B-25H N1203
The well-known Mantz B-25H, N1203, was folded into the Tallmantz fleet in 1961 as the two companies merged. The paint scheme shown was similar for both Tallmantz camerships and was modified from the earlier standard Mantz scheme that featured red nacelles as well as the red rudder and wing-tips. The large world maps painted on each side of the fuselage below the cockpit was a feature that stayed as it became a Tallmantz airplane. Note that the distinctive camera nose retained vestiges of the original greenhouse nose of a standard B-25; it was indeed a heavily modified standard nose section featuring the optically-clear cylindrical section of glass. (Charles M. Daniels Collection Photo via San Diego Air and Space Museum)
B-25N N9451Z
In August 1971, Tallmantz purchased ex Catch-22 B-25N N9451Z from Filmways to replace old venerable Mantz B-25H, N1203, which was getting a bit long on the tooth. It went through a complete overhaul, gained the Cinerama camera nose from N1203, and emerged from the shop in shiny new Tallmantz colors. This view shows the airplane in January 1980 on the ramp at Orange County. (Scott Thompson)
A-26C N4815E
If there ever was an airplane that was moving along at 300 knots while parked on the ramp, it was the Douglas A-26 and the Tallmantz camera nose just adds to the effect. Great attack bomber; not so great camera ship. Tallmantz obtained A-26C N4815E to appease Douglas Aircraft at nearby Long Beach, a big customer for air-to-air photography of newly built DC-8s and DC-9s. Unfortunately, the only workable camera position on the Invader was from this camera nose, but most of the air-to-air filming was done from the tail position. Thus, it looked good on the ramp but most of the film work went to the two Tallmantz B-25s. N4815E pretty much languished in disuse on the Tallmantz ramp through the 1960s and 1970s, though it was employed on several special projects. It is seen here on the Aerosport ramp at Chino in May 1967. It was finally sold by Tallman in 1977 to Al Redick for just a bit more than $9,000. (Yes, indeed, times have changed.) The airplane dropped off the radar screen shortly afterwards, but its civil registration was only recently cancelled. (JD Davis photo)
Bleriot N6683C
Another Bill Larkins photo showing the replica Tallmantz Bleriot IX, N6683C, at an Oakland airshow in 1962. This replica was built at Alberta, Canada, in 1953 and was purchased by Frank Tallman in September 1959. (William T. Larkins)
Lockheed Vega N965Y
The old Paul Mantz Lockheed Vega taking off at the Oakland airshow in 1962. As can be seen, the airplane had its paint scheme changed to one from Continental Airlines by 1965. (William T. Larkins)
YF-107A 55-5118
North American YF-107A 55-5118 was displayed for several years as part of the Tallmantz non-profit International Flight and Space Museum. This view shows the airplane in 1966. The YF-107A was marked as 55-5120. One source documents that that single-piece, all moving vertical fin from the third (of three) YF-107As, 55-5120, was installed on 55-5118 when the former was scrapped circa 1959. F-107 expert William Simone documents, however, that the faint remains of the painted serial of 55-5118 was noted under the painted 55-5120 on the vertical fin, so it remains a bit of a mystery as to why the incorrect tail number was depicted on 55-5118. In any event, 55-5118 was stored at Norton AFB with a number of other cast-off USAF aircraft until it was placed with the International Flight and Space Museum, where it slowly went derelict at that neglected museum. In 1972, this aircraft was recovered from the remains of the museum by Simone, who had to fight a bit with the Air Force Museum bureaucracy, which desired the airframe to be scrapped. After all was said and done, this airplane is now beautifully displayed at the Pima Air and Space Museum and the other survivor (55-5119) is at the National Museum of the USAF. (photo by Phil Juvet)
Garland Lincoln N12237
A photo by Bill Larkins of the Garland Lincoln LF1 Nieuport 28 replica, N12237, that Tallmantz Aviation brought to a show at Oakland, California, in 1962. It was originally built by Claude Flagg for movie pilot Garland Lincoln in 1936. Frank Tallman purchased the airplane in 1956 and it came with him when he moved from Illinois and set up shop at the FlaBob airport near Riverside. It then joined the Tallmantz collection in 1961. (William T. Larkins)
Garland Lincoln N12237
Garland Lincoln LF-1 N12237 on the Tallmantz line in 1963. Tallman brought it into the Tallmantz collection. In 1974, it was slated for use in the filming of The Great Waldo Pepper and, while being flown by Tallmantz pilot Frank Pine on January 15, 1974, suffered a landing accident on location near Piru, California. Pine was slightly injured and the wreckage of the LF1 was eventually sold to Kip Mone, one of the earlier owners of the airplane. It is now owned by his son, Brent Mone, and reportedly under a slow restoration at Santa Rosa, California. (J.D. Davis)
Nieuport N4728V
Nieuport N4728V as seen on the Tallmantz line in 1963. It had come into the Tallmantz collection with Paul Mantz who had long owned the airplane. The Nieuport was sold at the May 1968 auction for the princely sum of $14,500 to race car driver Jim Hall. (Phil Juvet)
Garland Lincoln N12237
Frank Tallman experienced a crash in this replica Nieuport 28 on January 21, 1974, when he hit a power line near Newhall, California, while the aircraft was being ferried for the filming of The Great Waldo Pepper. The airplane was not repaired but placed on display at the museum in a crash setting. According to the NTSB brief, this was a Pawkett-Nieuport 28 replica with the civil registration of N2SR. According to a Tallman account, this aircraft was hurriedly leased by Tallman for the filming after the Tallmantz Garland LF1 crash-landed on January 15, 1974, with Frank Pine at the controls. Tallman arranged for the replacement replica and was flying it from Orange County to the Indian Dunes airstrip when a rudder pedal broke and the airplane dove out of control, hit some power lines, and dropped to the ground. Tallman suffered moderate injuries in the accident that kept him off the film for three weeks. The NTSB noted that the pedal structure was built from 0.025″ tubing while the aircraft plans had called for 0.049″ tubing. Not having much success with getting a Nieuport (replica) into the film, a Thomas-Morse S-4B (N38923) replica was ultimately used for the film sequence. (Craig Covner)
Stinson L-1
The old Mantz Stinson on the Tallmantz line in 1964. Countless films were shot from this airplane as the aft open fuselage offered unhindered camera shots and the Stinson could fly at a slow speed for filming needs.
Stinson L-1
Stinson L-1 on floats as it appeared in the 1970 Disney movie The Boatniks filmed largely in nearby Newport Harbor. It hasn’t been determined why the civil registration was modified to appear to begin with an “X” but it may have been just a ‘movie thing.’ Frank Pine reportedly flew the Stinson for the film. (J.D. Davis)
B-17G N83525
Tallmantz B-17G 44-83525 seen on the Tallmantz ramp in September 1968. This airplane was on loan from the USAF beginning in 1967 and its primary use by Tallmantz was participation in the January 1968 filming of The Thousand Plane Raid, with the film markings of Balls of Fire as seen here. The airplane subsequently flew a few times, but was grounded after a wing fire damaged structure in the right wing. Tallman gained title in a trade with the USAF, the wing damage was repaired, and then it was sold to Jr. Burchinal in 1972. It ended up with Kermit Weeks’ collection and remains, unfortunately, in long term, possibly permanent, disassembled storage in Florida. (JD Davis photo)
Vampire N6878D
Tallmantz Vampire N6878D in what is believed to be movie markings but the actual movie this airplane may have appeared in is unknown. Seen at Orange County in July 1963. (JD Davis photo)
Vampire N6878D
Another view of the golden Vampire. This airplane went to Rosen Novak in February 1966 (with a good part of the Tallmantz collection) and was sold at the May 1968 auction, fetching a cool $1,100. Nearly 50 years later, it was once owned by actor John Travolta, and was later owned by Wings of Flight at Batavia, New York. It suffered a landing accident in June 2009 and was badly damaged. Its civil registration was cancelled in 2014 and it now reportedly is in storage in Ontario, Canada. (JD Davis photo)
J2F-6 N67790
Today, it remains a bit obscure but Frank Tallman and Frank Pine did the flying for the film Murphy’s War in early 1970. Tallman obtained this J2F-6 Duck, N67790, in a trade with Jr. Burchinal and used it and another J2F-6, N1196N, for the filming at Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. Upon return, N67790 quickly received this new paint scheme and Tallman began flying an aerobatic routine at airshows with the airplane, one that had to be seen to be believed. Here they are at one of the first such displays, at the Cable Airport in November 1970. (JD Davis photo)
Fokker D.VII N4729V
1963 view of Tallmantz Fokker D.VII N4729V. This airplane was one of a group of WW I German aircraft brought to the U.S. for evaluation in 1918. It went to Paul Mantz in 1941, and was a well used staple with Mantz. In the five years it was held by Tallmantz, no movie or TV projects have been identified where the aircraft was used. (JD Davis photo)
Fokker D.VII N4729V
Fokker D.VII N4729V went from Tallmantz to Rosen-Novak in 1966 and the, in the 1968 auction, it was sold to the Aeroflex Foundation for $20,000. It was added to the private collection in New Jersey, and then was passed to the Wings and Wheels Museum in Orlando, Florida, in 1970. After that museum closed, it was auctioned in December 1981 to the Fokker company in The Netherlands for $45,000. Over the following years it was restored to resemble a Fokker D.VII as operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force in the immediate post-World War I period. It is placed on static display at the National Military Museum at Soesterberg, The Netherlands, in June 1988, where it is seen here on display. (euro-t-guide.com photo)
Standard
Standard J-1 on the Tallmantz ramp in 1963. This airplane was obtained by Mantz around 1955, and was featured in the filming of It’s a Mad Mad World, in the fall of 1962. It went to Rosen-Novak and then, in the 1968 auction, to the Larsen Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1978 it went to the San Diego Air and Space Museum, where it remains on display. (JD Davis photo)
Spad VII N4727V
Spad VII at Orange County in June 1961, marked in the scheme of Eddie Rickenbacker’s Spad XIII. This airplane came into the Tallmantz collection from Frank Tallman, and then went to Rosen-Novak in 1966. In the 1968 auction, it was sold to the Aeroflex Foundation, and then was auctioned again in 1981 and was sold to a member of the Bleriot family. It was part of the Imperial War Museum collection at Duxford in the United Kingdom, but has reportedly now with a French collector. (JD Davis photo)
Spad VII N4727V
Another June 1961 view of the Spad VII on the Tallmantz ramp, with Mantz B-25H camera ship N1203 in the background. When this photo was taken, the Mantz and Tallman merger had not been finalized. (JD Davis photo)
Pfalz D.XII N43C
Pfalz D.XII N43C at Orange County in June 1962 in outdoor storage. Acquired by Frank Tallman in 1956 from the Jarrett War Collection, it was rebuilt between 1956 and 1959 by Bob Rust. It became part of the Tallmantz collection after 1961. It was not known to have been used in any motion picture projects by Tallman or Tallmantz, but was flown in several airshow displays. It was sold to Rosen Novak in 1966, and was sold in the 1968 auction to the Aeroflex Foundation for $16,000. It joined a private collection at Andover, New Jersey. It then was displayed and the Wings and Wheels Museum in Florida before being sold sold to Windward Aviation, Doug Champlin’s company, in 1981. It was then displayed at the Champlin Fighter Museum at Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona. That collection, including the Pfalz, was sold in 2000 to the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field. It is currently displayed at the museum. The airplane remains active on the FAA registry, still showing owned by Windward Aviation with the Museum of Flight’s address. (JD Davis photo)
Pfalz D.XII N43C
Tallman’s Pfalz X.II, N43C, as displayed at Seattle’s Museum of Flight. After Champlin obtained the Pfalz in 1981, it was rebuilt with the help of noted ex-Tallman pilot and curator Jim Appleby, and finished in an accurate World War I scheme and markings. This aircraft is carried by the FAA as a Tallman-Phalz D-12, serial number 1, in the legal way it was restored to flying condition in 1959. It is believed that the actual German serial of this aircraft is 1511/18. (Museum of Flight photo)
