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They sure do look retractable. That's my new screen saver, my way of damning away El Nino and getting summer here that much quicker in SE Louisiana.

rmissbrook wrote:Jimmy's planes.

Tail number on the Cessna is a match, not so much with the Goose.

Kay, have you seen the story about the Cosmic Muffin Plane Boat?




This extraordinary home certainly gets tongues wagging. Once owned by Howard Hughes, the 1930's Boeing 307 Stratoliner was converted into a houseboat, and is now a famous tourist attraction in Fort Lauderdale. Surprisingly roomy inside, it houses a small sleeping area and bathroom at the rear of the aircraft, while the main hull is dedicated to living space that features a large bar area and even a PC workstation.

http://unusuallife.com/2007/03/18/desde ... ic-muffin/

and here:

http://www.planeboats.com/index.html
"Desdemona's building a rocket-ship."

That Goose is not Jimmy's. But he has one that is just like that particular model then? I thought he was getting a brand new one.

Here is an older article about the 1939 Goose tail number

http://www.microsoft.com/Products/Games ... Years.aspx

The old bird has a lot of history behind it, but has never been in better shape. N48550, the aircraft modeled in Flight Simulator X, was the 61st Goose off the assembly line in 1939, and served with the Royal Canadian Air Force on antisubmarine patrol duties along Canada's B.C. coastline until 1945.

bravedave wrote:

rmissbrook wrote:Jimmy's planes.

Tail number on the Cessna is a match, not so much with the Goose.

The Goose checks out too: Owned by Strange Bird

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry ... txt=N48550

HurricaneSeason wrote:That Goose is not Jimmy's. But he has one that is just like that particular model then? I thought he was getting a brand new one.

Nancy, thanks for the two articles. They were great.

All I know about the Goose is what I read:

In 2009 Jimmy Buffett purchased N48550, a 1939 Grumman Goose seaplane. It’s the third Grumman seaplane that Buffett has owned. His first was a Widgeon, and his second, an Albatross dubbed “The Hemisphere Dancer”, is now on display outside his Margaritaville Cafe in Orlando.

First flown in 1937, the Grumman Goose was envisioned as a luxurious transport for the wealthy. But with the onset of World War II the seaplane was modified to perform a variety of military roles. After the war, many were used for airline service.

In terms of size, the Goose is larger than the Widgeon but smaller than the Albatross.

N48550 flew in the Navy early in its career, then spent several years with Alaska Coastal Airlines and Antilles Air Boats before being bought by an individual in 1990.

From Goose Central:

http://goosecentral.web.officelive.com/1061.aspx

conched wrote:From Goose Central:

http://goosecentral.web.officelive.com/1061.aspx

Nancy, how do you find these sites? You are terrific.

lotsa googling I love reading about "all things Buffett."

That little video here with wings is really fun, as are all those videos.

http://buffethotel.margaritaville.com/videos.html
Check out Goose with Wings

Bicycle Bill wrote:

HurricaneSeason wrote:This is a fantastic picture of a Goose

Are those wingtip floats on the new Geese retractable? They sure look like it in that shot.

-"BB"-

The newer Gooses have floats that fold up to become Wing "Tips" ......the wing becomes more efficent and there is less drag so fuel consumption goes down.....

This is very interesting - a good bit of information here all about an Albatross:

http://www.eaa1000.av.org/pix/albatross/albatross.htm

HurricaneSeason wrote:This is very interesting - a good bit of information here all about an Albatross:

http://www.eaa1000.av.org/pix/albatross/albatross.htm

That was really neat. Thanks.

Isn't that a great read? There's a lot in that that I've never seen in any books! It's fantastic! I'll be visiting that one a good bit. I love learning about these planes.

So that video of the Goose taking off from the Buffet Hotel links is Jimmy eh? It sure seems to be. Wonder why he never lets anyone know of these things! I love it that he's back in the flying boat realm.

HurricaneSeason wrote:Isn't that a great read? There's a lot in that that I've never seen in any books! It's fantastic! I'll be visiting that one a good bit. I love learning about these planes.

So that video of the Goose taking off from the Buffet Hotel links is Jimmy eh? It sure seems to be. Wonder why he never lets anyone know of these things! I love it that he's back in the flying boat realm.

either the price of fame or the misperception of it.

A cub on Skis on Lake Hood, Anchorage




A cub on Tundra tires...... Lake Hood, Anchorage

I love those pictures. Wonder if Jimmy is checking this thread out since his planes were what started the whole thing.

rmissbrook wrote:

HurricaneSeason wrote:This is very interesting - a good bit of information here all about an Albatross:

http://www.eaa1000.av.org/pix/albatross/albatross.htm

That was really neat. Thanks.

got any albatrocity questions, fire away....



plus about a 1000 pics of an albatross

Is that - are those books interesting to read or something you read when there is some kind of problem or issue? That looks like a lot of cover.

In my quest to understand about "boat planes" I found some more interesting ones.
The UGLY plane was project by the Russians to fight Polaris submarines in the 50's and 60's. Never finished so this one is just sitting in a field somewhere in Russia.