Showing posts with label airplane gas stations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label airplane gas stations. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Sunday, June 23, 2024
one tire shop in Fresno distinguished itself for having a surplus Waco CG-4A combat glider, similar to the ones used during the D-Day landings in Normandy, on it's roof
This CG-4A, USAAF serial 45-15691, built under license from the Waco Aircraft Company by Ford Motor Company’s plant in Kingsford, Michigan, never saw any combat service and was eventually purchased as government surplus. It was then placed atop Armstrong Tires’ shop in Fresno, California, being painted bright yellow with red and black bold lettering advertising the shop. 45-15691 would remain in Fresno until the 1970s when it attracted the attention of the newly-founded National WWII Glider Pilots Association, founded in 1971 by former glider pilots of the Second World War to commemorate their services and to find and restore a WACO CG-4 glider for public display. Once they had found the glider in Fresno, they purchased 45-15691 and had it restored in time for the association’s reunion in Dallas in 1979.
bought from Canada for $50, and transported to Seattle, this was one of many planes sold to gas station owners for displays after WW2
A little while later Tony Dire, who owned a Flying A service station in Everett, where the Kittyhawk was given a Flying Tigers-inspired look and an electric motor was installed to rotate the propeller as the aircraft sat atop the shop in downtown, becoming a local landmark for the next twenty years.
an Avro Shackleton perched above a Sasol service station near Johannesburg, South Africa, formerly known as Vic’s Viking Garage.
The South African Shackleton was brought to its present location in 1987, and in doing so, it played a role in the preservation of another large aircraft that had previously been perched upon the service station, a Vickers Viking airliner, which is now the last of its kind preserved in South Africa.
Friday, March 11, 2022
The Airplane Restaurant in Colorado Springs is housed in a restored Boeing KC-97 tanker once used by the U.S. Air Force
one wing you can see outside, the other is through the building over the larger dining area.
Powered by four 4360 Pratt & Whitney engines, the KC-97 was very powerful. Each 6,000 lb. radial engine has four banks of seven pistons, 28 pistons per engine
Wednesday, March 09, 2022
Tuesday, March 08, 2022
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Santa Clara County in California has decided to ban the sale of 100 octane low lead (100LL) fuel at two airports, Reid-Hillview Santa Clara County Airport and San Martin Airport, beginning Jan. 1, 2022.
Piston-engine aircraft will be left without a fuel option in Santa Clara County, increasing the risk of aircraft misfuelling.
Particularly, locals were calling for the ban of 100LL fuel at two Santa Clara County Airports: Reid-Hillview and San Martin.
The root of the ban comes from a new study of lead levels in children living near the Santa Clara, California airports. As reported by AvWeb, a coalition of environmental groups renewed an effort to get the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue an “endangerment finding” on the use of leaded gasoline in light aircraft.
The petition, which was filed in August, noted, “To date, EPA has failed to regulate this significant source of lead exposures, even though emissions from these aircraft collectively represent the single largest source of air emissions of lead in the United States, accounting for 70 percent of lead released domestically into the environment.”
The Santa Clara study saw those children living near the airport did have slight elevated lead levels in their blood, but the levels were in line with those seen in kids from around the state.
Santa Clara County made the unanimous decision to close the Reid-Hillview airport entirely by 2031 and instead use the land for affordable housing.
Piston aircraft with high-compression engines consume 75% of the 100LL sold in the United States, with many of these engines not yet approved to use unleaded fuels available on the market, said the letter. “Those that are approved to use a lower-octane unleaded fuel must still obtain a supplemental type certificate to legally use the fuel. This can create a dilemma and risk to pilots who land at an airport at which only a lower-octane fuel is available than what they require to fly safely.”
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Thursday, May 16, 2019
I haven't heard of these warbird gas stations before, but then, they didn't last long
Neither one lasted long; the Minnesota plane was eventually cut up and the back half became a tornado shelter before it was dug up again and used to restore another plane.
Heron Lake, Minnesota is the second oldest town in the county. The village of Heron Lake was founded in the fall of 1871.
The second was one of three that were intended to become a chain of bomber-themed gas stations, but ended up as landfill. One of them may be buried at a former clay pit at the corner of 10th Street and Villa in Oklahoma City - which is still a vacant lot.
Anybody got a shovel?
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/old-gas-stations.75124/page-143#post-2379245
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-shots-from-days-gone-by.428585/page-5093
https://www.aerovintage.com/
Monday, April 08, 2019
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
There was a Bomber gas station in Canada too! Had a Lancaster!
But unlike the B17 Bomber Gas Station in Milwaukie Oregon, the one in Canada didn't last long, as the plane was quickly desired for fire fighting, and after they fixed it up, and were taxing to take off, a fire broke out in the nose, and that was the end of that. It was scrapped.
In 1947, the Canadian Government decided to sell a number of Lancasters. The RCAF struck KB885 off inventory and sold it to Charlie Parker of Red Deer, Alberta for $275.00.
Charlie saw his new Lancaster as a potential magnet to draw customers to his service station
He began to tow his new bomber from the base on country roads and across farm fields.
For a time it was bogged down in wet ground but finally, after the ground froze, it completed its trip to Charlie's gas station that he named, "Bomber Service."
Health reasons forced Charlie Parker to sell "Bomber Service" in 1954.
Two years later, the business was purchased by Walter Mielke who was approached by Troutdale Airmotive Company of Oregon, who offered to purchase the Lancaster for $6000 and convert it into a fire-fighting water bomber.
The offer was accepted on the condition that the Lancaster was also replaced with a surplus P-40 Kittyhawk and it was moved to "Bomber Service".
In the fall of 1956 two air force mechanics from assisted with prepping the Lancaster for flight. New Rolls-Royce Merlin engines were fitted and run-up, the elevators, ailerons, and rudders, were refurbished, new tires were installed, and a makeshift runway was bulldozed in a nearby field.
As the big moment arrived in January, 1957, pilot-mechanic E. Robinson taxied the Lancaster through the snow to her new runway. Just before take-off hydraulic problems developed and while Robinson worked on the hydraulic system a fire ignited in the interior of the nose section. Before it was extinguished the complete nose section burned off and fell to the snow. The once proud bomber was towed back to the service station and later sold for scrap.
http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/lanckb885.html
http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/455/Last-Call-for-Lancasters.aspx
and according to this book:
the other bomber gas station that I mentioned, in Oregon, the B-17 is getting restored
https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-love-b-17-bomber-story-here-is-good.html
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Update on the Oregon gas station B 17 restoration
Back in December 2014 it was loaded and moved to Salem
http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/b-17-alliance-moves-historic-milwaukie-b-17-bomber-salem-restoration.html
This is just one step in the years long coverage of Art Lacey's B 17 story started in 2013
http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-love-b-17-bomber-story-here-is-good.html
updated a year ago http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-gas-station-b-17-of-art-lacey-near.html
Friday, March 14, 2014
The gas station B 17 of Art Lacey, near Portland Oregon is getting restored to fly again... it's going to take about 7 years
full post of how a B 17 came from WW2 surplus to be a gas station tourist draw at http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-love-b-17-bomber-story-here-is-good.html
For info about its restoration: http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/bullet-news/b-17-lacey-lady-update.html
in the 1990's the fuselage was removed and restored, and that was all the funding they had put together.
So, in 2012 someone got fed up with the lack of interest and lack of give a damn, and fired up the troops, and pulled the engines down for a rebuild
The engines are so flippin rare... and these are the rarest of them all... unless you know of a quartet still in the crates. These ones are only 37 hours of run time used. The lowest run time 1820-97s that exist.
In the summer of 2013 they sent the cockpit roof and tail turret to a master craftsman repairman in Atlanta
In the fall of 2013 the pulled the rudder and elevators.
Individuals, groups, or organizations interested in providing sponsorship for the B-17 Alliance Group project please contact:
AllianceMuseum@B17AllianceGroup.org
Once inside she will not just be tucked away and forgotten about. The bomb bay and radio room will join the cockpit in the jig. The rear fuselage will be also placed in a jig. Once placed in the jigs, the work will continue. Even though we are picking up momentum, it is still going to take 5-7 yrs to complete this restoration. One thing we have going for us is that our airplane has not been crushed or burned, but with the corrosion and missing components from theft and vandals, we have our work cut out for us. But we believe this is a very doable restoration. All the work that has been done so far has been done to airworthy condition. When we are finished with the restoration we plan to fly her as a tribute to the men and women who served in WW2.”
info from http://www.warbirdsnews.com/category/warbird-restorations/b-17g-lacey-lady
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Airplanes used to get you to pull into gas stations or restaurants, the best one first, Bobs Air Mail Service on Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles, circa 1938
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Above 2 photos from http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=5679313&postcount=7493
Below images from the guru of the Roadside attraction and signs: https://roadsidenut.wordpress.com/
I love a B 17 bomber story, here is a good one , a surplus B 17, a guy who couldn't fly one, who wrote bad checks, and couldn't get a permit to move it and build a gas station
In Milwaukie Oregon, on the 99e highway, also known as McLoughlin Blvd, 6 miles south of Portland Oregon. Between I5 and the 205
Above is the "Before" photo referring to the current or recent restoration. Notice the great fluorescent lights under the wings
Below you can see that the nose and cockpit are removed for renovations
Shortly after WWII , Art Lacey went to Kansas to buy a surplus B-17. His idea was to fly it back to Oregon, jack it up in the air and make a gas station out of it.
He paid $15,000 for it. He asked which one was his and they said take whichever you want because there were miles of them. He didn't know how to fly a 4 engine airplane so he read the manual while he taxied around by himself. They said he couldn't take off alone so he put a mannequin in the co-pilot's seat and off he went.
He flew around a bit to get the feel of it and when he went to land he realized he needed a co-pilot to lower the landing gear. He crashed and totaled his plane and another on the ground. They wrote them both off as "wind damaged" and told him to pick out another for only $1500. He talked a couple friends into co-piloting, Bob Sturges and George Fuller. Sturges was an aeronautical engineer and was the Boeing tech rep assigned to the 8th Air Force in England. After the war, he purchased Boeing’s stock of surplus B17 parts and founded Columbia Airmotive. Sturges suggested the purchase of the B17 to Art Lacey. Sturges and Fuller were both experienced B17 pilots. Lacey had a student license having some hours in a Piper Cub, but for flying the B17 to Portland, he wisely got help.
They flew to Palm Springs where Lacey wrote a hot check for gas then they headed for Oregon. They hit a snow storm and couldn't find their way so they went down below 1,000 feet and followed the railroad tracks. His partner sat in the nose section and would yell, "TUNNEL" when he saw one and Lacey would climb over the mountain.
They landed safely, he made good the hot check he wrote, and they started getting permits to move a B-17 on the state highway. The highway department repeatedly denied his permit and fought him tooth and nail for a long time so late one Saturday night he just moved it himself. He got a $10 ticket from the police for having too wide a load.
The plane weighs 32 tons, is 75' long and has a wingspan of 104'. Mr. Lacey worked on planes during WWII but he was not a great pilot. The gas station opened in 1947, followed by the Bomber Drive-In in 1948. The station started out with five pumps but eventually had 40. Although it closed in 1991, the original family still runs the restaurant and the plane is still on display
just 6 miles South of Downtown Portland on Hwy 99E. Just get on 99E (aka Mcloughlin Blvd.) and head South. About 1/2 mile out of Milwaukie you will see the Big B-17G Bomber. http://www.thebomber.com/
They landed safely, he made good the hot check he wrote, and they started getting permits to move a B-17 on the state highway. The highway department repeatedly denied his permit and fought him tooth and nail for a long time so late one Saturday night he just moved it himself. He got a $10 ticket from the police for having too wide a load.
The plane weighs 32 tons, is 75' long and has a wingspan of 104'. Mr. Lacey worked on planes during WWII but he was not a great pilot. The gas station opened in 1947, followed by the Bomber Drive-In in 1948. The station started out with five pumps but eventually had 40. Although it closed in 1991, the original family still runs the restaurant and the plane is still on display
just 6 miles South of Downtown Portland on Hwy 99E. Just get on 99E (aka Mcloughlin Blvd.) and head South. About 1/2 mile out of Milwaukie you will see the Big B-17G Bomber. http://www.thebomber.com/
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