Mystery Aircraft Quiz #23

Pilawt

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Pilawt
How's your General Aviation Hollywood trivia knowledge?

1. In Goldfinger, what kind of airplanes made up "***** Galore's Flying Circus"?

2. In It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, what kind of airplane flew through the billboard?

3. We know that "Sky King" flew a Cessna T-50 in the early episodes, and later a Cessna 310B (they were actor Kirby Grant's own airplanes). But what kind of airplane did his nephew "Clipper" fly in the series?

4. In the 1957-59 series, The Bob Cummings Show (syndicated as Love That Bob), star Bob Cummings flew his own real-life airplane. What was it?

5. What was the jump plane in the skydiving-oriented series Ripcord?

-- Pilawt
 
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I'm too young for all these questions!
 
Pilawt said:
How's your General Aviation Hollywood trivia knowledge?

1. In Goldfinger, what kind of airplanes made up "***** Galore's Flying Circus"?

2. In It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, what kind of airplane flew through the billboard?

3. We know that "Sky King" flew a Cessna T-50 in the early episodes, and later a Cessna 310B (they were actor Kirby Grant's own airplanes). But what kind of airplane did his nephew "Clipper" fly in the series?

4. In the 1957-59 series, The Bob Cummings Show (syndicated as Love That Bob), star Bob Cummings flew his own real-life airplane. What was it?

5. What was the jump plane in the skydiving-oriented series Ripcord?

-- Pilawt

4. On Love That Bob, he flew an Air Car that he called the "flying automobile" it seems.
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
4. On Love That Bob, he flew an Air Car that he called the "flying automobile" it seems.
Hm. I don't recall that one. There was one airplane he used frequently to go back and forth from Hollywood (Van Nuys was mentioned as his home field) to Joplin to visit "Grampa Collins" (hilarious dual role for Cummings), and to impress the models and starlets who frequented his photo studio.

-- Pilawt
 
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Pilawt said:
How's your General Aviation Hollywood trivia knowledge?

1. In Goldfinger, what kind of airplanes made up "***** Galore's Flying Circus"?

Piper Cherokee 235's.

2. In It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, what kind of airplane flew through the billboard?

Beech 18 "Twin Beech"

3. We know that "Sky King" flew a Cessna T-50 in the early episodes, and later a Cessna 310B (they were actor Kirby Grant's own airplanes). But what kind of airplane did his nephew "Clipper" fly in the series?

Stinson Sentinal

4. In the 1957-59 series, The Bob Cummings Show (syndicated as Love That Bob), star Bob Cummings flew his own real-life airplane. What was it?

Luscombe 8E

5. What was the jump plane in the skydiving-oriented series Ripcord?

DC-3

See answers "embedded" in quotes.
 
Anthony's too fast. I was going to say that the answer to #2 was a Twin Beech. But, I didn't actually remember that. What I remembered was seeing Pilawt's post about it on the red board, so I cheated...

(It was in "Favorite Comedies")
 
1. In Goldfinger, what kind of airplanes made up "***** Galore's Flying Circus"?

Piper Cherokee 235's.
Partially right. They were a mixed bag of '64 Cherokees, including 235's and Cherokee 'B's, and maybe even a 140 (not sure about that one, though).

2. In It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, what kind of airplane flew through the billboard?

Beech 18 "Twin Beech"
Right on. The billboard was set up near what is now Mission Viejo, CA. The billboard had a steel frame and balsa-wood panel. Paul Mantz flew the Beech through it with about three feet to spare on each wingtip.

3. We know that "Sky King" flew a Cessna T-50 in the early episodes, and later a Cessna 310B (they were actor Kirby Grant's own airplanes). But what kind of airplane did his nephew "Clipper" fly in the series?

Stinson Sentinal
No, but it was a high-wing, single-engine taildragger.

4. In the 1957-59 series, The Bob Cummings Show (syndicated as Love That Bob), star Bob Cummings flew his own real-life airplane. What was it?

Luscombe 8E
No, bigger. It was an upper-crust business aircraft in its day. The photography business must have been good for "Bob Collins".

5. What was the jump plane in the skydiving-oriented series Ripcord?

DC-3
No, it was a single.
 
Pilawt said:
Partially right. They were a mixed bag of '64 Cherokees, including 235's and Cherokee 'B's, and maybe even a 140 (not sure about that one, though).

More dribble trivia on that: Their airspeed was measured in KPH, not knots or mph. (I think the number was 220 which works out to about 115kts)
 
Great stuff;

Paul Mantz flew the Beech through the bill board in "Its a Mad Mad Mad World" it was a real nice H model I do believe. Please correct me if I am wrong.

John
 
John, I seem to remember it was an older one, without the raised cabin roof. I have the movie here on VHS, so I'll try to look for it and let you know.

*edit* John, it's a D18S in Mad, Mad World -- low cabin, rounded wingtips. Click here for some photos of the Twin Beech scenes, with Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, Jim Backus, and the billboard.

BTW, below is a photo from an old Beech brochure, of Bob Cummings in his Twin Beech (that gives away the answer to #4!).

Just to finish off this thread: Sky King's nephew "Clipper" flew a Cessna 170; and the skydivers in the Ripcord series jumped out of a Cessna 182E.

-- Pilawt
 
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Steve said:
"The NEW Bob Cummings Show" did feature a Molt Taylor Aerocar in the 1960's.
I did not know that! Thanks for the info. I'd love to see some of that footage. There is a nice Aerocar on display at the Museum of Flight at KBFI. Longview, Washington, Molt Taylor's home base, is just 40 miles up the interstate from us here.
Also, what "famous" actor/singer starred on Ripcord and another rather well know tv series?
Ooohhh ... I can remember the craggy face of one of the actors, and somehow I want to say his name was Ken something, but I'm probably wrong. [**edit: was it Ken Curtis?**] I can remember important stuff, though, like the 182's registration: N3220Y. Can you give us another hint about the singer?

-- Pilawt
 
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Before he "jumped" into his acting career he sang with "The Sons of the Pioneers", the same group Roy Rogers performed with for a few years before their movie, and later tv, careers took hold.

And yes, his first (stage) name was Ken. He passed away in 1991.

Pilawt said:
Ooohhh ... I can remember the craggy face of one of the actors, and somehow I want to say his name was Ken something, but I'm probably wrong. I can remember important stuff, though, like the 182's registration: N3220Y. Can you give us another hint about the singer?

-- Pilawt
 
Randy Sparks, founder of The New Christy Minstrels (I'm listening to NCM's brand new Christmas CD as I type this), is a friend. He reveres SOTP, and credits them with revolutionary innovations in Western music.
 
I was lucky as a kid to see Curtis as a headliner for the Dixie National Rodeo. The then current edition of the Sons of the Pioneers was his backup band. The genre of Western swing & ballads owes its uniqueness and popularity to them them and Bob Wills, imho.


Pilawt said:
Randy Sparks, founder of The New Christy Minstrels (I'm listening to NCM's brand new Christmas CD as I type this), is a friend. He reveres SOTP, and credits them with revolutionary innovations in Western music.
 
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