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!

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.

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

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 👍

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,

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.

Man, you've got to be the true hidden gem of YouTube. 13k subscribers only? I'd put your content up against any of the big ones like Wendover, RealLifeLore, etc. Keep it up. Being born and raised in the Portland area, Wilsonville more specifically, your content is fascinating. I'm frankly surprised local media hasn't picked you up.

I’m actually sorry to see it moved to Oregon. In the late 80’s I took my wife and son on a long weekend vacation trip to Long Beach. I wanted our son to see the Spruce Goose. I had grown up in Navy Aviation due to my Career Navy Officer Dad. For 27 years he maintained the Navy’s aircraft. From the War in the Pacific to Korea to the Cold War to a Carrier off the coast of Cuba during the Missile Crisis. After retirement, he built F-4s and F-15s at McDonnell Douglas. I wanted my son to love Aviation as much as my Dad and I did. It was a fantastic trip. Spent a few nights on the Queen Mary. And visited the Spruce Goose. My son loved it. My life long plan eventually worked. He grew up wanting “to build rocket ships and airplanes” just like my Dad. He obtained Aerospace Engineering degrees from Michigan and Washington U. in St. Louis. Went to work for Boeing in St. Louis building the latest versions of the F-15 and the F-18. Boeing had acquired McDonnell Douglas by then. Today, he works for a company that’s building a very large, black, triangular shaped Air Force plane. I think you can guess what it is. I will always remember the look of wonder and amazement in his eyes when he first saw the Spruce Goose. That was such a magical weekend. I’ve always wondered if that was the moment he decided, as he would always say, “to build rocket ships and airplanes” for a career? Thank you Spruce Goose.

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.

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.😁😁😁.

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😉

One interesting tidbit. Del’s other son, Mark Smith, was an Indy Car driver in the 1993 and 94 seasons. Mark is notable for almost breaking the curse of the “Smiths” at the Indianapolis 500, in which no driver named “Smith” has ever qualified for the 500 (despite being the most common surname in the US. In 1994 Mark Smith almost broke the curse until the last minutes of qualifying when he was bumped from the field by Bobby Rahal. Smith attempted to bump his way back in but on his final attempt he crashed and the curse of the Smiths lives on to this very day. After 1994 Mark retired from professional racing to concentrate on his business ventures and on that fateful day in 1995 was the one behind the wheel in the accident that took his brother’s life. Mark was uninjured

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

Having been to the Evergreen Aviation Museum in the past couple years, I can attest that the Spruce Goose is indeed a sight to behold, almost an 8th wonder of the world. The museum itself contains so many wonderful exhibits of both aviation and space exploration and is well worth a trip. So many thanks to the people whose vision brought the museum to life and saved this magnificent plane.

Glad they repainted it silver. Too many visitors in Long Beach called the plane a White elephant. Hughes dreamed big, and the H4 showed the world just how big! Kudos on a excellent tribute to an incredible aircraft. 👏👏

This was very well done! Thanks for posting 😊✈

I was able to see the Spruce Goose in 2011. Sitting in the pilots seat where Howard Hughs sat was an experience of a life time. Huge doesn't give justice to the size of this plane. The Evergreen Aviation Museum is amazing and the people that work there were great.

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

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.

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.