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PUBLISHED: Sept. 19, 2000

Flying boat captures imaginations of young, old

By NATHALIE ORAVETZ
Of the News-Register

About 5,000 people came to watch the Spruce Goose cross the road.

Most came to be a part of a historic moment. Some came to satisfy their curiosity, having heard rumblings about the move for months. One man came because he'd witnessed the giant seaplane's first and only flights in 1947 and wanted to get another look.

Royce Calvyn Dyer, who goes by R.C., displayed a wide grin as he sat atop a hill watching the slow procession of wings, tail pieces and fuselage inch across Highway 18 on trucks Saturday morning.

The first time Dyer saw the Spruce Goose, it was hovering over Long Beach Harbor in Southern California with the infamous Howard Hughes at the controls. He got a chill when he saw the enormous wooden plane lift off.

Dyer caught the historic moment on Nov. 2, 1947, after hearing through the grapevine that Hughes was planning an engine test that day.

Hughes wasn't supposed to lift off, only taxi around the harbor on the water, but surprised onlookers by taking the plane up for 70 seconds of airborne glory.

"I went on down and there it was!" Dyer said, his eyes widening to match the smile on his lips as he recalled the day. "My son was 3 years, 9 months and a few days old, but he was there, too. I told him, 'If you want one, I'll have Mr. Hughes build you one.'"

He laughed at the memory. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing," he said.

Seven-year-old Mitchell Ellingson, youngest charter member of the Captain Michael King Smith Evergreen Aviation Educational Institute, listened intently as Dyer told him: "I was there that day. This is right from the horse's mouth. I saw it."

Ellingson has developed a passion for the Spruce Goose that belies his years. Already, he can recite an impressive array of facts and figures on the plane.

"It is the biggest plane ever flown in the world," Ellingson said. "It just makes me feel good."

His grandmother, Cherie, admires his love of the historic plane.

"Mitchell doesn't miss anything at all when it comes to the Spruce Goose," she said. "He knows everything about it."

Cherie Ellingson got him a membership when he was only 8 months old. She shared his enthusiasm over the Goose's move Saturday.

"To have it so close to McMinnville - wow, we're really lucky," she said. "We spend a lot of time talking about this airplane."

Mitchell Ellingson was one of many youngsters aware of the Spruce Goose's impact on the aviation industry.

Greg Macy, 12, described himself as a "big time" aviation enthusiast whose specialty is the aircraft of World War II.

"This is the first time I've ever seen it up close," he said of the massive plane. "It's so huge. I've read books about seaplanes, but I never thought it would be this big. I'm really happy to be here to see this."

He is familiar with the history of the Goose and has formed some opinions of his own about it.

"When World War II was over, there was a congressional investigation. Hughes flew it for a minute or so. I think maybe if they kept it going, they could've used it as an airline."

Saturday's move provided others with a chance to share their knowledge of the plane as well as recall previous experiences.

L.D. "Corky" Corkran came all the way from Fairbanks, Alaska, to watch the move. "The last time I saw this move, it was on Paramount news in 1947 on a newsreel," Corkran said.

A museum member, he was already planning to come down to Seattle for a Seahawks game when he got word of the move. He decided to stretch his trip on down to McMinnville.

"I feel real fortunate," Corkran said, "because two years ago, I got a privately conducted tour of the aircraft. I got to sit in the seat that Howard Hughes occupied. I wore a felt hat, which was his traditional garb. I had 24,000 horsepower at my fingertips."

The majority of those who came to take a gander at the Spruce Goose did not have such passion or such memories.

They were, however, interested in participating in a historic moment of national importance occurring in their hometown.

Many shared the sentiments of Tom Babb, who said, "We're here because this is a national event. It's right here in our backyard. Why miss it?"

Juanita Axtell likes to photograph historic moments. Gene Schmidt likes to satisfy his curiosity.

"I guess I'm just inquisitive," Schmidt said. "I like to know what's going on."

Gary Gislason drove over from said with friend William Jones.

"I've heard about it and read about it," Gislason said. "It's unbelievable that it's actually flown. This is the world's biggest seaplane. How could we pass up such a historic moment?"

Jones added, "He said it was a big airplane, and he didn't exaggerate."

Jacques Drouet came down from Gladstone to shoot pictures for Easy Rider, a motorcycle magazine. He is doing a free-lance story on the move.

Former McMinnville resident Jim Thompsen came from Portland to catch the spectacle.

"I came to see this huge thing," he said. "It's the most bizarre thing I've ever heard of in the town of McMinnville - well, maybe other than it's the wine capitol of Oregon, or something like that. When I lived here, they wouldn't let 'em play cards at Linfield College."

George Thyden drove up from Mesa, Ariz., to visit family and catch the move.

Also a museum member, he got to watch the Goose's move from its original quarters at Hughes Aviation Co. to its subsequent display quarters on Long Beach Harbor many years ago.

He said the plane was broken down into the same pieces, but the equipment used this time was "so much more modern." For him, he said, "It's kind of a deja vu."

Don and Evelyn Thiessen toured the plane when it was on display in Long Beach, but Don Thiessen said: "We've never seen it apart like this. This is an exciting day. It's a good day for McMinnville, and it looks like a lot of people feel the same way."

He perused the huge museum being built to house the plane and said, "I'm really pleased Mr. Smith is doing this. It's a real asset to McMinnville."

The Vineyard Suites motel, nearest to the site, was fully booked the night before the move. It's register listed guests from Canada, Virginia, Oklahoma, Nevada, California and Illinois.

Many said they were eager to come back when the plane is reassembled and put back on display.

R.C. Dyer put his arm around young Mitchell Ellingson and gazed across the street as the last of the Spruce Goose pieces made its way toward its new home.

"There's a lot of history here, son," the older enthusiast said. "It's a nice period of reminiscing."