Posts from William T Brooks in thread „The Aviator“

  • The Aviator

    Chester You dirty old man! I know this is not about the Duke But you guys brought it up.


    In the early 1980s we were doing Chilibill's Kitchen Cooking show at Jane Russell's Restaurant in Sedona, Arizona and I was also involved in a Air Taxi Service there also. I had been flying Jane and her Third Husband John Peoples back and forth to Santa Barbara where they had their other home.


    When Howard Hughes died he had left Three Million Dollars Tax paid to Jane, and She was looking for someplace to invest the money. I was going to fly her Husband John to look at a T.V. Station over in Prescott, Arizona and when I got to their house the house Keeper said that John was getting dressed but Jane was out at the Pool. Their pool deck looked down on Sedona and was at the foot of Coffee Pot Rock where Duke had done "The Angel and Badman in the 1940s.


    Jane was next to the pool in a Flowered Bikini Swim Suit. JANE was in her 60s but everything was still where it should be!!! I will never forget this GORGEOUS Woman who was in Her 60s!!! Chilibill :cowboy:

  • The Aviator

    Arthur; The Spruce Goose was one of the greatest aircraft of the time. It was the largest Aircraft of the time with 8 of the largest Engines of this time and the fact that it was made completely of Wood was amazing. He invented a new type of Plywood for the skin of the Aircraft that was water-proof. We are still using this type of Plywood today.


    It did fly once about one mile and just a few feet above the water and that was it. He got into a fight with the U.S. Government and He told them to Hell with it and put into Storage and it never flew again.


    As you said Howard Hughes could never let any alone after it was completed all ways trying to make it better. Remember he was the First American Billionaire and he did what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it, just like all the Films that he did also!


    I saw the Aircraft one time when it was on display in I think Long Beach California years ago and it was a great thrill for me. It was HUGE, at least as large as the 747s of today. We are still using some of the things that he invented over 50 years ago in todays Aircraft.


    After he Crashed one of his new Aircraft that he was testing in Beverly Hills he got hooked on Pain Killers in the Hospital and he started to go to Hell in a Handbasket, but he did invent the first electric Hospital Bed that would go up and down with the push of a button for himself while he was there in the Hospital. He was a GENIUS but when the Pain Killers got him that was it, what a waste!!! Bill :cowboy:

  • The Aviator

    Arthur; Howard Hughes was a very different man than Duke! I had chance to be part of a documentary done for "Hearst Entertainment" back in the early 1980s on Hughes and because I am a Pilot of some 55 years,and the fact that Howard Hughes was a Aviation Genius and pilot I was very glad to work on this project. Bill Hearst jr. told me that they flew all over the World in Howard's private four engined Airliner that he had fitted out to fly all the important and movie people around in and he told me many storys about Howard Hughes. And yes many of the people that knew him say that it is a good film.


    I have also heard that story about the Radioactive dirt that they say that Howard took to Hollywood. If these people would only remember that in the 1940s and early 1950 we did not know much about the danger of these kind of things. I carried one of those "Bad Things" around in a B-29 for over two years and watched them set off two of them at "Jackass Flats" in Nevada just so we would know the Damage they would do and I am still here.


    My wife Martha was never near any of this kind of these thing and she died of the Big C at the age of 68! So did she die because of all these Atomic Blasts that they did just a little more than 100 miles, and we are down wind also?


    If all those people and Duke did or did not die because of these Atomic weapons we will never know. Remember this took place about 50 years ago!!! Chilibill :cowboy: