Tallmantz Aviation Guestbook

Submitted by
Name: John Hinn
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
Call me 805 5019871 and Ill provide a box of photos of the Tortoise and the Hair race... thanks John Hinn

News clips et al

Added: 25-Feb-18

Submitted by
Name: Gary J McMillen
From: "Seattle,Wa"
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
Flying expirmental aircraft with older pilots is very risky.
Is filming it worth it?
I had a close call years ago when I asked 84 year old test pilot
Clayton Scott to takeoff and fly a Boeing B&W float plane.
During the first day of filming Clayton had trouble taking off.
When Clayton pulled up to the dock to discuss he saved the B&W from
sinking! Clayton was talking to me about the next shot when like a cat he jumped on the front of the aircraft and kept it from slipping back into the lake!
It turned out that when the aircraft was moved from a exhibit a jitney
had punched a hole in one of the floats and was not completely
repaired .
We fixed the plug.
I remembered how I almost canceled that shoot the night before
because of the risks and Clayton's age!
Now we have the footage of a Boeing B&W that will never fly again
For Future Generations!

Added: 9-Apr-17

Submitted by
Name: Stanley Winchester
From: Tehachapi California
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
I new Frank and pual. My dad flew alright of there aircraft. Great memories. From Stanley Winchester

Added: 27-Dec-16

Submitted by
Name: Paul Blackburn
From: "Phoenix, Arizona"
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
"I just watched a Get Smart episode from way back when, and they had two of the most beautiful WW I aircraft flying in it (the "Snoopy and the Red Baron" episode). On the final credits it listed Tallmantz Aviation, which I then searched. Extremely interesting history of aviation, particularly of aviation in cinema. Wish I had more information, but it will serve as a jump-off point for future research."

Added: 26-Oct-16

Submitted by
Name: Danny Kilcoyne
From: "Julian, CA"
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
"Born in 1966 at Santa Ana hospital. Sometime before six, I became convinced rocket in front of Movieland of the Air belonged to my Dad. We'd be passing by it regularly. At night it was illuminated enough to see in the distance. Never hesitated to tell whoever would listen "that's my Dad's rocket." Very hard one night to hear my Mom explain the rocket didn't belong to Dad - he had only played along so as to not hurt my feelings. By the end of the car ride I felt a little more grown up. I remember visiting museum and being enamored with all those flying machines. My Dad, cousin, and me, took a biplane ride - we sat in front - the pilot behind. Seemed odd. The pilot yelled for my Dad to stop stepping on the front rudder pedals. Banked turns meant a sideways look seemed aimed straight downward. We could see the ocean and a harbor in the distance (Newport?). Fond memories of childhood. Anyone know what year biplane rides stopped? Anyone know what plane we rode in?"

Added: 12-Jul-16

Submitted by
Name: Stan Burg
From: "Buffalo Grove, Illinois"
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
"I visited the Museum on January 16, 1965 according to the note on the back of the photo I came across. It shows me sitting in one of the WWI biplanes on display at the time. I don't know what model it was. The most memorable part of the visit is that they would take you up for 15 minutes in an open cockpit biplane and you wore the traditional aviator's leather head covering with the large goggles. The cost was based on your weight at x cents per pound. Can't remember what the X was but it couldn't have been much because I didn't have much money at that time. It's too bad I can't send a copy of the photo. I have flown through John Wayne Apt many times but I never knew what happened to the Museum until that photo prompted my looking it up."

Added: 4-Jun-16

Submitted by
Name: Dan Lawler
From: Arizona
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
Regarding: "the possibility that the blood alcohol level could have increased post-mortem under the likely conditions that prevailed for the day of the accident."

In 1971 my brother was killed in a sailplane. I was with him both the evening before and again that morning before his takeoff. He had had nothing whatever to drink in at least 18 hours. He showed no sign whatever of any alcohol impairment.

Nevertheless the post-mortem examination showed a blood-alcohol content. His body had remained at the crash site about 24 hours in Arizona summer temperatures. It does happen.

Added: 11-Oct-15

Submitted by
Name: Martha Siemieniewicz
From: Orange Calif.
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
"My father worked for Paul Mantz, Frank Tallman , Marty, Carol Wright, Frank Pine, amd scores of others making many movies. Also did boraid drops over many forest fires including one huge fire in South America, Venesula to be exact. Many wonderful memories.58687"

Added: 17-Sep-15

Submitted by
Name: Walter Case
From: "Orlando, Florida"
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
"Thanks to the many pictures here, I had a model made of N1203 "The Smasher" last year. It was not cheap but it has an 18" wingspan and even includes the Cinerama map on both sides."

Added: 5-Jun-15

Submitted by
Name: Joe Coyle
From: "San Diego, CA"
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
"I was a skydiver at the old Lakeside drop zone east of San Diego in the late '60s. Our venerable jump pilot was a chap named Jenner Knight. He attended college and flew Beeches for Imperial Airways during the week and flew a dilapidated Cessna 185 for us on the weekends. With no military background, his dream was to get into the bigs, but he lacked sufficient heavy time. Enter Frank Tallman. He interviewed Jenner and contracted him to fly a B-25 in Guymas for the movie. When Jenner returned, PSA snagged him and we lost the best jump pilot ever."

Added: 29-Apr-15