January 15, 1968 and "1000 Plane Raid"

[aerovin2]

Monday, January 15, 1968: it was a bright winter morning at the Maude B. Davis middle school in Costa Mesa, an Orange County town located just inland of Newport Beach. That day, the warm Santa Ana winds brought a north breeze, brilliantly clear skies, and temperatures in the 70s. A fine winter day along the O.C. (brother, nobody ever ever called it that!)

I was a thirteen year old kid in eighth grade. I held a growing fascination for old surplus military airplanes (not called warbirds back then) and, in particular, the B-17. My B-17 fetish had been fed by the TV series "12 O'Clock High" and I built models and devoured books about the fabled Flying Fortress. I had never seen one fly, nor did I expect to any time soon. Flying B-17s in 1968 were relegated to fire bombing and ant spraying.

Well, this day sticks in my mind because I remember standing on the school's blacktop area, probably between classes or going to lunch. I heard a low rumble off to the northeast. My unpracticed eyes scanned the horizon, broken by the moutains we called Saddleback that rose above the MCAS at El Toro. Soon I could make out source of the low rumble, it being a large four engined airplane heading directly toward me at an altitude that couldn't have been more than 1,000 feet above ground level. At first I thought it was a DC-4...what else could it be? As it grew nearer, though, I recognized it as a B-17. It still flew directly toward me and my little world, and I then could make out that this B-17 was in full camouflage colors, with turrets and guns and colorful nose art. Just before it reached me it began a gradual turn towards the south, giving me an even more dramatic view of the Fortress as it roared past. I continued to watch as it flew a downwind pattern for landing at nearby Orange County Airport, lining up for a landing on Runway 01 Left. It then disappeared from view.

I couldn't believe it, that a beautiful B-17 had just flown by. Looking around me, it was as if nobody else around me had even noticed. There may have been an few upturned faces, but I hadn't seen any. Well, the B-17 did not return, and I had to go on to class. A short while later, though, I heard it again as it flew the same pattern. It was all I could do not to jump up and run outside, but that was something a junior high school student did not do in 1968.

In the early evening, though, our afternoon newspaper (the Orange Coast Daily Pilot) had a feature story on the front page about the B-17 and its flights over the area. It seems Tallmantz Aviation was about to use the B-17 in the filming of a movie, and that it had already left for Santa Maria. There was a big photograph of the B-17 with Frank Tallman ducking under the wing, under bold nose art "Balls of Fire" scribed across the nose.

In the subsequent years, I would see that B-17 often at the Movieland of the Air Museum at Orange County Airport, but if it flew again, I missed it. The paint faded, it largely sat until 1972 when it was rejuvinated and sold to Jr. Burchinal, who flew it off to Texas. That airplane, 44-83525 (N83525) is now with the Kermit Weeks collection.

It was years later, in 1980, when I was doing an interview with the general manager of Tallmantz Aviation, Frank Pine. Frank was a big man, very crusty, hard of hearing, and with the kind of wrinkles around the eyes that come from thousands of hours of airborne squinting. As gruff as he was, Frank was very helpful to me and my efforts to write a story about Tallmantz. I probably interviewed him for six hours over the span of a week or two. I asked him about that day in 1968 when I saw the B-17 fly. He told me that he recalled the day very well, for both he and fellow Tallmantz pilot Jim Appleby were getting FAA checkrides in the B-17. Appleby had magnifcently scrambled to get the B-17 pulled together at Davis-Monthan AFB during prior weeks. He had flown it to Orange County on Friday where, over the weekend, a Tallmantz crew applied a paint job, added the cosmetic turrets and guns, and had it ready for the Monday morning session with the FAA. That afternoon, Appleby had flown the B-17 and Pine had flown a B-25 cameraship (N1203) up to Santa Maria to be used in the filming efforts of "1000 Plane Raid" with two other B-17s (N17W and N3713G).

Just a small little story.

[Greg Vallero]

I saw a still photo from that movie where the wingtip was so low it fooked like you could jump over it. I'd forgotten about that movie. I'll try and find it on ebay. PS got a call from a B-25 rebuilder at CNO on Labor Day regarding the sale of a '25 I was pretty familiar with. I think you (ST)might remember the plane I'm referring to. I'll post when I get more info. Greg

[RavenPine]

My name is Chris Pine and it's complete coincidence that brings me here today. I worked at the museum hangar in SNA from 1991 through 1998 for what is now Newport Jet Center. I never knew that there was a Frank Pine (Pine is not a very popular last name) or that he managed Tallmantz, the property I worked out of. I would like to find out if there's any relation, as that would be astounding to me. If anyone could offer any help, that would be very much appreciated; more info about Frank Pine, etc. Thanks!

[aerovin2]

I'm sorry I don't know more about Frank's background other than he flew with Paul Mantz beginning in the mid or late 1950s and he at one point had an aviation outfit at Chino. He passed away in September 1984. His siblings were Walter, Donald, Edward, Luan, and Lillian, and I think his family grew up in the Chino area. His widow, Martha Pine, who is Frank Tallman's widow's sister, both live in the Rancho Mirage area of Southern California and might be available to provide some additional information. You might try a "people search" on her and maybe write her a letter for some background on him. Interesting guy.