How the Spruce Goose was Moved to Oregon

My dear friend Bob Dutton who died in 2005 is in this video @17:57 on the far right carrying the propeller. I haven't seen him in so long, and the last time I saw him he was so sick before he died. This was quite a shock seeing that face! RIP my friend!

man, the quality of this video, it should definitely be played on loop in the museum. i havent been to the evergreen museum in ages and now i want to go so badly

In 2006 the Oregon Air Guard had a "Dining Out" at the museum. They had a Glen Miller style swing band that played until midnight while hundreds of members of the Oregon Air Guard and their spouses ate and danced under the tail of the Spruce Goose. Many of the members there toasted Michael Smith, their friend and comrade in arms.

My wife and I were staying in a beautiful campground along the Oregon coast. In a spur of the moment conversation , a fellow camper mentioned that they had just got back from visiting the Spruce Goose. Although seeing this magnificent airplane was on my bucket list, I somehow forgot that it was in Oregon, and in fact , only a hundred miles from where we were staying. The next day , I fulfilled my bucket list item and spent a wonderful afternoon with this amazing piece of aviation history. All this from a chance conversation with a complete stranger. if you haven't gone, you have to give it your best effort to do so,

I was living aboard my sailboat in the downtown marina in Long Beach which was next to the Queen Mary and the dome housing the Spruce Goose when I went to see Howard Hugh’s creation. I was like everyone else awestruck at the size of the plane but it wasn’t till I was on the platform outside the plane looking in through the cockpit windows and saw the life size figure of Howard at the controls that it really struck me. How small and insignificant he looked against this gigantic backdrop and to think that those two small hands and 10 fingers were in control of this monster of a plane was amazing. It was truly sad how a genius like him wound up in his later years.

I retire in a year and my wife and I have added this to our list of must see's in our travels once retired. I think of all the hard work the folks who built this incredible plane had in its construction and care throughout the years, to have it still in a place where it can be appreciated is so great. may all the powers of wonderment keep folks visiting so this historical plane will be available for many more years....we will see you soon

The most magnificent aircraft I've ever stood next to. I was a kid when this made its trip through Oregon. I lived in Portland and had the opportunity to see this happen.

I was fortune to get a chance to visit the museum, I was delivering a load of groceries locally and my boss suggested I take the time to visit the spruce goose, I planned on spending 20-30 minutes there, 3 hrs later I finally left, it's a amazing plane and the access granted is spectacular, I encourage anyone to go, you will be very impressed, PS yes I had a very cool boss he even paid me for the time I spent admiring the plane and museum 👍

What an absolutely heartwarming story of a fathers love for his son.

I was one of the lead mechanics on the disassembly crew back in 92. Great video and a good general overview. Stand Soderberg was a great guy and had a lot of stories from 1947 to the present day. My prize possession is a picture of the Goose signed by Mr. David Grant the copilot on the flight. He was kind enough to sit down with me one day and give me the full account of the flight with Mr. Hughes. FYI...the Evergreen guys took the props and engines off and we did the rest.

When I was 7 years old, my dad brought me down to Mcminnville to watch them drive the hull over to the museum grounds. Absolutely unforgettable memory! I've been in the museum 5 times and just brought my 6 year old son to see it.😁😁😁.

The evergreen museum is amazing. Don't miss the chance to sit in the the pilot seat of the spruce goose.

All I know about the museum there- My husband, having been in the Korean war and Viet Nam, visited there with me. He was a recipient of the Distinguished flying cross and had over a year of flying time in the Air Force. He was very emotional while visiting the museum. Thank you to those whose effort made the museum possible.

We live just down the hwy. from the Evergreen Museum. This really helped fill in the blanks for me since I was not able to follow the details if the plane's journey from California. I was busy with our 2 young children and we did not have TV at this time. But I will always remember the day that the Spruce Goose crossed Hwy. 18 to its new home. Our children were part of the "Gosling Crew" that followed it across on foot. They were too young to understand, but I was so happy that they had the chance to participate in this little piece of history. We still have the little, yellow shirts they wore.

My first apartment in 1990 was on Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA. I could see the Queen Mary and The dome that house the Spruce Goose from my 3rd floor windows. I was there when Disney bailed and the Spruce Goose was moved. I remember the impact of the community of Long Beach after. The redevelopment of that area with the current aquarium. I’m know in my 50’s and live in SW Washington. It has been on my list for the 20 years I have lived here to find out what became of the Spruce Goose. This film has definitely put the Evergreen Museum on my winter plans. Thank you for such a well researched film. Like everyone else, I did not realize how much that plane meant to my circumstances until I watched this.

I worked at Evergreen International as a contract maintenance mechanic from 1997 until 2012 at JFK airport alongside with their maintenance team. I’ve never worked with a more dedicated and experienced team and this story is an excellent reminder of that. We were mostly all ex Pan Am employees who grew up with the Queen of the sky 747-100/200 and 400’s . Hopefully one day I can venture out to McMinnville and see that beauty in person . Thanks for that glimpse of a giant😉

Hughes was a remarkable man. Gifted, talented, and an Icon of the 20th century!

How has this channel not blown up yet?!?

It’s one of my bucket list items. One of these days will be able to go from very close to Long Beach to do the same trip this majestic plane did. Thanks for the documentary. And thanks to all the volunteers that made it happen.

I was a crew member on John Wayne’s yacht, the Wild Goose, in 1980. My last charter on board was when the Spruce Goose was towed out of the hanger after all those years. We had many local celebrities and dignitaries on board for the occasion. I was at the controls of one of the boat’s runabouts or shore boats with some guests to get a closer view of the plane as an aircraft took a picture that was made into a postcard. So I’m there with the Wild Goose, the Spruce Goose, and my boat. Kinda cool! Once it was open for viewing next to the Queen Mary, I got a chance to see the inside of the enormous plane. Great documentary of the various owners and of the massive undertaking to move the Spruce Goose to Oregon, where I now reside. I haven’t been to the museum yet, but I’m sure I will to complete my brief history with the aircraft.