While digging through online photo archives, I found this shot from June 7, 1965 of a PBY at Long Beach, CA being used for a rescue drill. Check out the extreme left of the picture:
(Source: CSUDH Archives)
That's the wing, boom and landing gear of C-82 N53228 propped up. There's no fuselage, so the rest of it must have been in use for The Flight of the Phoenix at that time.
'Fairchild C-82 packet : the military and civil history' / Simon D Beck ...page 200
C-82A Packet N53228 .. "Fuselage leased to 20th Century Fox for 'Flight of the phoenix' (1965) for indoor studio scenes.
Placed back in open storage Long Beach Airport 1965.
Likely scrapped 1970-71".
From David Legg at the WIX site is the tie in of the PBY to Tallmantz:
Hi Scott - this is what I have from FAA files ....
....to Carstedt Research Corporation Inc, Long Beach, CA 05May64; reported as a stripped and derelict hulk at Steward-Davis Inc, Long Beach, CA by 1967; to Tallmantz Aviation Inc, Santa Ana, CA 06May71 quoting reg N68623 but no CofR issued; to Steelyard Blues Productions Inc, Hollywood, CA 10May71 and used in filming of Steelyard Blues; letter from Warner Bros, Burbank, CA to FAA confirming aircraft totally destroyed in filming and no CofR required; canx from USCAR as “Dismantled or salvaged” 29Mar75.
In the lead photo to this thread, no registration is visible but I have a slightly later photo where the registration N68623 has been roughly daubed on the hull just aft of the rear wing lift strut and forward of the rear access hatch. It's certainly the same aircraft
Hope that helps a little.
I think it safe to presume Tallmantz was contacted by the film makers to find a PBY. Tallmantz did and owned it for four days. Not much of a connection but a little tidbit to throw in the soup. According to another site (http://www.impdb.org/index.php?title=Steelyard_Blues ), an unidentified PBY from Sis-Q at Santa Rosa was also used in the film, presumably for the operational scenes. The LGB PBY was probably dismantled and cut up for the studio use, but more information will no doubt surface about the Santa Rosa PBY and whether it actually was the LGB PBY.
Scott Thompson
Aero Vintage Books
http://www.aerovintage.com
And I will also add that Simon Beck is the known expert on the first Flight of the Phoenix, at least in my book. And the C-82 also, thus how they all come together.
Scott Thompson
Aero Vintage Books
http://www.aerovintage.com