintenance don't seem to be as good as they used to be. Companies being bought from one another, bankruptcy, take overs blah blah. With the improved technology and much of the skills removed from the actual job due to that technology seems to dilute much of the influence of the skilled and experienced folks need to complete their jobs. As I know it today, few pilots have ever flown a Cessna light plane yet pass tests and simulators to fly commercial planes. I'd rather have a pilot who knows what to do when all of the automation fails and can fly by the seat of his pants when and if something major occurs during flight. If there isn't an issue in the simulator that might happen and then it does happen, those pilots wouldn't have much experience in core methods to fly the plane.
It's well worth the trip, i have driven from Seattle several times to see it. The whole museum is FIRST CLASS and the rocket/space exhibit is frankly, amazing also (imax too!) It is probably the best museum i have ever visited.
When I lived there it was just the one main building. It's expanded hugely since then, making it an ever more awesome experience.
@@Garth2011 I don’t understand the what you mean “the airlines maintenance don’t seem to be as good…” remark . I’ve been a mechanic for close to 30 years , and no matter the airline, we always put the safety of the people flying on the aircraft first and believe me there is no dilution of skills due to advancing technology as a matter of fact the technology makes our jobs more challenging and personally the rewards are greater for me to know that 30 years ago working on a 747-100 ,with its analog technology forced us to think harder and fine tune out troubleshooting skills to a point where working on a new 747-8 or 787 may require less brute force but those skills learned on the classics make the troubleshooting a little easier and the computer tech doesn’t hurt either …. Won’t comment on the piloting part of the post because that’s not my bag..😉
When I was 7 years old, my dad brought me down to Mcminnville to watch them drive the hull over to the museum grounds. Absolutely unforgettable memory! I've been in the museum 5 times and just brought my 6 year old son to see it.😁😁😁.
I was living aboard my sailboat in the downtown marina in Long Beach which was next to the Queen Mary and the dome housing the Spruce Goose when I went to see Howard Hugh’s creation. I was like everyone else awestruck at the size of the plane but it wasn’t till I was on the platform outside the plane looking in through the cockpit windows and saw the life size figure of Howard at the controls that it really struck me. How small and insignificant he looked against this gigantic backdrop and to think that those two small hands and 10 fingers were in control of this monster of a plane was amazing. It was truly sad how a genius like him wound up in his later years.
He knew all truths and that scared him✅
I lived 2 miles inland from you for 32 years next to the LB Airport. It was the most impressive aircraft I had ever seen. By living near the harbor and airport I saw such a plethora of modern and WW2 aircraft which for me was about any aircraft buff could ask for. I was saddened to see it leave....but it looks like the Goose is in a good nest. Is the submarine still next to the Queen? I had my sailboat in San Pedro at Flitz and PT boat was being restored there, I guess I had the best of both worlds. Happy New Year!
Glad they repainted it silver. Too many visitors in Long Beach called the plane a White elephant. Hughes dreamed big, and the H4 showed the world just how big! Kudos on a excellent tribute to an incredible aircraft. 👏👏
I had zero clue what that big dome was for swimming
In seal beach, you could always see it in the distance near the oil islands, who would have knew?
I was a crew member on John Wayne’s yacht, the Wild Goose, in 1980. My last charter on board was when the Spruce Goose was towed out of the hanger after all those years. We had many local celebrities and dignitaries on board for the occasion. I was at the controls of one of the boat’s runabouts or shore boats with some guests to get a closer view of the plane as an aircraft took a picture that was made into a postcard. So I’m there with the Wild Goose, the Spruce Goose, and my boat. Kinda cool! Once it was open for viewing next to the Queen Mary, I got a chance to see the inside of the enormous plane.
Great documentary of the various owners and of the massive undertaking to move the Spruce Goose to Oregon, where I now reside. I haven’t been to the museum yet, but I’m sure I will to complete my brief history with the aircraft.
It’s one of my bucket list items. One of these days will be able to go from very close to Long Beach to do the same trip this majestic plane did.
Thanks for the documentary. And thanks to all the volunteers that made it happen.
I’m actually sorry to see it moved to Oregon. In the late 80’s I took my wife and son on a long weekend vacation trip to Long Beach. I wanted our son to see the Spruce Goose. I had grown up in Navy Aviation due to my Career Navy Officer Dad. For 27 years he maintained the Navy’s aircraft. From the War in the Pacific to Korea to the Cold War to a Carrier off the coast of Cuba during the Missile Crisis. After retirement, he built F-4s and F-15s at McDonnell Douglas. I wanted my son to love Aviation as much as my Dad and I did. It was a fantastic trip. Spent a few nights on the Queen Mary. And visited the Spruce Goose. My son loved it. My life long plan eventually worked. He grew up wanting “to build rocket ships and airplanes” just like my Dad. He obtained Aerospace Engineering degrees from Michigan and Washington U. in St. Louis. Went to work for Boeing in St. Louis building the latest versions of the F-15 and the F-18. Boeing had acquired McDonnell Douglas by then. Today, he works for a company that’s building a very large, black, triangular shaped Air Force plane. I think you can guess what it is. I will always remember the look of wonder and amazement in his eyes when he first saw the Spruce Goose. That was such a magical weekend. I’ve always wondered if that was the moment he decided, as he would always say, “to build rocket ships and airplanes” for a career? Thank you Spruce Goose.
Yea its a shame, they ruined the queen Mary's prospects when they moved the goose, together they had more broad of an appeal to visiting families.
Does he work at the LM Skunkworks?
Becky….Northrop.
Maybe take a Road Trip to Oregon when current events wind down; there are lots of things to see and do there. Evergreen Museum has a much bigger collection than it opened with now, including some early cold war jets you rarely see to a couple Titan Missiles. You also have Tillamook Air Museum, which while it has a more scant collection the Hangar it is based out of itself if a sight worth seeing, once housing K-Class maritime patrol blimps.
Really? be thankful it was. One of the possibilities if a taker was not found was a proposal to saw it up and turn it into toilet seats.
I have always been fascinated with the Spruce Goose. I'm just so happy it's on display today for people to see. It is an aviation masterpiece
Incredible video. My wife and I saw the Spruce Goose when we were in California on our honeymoon in September of 1991. Still married and our 30th anniversary coming up in a few weeks. Glad the Spruce Goose was preserved for all to see. Best wishes from Tennessee,
Man, you've got to be the true hidden gem of RUclips. 13k subscribers only? I'd put your content up against any of the big ones like Wendover, RealLifeLore, etc. Keep it up. Being born and raised in the Portland area, Wilsonville more specifically, your content is fascinating. I'm frankly surprised local media hasn't picked you up.
I completely agree. Being a SoCal resident and visiting it there I never knew the story of where and how it got to its new home. Fascinating story that I will share with others. Thank You for creating this.
No kidding. Felt more like I was watching a big budget documentary. Especially when there was actually credits at the end lol
Agreed, I live in Tigard/Beaverton, kinda on the edge of both. I've been to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum quite a bit, and I am honestly surprised they don't show this as a back story as to how the plane got there. The quality of video, music, and editing, it's all so professionally done and chosen, truly well done.
agreed!
Local media ain't got time for twenty minute stories on any subject, no matter how important or interesting.
Having been to the Evergreen Aviation Museum in the past couple years, I can attest that the Spruce Goose is indeed a sight to behold, almost an 8th wonder of the world. The museum itself contains so many wonderful exhibits of both aviation and space exploration and is well worth a trip. So many thanks to the people whose vision brought the museum to life and saved this magnificent plane.
I've been there many times. It definitely is a amazing thing to see.
I was 12 when it got shipped up here, it was quite a sight to see in person on that barge. It was a bit of a wait to see it assembled but the museum is absolutely top notch. You can’t really explain the wonder of it, you have to see it in person but being able to stand in it and sit in the seat Mr. Hughs piloted it from was a special experience.
Evergreen... associate with legal/moral corporations and blend into the landscape. One component open and one hidden.
Is this the same Evergreen associated with 1980's CIA..? Uh.huh...
I live in the town and I go there to the water park during the summer I love the museum me and my class went their to see the Massive Evergreen 747 ontop of the museum
What a wonderful wonderful wonderful documentary.
Just fabulous.👏👏👏
Thank you.
What an absolutely heartwarming story of a fathers love for his son.
Not really, they ended up owing major funds to all the contractors. And never did pay full price for all the work done. Bankruptcy closed them down, employees lost a lot of money by not being paid.
a very interesting and emotional story, Im pleased it has been saved, Thankyou.
I was able to see the Spruce Goose in 2011. Sitting in the pilots seat where Howard Hughs sat was an experience of a life time. Huge doesn't give justice to the size of this plane. The Evergreen Aviation Museum is amazing and the people that work there were great.
Been to the museum a number of times... The "Spruce Goose" IS a Great Display... Also going up to the MiG-29 "Fulcrum" was inspiring to me. I remember when it first came out to western observers & did the airshow in Finland, in 1986. Wow. Seeing it up close was really exciting to me...
Evergreen and the museum were my business clients, and In 2005 I had the pleasure of a private tour of the Spruce Goose by the team that oversaw disassembly, shipping from Long Beach, and reassembly. We were allowed to sit in the pilots’ seats, and I have some great photos of sitting in the same place as Howard Hughes as well as photos of the interior. We also toured inside the wings down narrow catwalks where engineers monitored each of the 8 engines. They allowed me to open the top hatch at the rear of the cockpit area, climb up the ladder and look down the fuselage and across the wings for an incredible vantage point and a real sense of the size of that airplane. Great video, Peter. It brings back some wonderful memories.
Wow! Pictures?
- that’s a day to remember. Also one of the stories you’ll get to sit on a front porch and tell to young whipersnappers as they gather around your feet as you begging to rock in the rocking chair telling yarns of youth and glory.
I have sat left seat in the cockpit as well and it was a great experience.
Thank you Mr Dibble.
I've visited the Evergreen Museum 3 times and am still amazed at it's size. Included in the Museum is a very good collection of other aircraft including the SR71 Blackbird.
This was very well done! Thanks for posting 😊✈
I was one of those who stood at Waterfront Park when the Spruce Goose was on the barge there. I was in awe of the size. I knew it was big, but WOW! Later we saw it in the museum in McMinnville. Awesome!
How has this channel not blown up yet?!?
People these days have zero interest in history....look at the thousands of college students asking for killing Jess. What happened to my country. I'm. 70
Great video. I live in the Willamette valley and its very interesting and informative to see how the parts went through areas I frequent.
I was fortunate enough to visit this museum in 2022. As a veteran NAVY aviation mechanic. This is on par with Smithsonian curation. My wife who isn't a space and plane nut had a good time and couldn't stop talking about it for the next week. I highly recommend a visit if you get a chance.
I live in Aurora which is about 40 miles from the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. I highly, highly recommend a visit to this fabulous attraction. Everything is well presented and the aircraft they have on display are immaculate!
Hughes was a remarkable man. Gifted, talented, and an Icon of the 20th century!
It is sad that the last decades of his life were spent in seclusion. But, absurd talent often comes at a steep price.
@@MrTruckerf My great uncle worked with his dad in the oifields of Humble, Texas where Sr. invented his drill bit. Howard was born in Humble, Texas and they lived near the river. My unclel said Howard's mom was a germophobe and scrubbed hi all the time and hated the oilfields...so they took the train to Houston and lived there until he was older. I wish that Humble would have named the Houston Intercontinental Airport in Humble in honor of Howard, but they named it after President Bush. Nobody living here now even has a clue that he's a native son of the town.
WOW, that was amazing story telling. I was so into this entire video. Thank you for your time to piece this all together.
Having worked for the Evergreen Aviation Museum in the early 2000's it might be of interest for your viewers to know that making the interior of the aircraft safe for visitors took quite some time, even after the museum and the exhibit was opened. By the end of my tenure, the viewing platform for the hold had been completed and opened, but access to the flight deck was not available to the general public. I only got to go up there once, to my disappointment!
In the meantime, the museum was able to obtain some other fantastic aircraft including a decommissioned SR-71 Blackbird.
Great extra insight, thanks for sharing!
I was just there a couple of weeks ago. Yep, not only does the space museum across the parking lot have the Blackbird, but it's on the main floor, so we can actually touch the nose tip. And, they also have one engine partially outside the cowling so we could see its complexity. And, they also have all the secret electronics on display.
Also, they've somewhat-recently cleaned and opened up the flight deck for visitors to visit. You have to pay an additional $30 per party of up to 4, make a reservation for later that day, and a docent will take you up the spiral staircase and give the grand tour. Up there, you can look allllll the way down to the end of the inside of a wing, see all the gauges & controls, and actually sit in either pilot seat. One of the cool things is that you can sit in those seats and look out down the "runway", aka museum entrance, with the McMinnville Airport just across the highway. It was uber-cool!
@@HeidiKohne Before they built the space museum the blackbird was tucked under the wing of the Spruce Goose in the Air Museum, that was quite the sight to see!
i have pictures of my kids at the controls when it was at Long Beach-its huge
The Blackbird is one of my very favorites there. The museum is worth a trip for just the Blackbird and Spruce Goose alone, and there's so much more to the museum.
Very beautifully produced -- well done! This was an unexpectedly well made video that surpassed my expectations when I selected it on a whim, having heard of the "Spruce Goose" over the years. Thanks for posting this.
I’ve live my life in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Dibble, your documentaries are amazing! Your Oclaca State Park episode made me get in my car and go there. I am from McMinnville. My sister worked for Del Smith. Thank you for your terrific work. I will definitely add to the tip jar!
Great Story,,thanks for sharing,,,,Nicely done
I am a Doc Nut. This is one of the best.
Hats of to this one! Really nicely crafted!
One interesting tidbit. Del’s other son, Mark Smith, was an Indy Car driver in the 1993 and 94 seasons. Mark is notable for almost breaking the curse of the “Smiths” at the Indianapolis 500, in which no driver named “Smith” has ever qualified for the 500 (despite being the most common surname in the US. In 1994 Mark Smith almost broke the curse until the last minutes of qualifying when he was bumped from the field by Bobby Rahal. Smith attempted to bump his way back in but on his final attempt he crashed and the curse of the Smiths lives on to this very day. After 1994 Mark retired from professional racing to concentrate on his business ventures and on that fateful day in 1995 was the one behind the wheel in the accident that took his brother’s life. Mark was uninjured
I got to meet Del as a kid in the 2000s while visiting the museum. He was generous enough to let my sibling and I each pick any one item from the gift shop. Have really fond memories of that museum and the Goose growing in the area and the annual school trips we would take there. Appreciate the content you provide.
This is the most fascinating and well produced video I have ever seen on RUclips. At some parts of it I got tears in my eyes.
I has similarities with the saving of the sunken old warship Wasa in Stockholm, Sweden in the sixties, where my father played an important role. Both projects are characterized by being led by a few devoted idealists recruiting super competent professionals to realize it. With amazing results.
Majestic beautiful airplane.thank for your lovely job.
A wonderful story. One of determination, tenacity, remembrance tribute and vision. On many levels, spanning over 7 decades. Kind Regards
🎉❤I was able to go see it in this museum in 2009….spectacular!! And I live just about 1 1/2 hrs away .. was so cool thanks for this video it is fascinating 👏🤩👍🏻✈️🛩️
as an engineer and an Oregonian, I love your documentaries so much :D I love having this plane just an hour away
have you been to see it in person? that would be a real treat. greetings from a marine engineer in nova scotia :)
@@absolutely1337 I have seen it kind of through the window as I drove past the museum, but I'm making plans to see the museum this weekend :)
@@brandoncalvert8379 that is fantastic to hear you are going. being that close and all, don't pass up the opertunity!
@Chuck Yeager Related to your namesake, my '50s hero, growing up?
Being an Oregonian, you should know that the chief engineer for the original design and construction of the spruce goose was a man by the name of Glenn Odekirk, a graduate of Oregon State University. Glenn just happens to be my great uncle.
Wow I was just in McMinnville Oregon on Monday what a great Aiviation and Space Museum they have!
I was lucky enough to see the Spruce Goose last year on a month long roadtrip. I had never heard of it before that day. It was an incredible sight. The Evergreen Air Museum is one of the best museums I’ve ever been too.
I've seen it and its as iconic as any plane in history. The engines are attached and the wings are so strong they have never sagged. Amazing plane Howard!
What a truly remarkable and inspiring story! This is the real America, that I’ve come to know and admire!
Very neat video. I've long had a curiosity about the Spruce Goose's move to Oregon. I had seen the great airplane once, when I was a kid, in the mid 1980s during the time that the "Hercules" was still in Long Beach.
I totally forgot about the Spruce Goose and in the time I was in the Northwest, we never visited the museum to see it. The way you did this really tells the right story for a plane few people even remember.
I remember driving home through McMinnville on the highway late one day, passing the buildings and saying to the family I think I just saw the spruce goose. 18:46
Love the Evergreen Museum! I got to visit twice.
We live in Oregon and loved going to that museum when the boys were younger - they loved the air themed water park next door as well - such a nice tribute to the spruce goose. Thank you!
This is awesome. I live in Corvallis, Oregon and have been by the spruce goose a bunch. That's crazy the wood came from Toledo, Oregon.
The evergreen museum is amazing. Don't miss the chance to sit in the the pilot seat of the spruce goose.
It's an extra fee per party of up to 4, but definitely worth it.
Yup...got the photo in Hughes-style hat in 2012.
When I saw it at WPP it was a fee to get inside... now at Evergreen you can get inside for free! Lots of other cool stuff there too... Titan missiles!
Excellent tribute to a magnificent part of aviation history. Well done.
Peret, this is an outstanding production of Aircraft History. Thank you to all who contributed to the Goose coming home to Oregon.
What a delightful documentary. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome video! I was driving through Oregon and stopped by the museum the Spruce Goose is in on impulse and I can't believe how huge it was.
What an amazing work..The old saying"If there is a will,there is a way" comes true..👍
Just visited the Museum in Oregon again and it was great to see the Spruce Goose again! Also huge bonus was they had your video playing on repeat in the museum as well! I came back here to watch your video again! Great work!
What an amazing story. And the museum looks fabulous. What a tribute to his son!
Thank you so much for this opportunity to see the Blue Goose and the story behind it 😊🛫👏
In 2004 or 2005 I visited the McMinnville museum, having happened upon it by accident as I explored the Oregon coast with my brother and his family. As a former Navy flyer who has visited a number of aviation museums, I can testify that this is an outstanding museum, and seeing the Goose there was certainly a highlight.
Wow, this is only an hour and a half south of me I'm definitely taking a drive down to check it out. Thanks!
I was fortunate enough to see this aviation wonder in 2019 while visiting an old high school friend in Portland. The sheer magnitude and enormity of this plane was breathtaking and overwhelming at the same time. The statistics on the miles and miles of electrical cables alone was fascinating. The museum was run all by ex retired military volunteers. A great bunch of people willing to answer any questions and also give some background on the exhibits.
You did a great job on this presentation. I have visited it several time in Long Beach and McMinnville. For fans of the Flying Boat like me, the display in Long Beach was better but the fact that in McMinnville you can actually sit in the pilots seat where Mr. Hughes sat is almost magical.
Howard Hughes was one of the greatest minds in aviation history. The book, Empire, by Bartlett and Steele is a fantastic read and detail MANY things about Mr. Hughes' life that really make you appreciate how gifted and shrewd he was. He was a man with many faults but never lacked courage or intelligence, and his beat down of Owen Brewster at the Senate investigation is truly epic!
R.I.P. Mr. Hughes.
It is a beautiful museum, with many outstanding artifacts in both aviation and space. Worth a trip! And the Spruce Goose is, of course, an enormous, perplexing, and informative period piece that is one of a kind and really quite awe inspiring. Worth going!
Wow the engineering to more her up the coast was as challenging as the engineering to build that beauty. Thanks for telling us the story! It was much more complicated than getting it to the harbor for its maiden flight. So glad it worked out.....she is a sight to see!
Very interesting, I absolutely loved this documentary.
I've been to the museum 3 times and have enjoyed it very much every time. The Spruce Goose is awesome, but there is a lot of awesome airplanes in that building. Among my favorites are a beautifully restored Boeing B17 Flying Fortress, a beautiful F4 Phantom which in my opinion is one of the most " Bad Ass " looking jet fighters ever, an awesome old Ford Tri Motor passenger plane, and many, many more lovely restorations. I have yet to visit the new Space Museum, which I am looking forward to someday. If you haven't been you will definitely be amazed and enjoy yourself. Plan on an all day visit. And bring the kids for sure !!!
Just sat down with my coffee, perfect - Love your documentaries ✌&🤟
I have been there 6 times and just love going inside to see how huge it is. It's a great museum and the SR 71 Blackbird parked next to it is awesome. If anyone has the chance to go there do it, you won't regret it.😊
I was lucky to tour this plane a couple of times when it was located at Long Beach, California. I happen to be there for a year in 1990-91 for training in my field of work and would visit the Queen Mary with lunch engagements and then over to see the Spruce Goose. Little did I know at the time (nor now in 2021) that it was on borrowed time at the Long Beach location. So I was very lucky to see this plane in person as it's highly unlikely I'll ever venture to Oregon to see it. Thanks for the story
Same here. I saw it in Long Beach on my honeymoon in 1991. Glad I was able to see it in person. That thing is huge!
If you ever visit Portland it’s a pretty short trip out to the museum. The pacific north west is quite beautiful with tons of things to go and do, well worth a mini vacation seeing as flights are so cheap. Portland itself is in sad shape compared to what it was 20 years ago but all the surrounding areas are great and you have Mt. Hood near by, the ocean beaches near by, hood river and the gorge, sun river, etc. So much to go and do if you enjoy outdoor activities. Well worth a trip.
My father, Dennis Pritchard who was in the RAF, took me to see the aircraft in the 1980s. An incredible sight. Thanks for posting this video.
An interesting side note I just learned: the locks in Oregon City have been out of operation since 2011, creating an impassible point on the Willamette, but after a whole decade closed plans are finally being made to repair the locks and reopen them to the public. Hopefully it won't be too long before it's once again possible to travel the river all the way to Portland from cities further south in the valley.
Thanks for doing that research. When he said that it passed through those locks, I knew that they weren't in operation any more and was wondering when they stopped.
Yeah, some of the delay in opening them to the public, per se, is that the land was originally Native American, so there's been some property ownership discussions before any decisions could be made on creating a park & various commercial/retail/restaurant options in that area.
Useless fact of the day, I went through the locks in a giant canoe with my entire 3rd grade class in the 90's.
@@aaronredbaronwas the canoe made of spruce?
Great Video. I remember seeing the plane in Long Beach in the late 80s. Watching this video I was surprised how old I am, because I thought I remembered the discussion of how to get it to Oregon being a lot more recent than 1992.
I'll have to get by McMinville. It was a very cool display in Long Beach, and I'd like to see how it is at Evergreen.
What a true joy it was to tour the Spruce Goose in the Evergreen Museum in 2016! Even my wife enjoyed it.
Thank you for the wonderful video I really enjoyed it.
We lived in Oregon City where we fished the Willamette River. Our neighbor, Melvin Freeman guided the Spruce Goose parts up Willamette River to McMinnville, Oregon! The picture you have on title page,"Willamette River" is the Oregon City falls where we caught many Chinook salmon. Tommy Lee Jones made movie right at the falls pictured here, about a soldier he trained!
Back in the 1990s I was taking flying lessons, I remember landing at McMinnville airport and walking over to the "greenhouses", looking at the pieces awaiting assembly. No security or fences that I recall, just a nice stroll to say "hi" to the plane. Fun times!
As to why they didn't fly it there...
FAA regs would be one reason, but say Hell with them anyhow and you decide to outlaw it. It's been mothballed for a very long time. You've got ancient lumber and fabric that could have come apart, the effort of resurrecting all those old systems and making sure everything is working, you've got no pilots that are exactly qualified for this thing, you've got nowhere to land it, and finally, if something happened, it's the only one. If it were certainly air worthy though, I think it would have been cheaper to dig a lake at it's site. It would have been so much cooler to fly it to it's new home but incredibly risky. This was a prototype and a very old one at that. I've heard it said that it was maintained in flight ready condition but who knows? You'd need it thoroughly inspected before you could try and the team of inspectors and crew required, and then any repairs and maintenance, it was probably cheaper and tons less complicated to just dismantle it and move it instead of going through thousands of miles of red tape and bureaucracy just to get clearance to attempt it. You'd be burning money the entire time getting flight clearance and having the inspection team go over the thing and if they found that something was catastrophically bad, that was all in vain. Dismantling and moving it was the sure thing. Let's just be grateful that it's been preserved.
Very well said. I've also been wondering where they could've even landed it... Somewhere on the Columbia? I don't know if anywhere on the Willamette would've been suitable. And they'd still have to pull it out of the river and transport it quite a long distance over land. It's a lot of fun to think about though. 😋
@@peterdibble I'd think if someone had Oprah Winfrey money, they could have dug a big enough water strip to land it at the destination. Put the building over it and drain the lake afterwards. It's possible. Not practical but possible.
Fantastic !
It was probably in near perfect condition up until 1980 being in a climate controlled hangar until 1980. 10 years in a geodesic dome wouldn't really cause much decay. Give it an annual and get a ferry permit. If the motors had compression they could be run. They have almost no hours. It would be a great firefighter lol
Its a huge assumption the aircraft could have made a trip that long when it was new. It was far from being service ready.
Thanks for sharing. This was fascinating. I got to see it when it was in Long Beach and I hated to see it go as well. I’m glad it has a good home and I hope to be able to go see it there one day
The journey from Long Beach to the coast of Oregon then flat bed semis through Oregon to near Willsonville was great to watch. It was better in the dome!
Out of all the videos you have done thus far, this one's my personal favorite. I was mesmerized by the evolving story, and thrilled by its every turn. Thank you.
Subscriber and long-time fan of your channel, Peter. I agree with others - you cannot comprehend the enormity of the plane and the challenges of moving it until you visit the Museum. Some great vintage videos and photos try to make this point but it's still amazing to experience in person. Hats off to the Smiths for taking on this project. BTW the large collection of aircraft and spacecraft is itself a reason to visit the Museum. It's a usual destination for out of town visitors.
Glad to see you got some well-deserved recognition by the museum. I wish I could have been there for the official unveiling of the exhibit around your documentary, however I was stuck at work!
I've lived in Ontario all of my life but got a chance to go down the California - free - in 1992. Four days into my visit, the Rodney King riots broke out in L.A. so we booted our way down to San Diego and, apparently, just caught our chance to see the Goose before she was dismantled later that year. Very cool story and well told, sir. You should take whatever next step you have available to become the well-known documentarian you deserve to be. Thank you.
F’ R. King!
I remember visiting the Museum when I was a child. That aircraft has inspired me for my whole life! I'm glad it found such a wonderful home where it can inspire people for years to come!
"The Spruce Goose" was the solution to the puzzle I solved to become the big winner for the day on Wheel of Fortune back in November of '99.
just like Ken Jennings!
@@Straight0uttaCrofton, except he was on Jeopardy.
COOL!
Wow awesome ! What did you win ?
@@Wildstar40, $6,650 in cash, a week vacation for 2 to Palm Desert, CA, and a 2000 Camaro Z-28 convertible.
Thank you to everyone concerned in making this video, it is a remarkable documentary of aviation history.
Though I will probably never get a chance to see this as I live over 2000 miles away, I want to thank the Smith Family, everyone at Evergreen, members of the Aero Club, and everyone else who had a hand in saving this piece of aviation history.
We were there in 2002. Incredible. Seeing it in person really gives you the perspective of ow big it really is. Thank you for this fantastic video. Incredible job and love the graphics.