Day Twelve - McMinnville, Oregon

Day twelve involved our very reason for visiting Oregon. The reason being to visit the largest float plane ever constructed, the largest wooden aircraft ever constructed, yes, I am talking about Howard Hughes' mighty behemoth, the Spruce Goose. It's amazing that this aircraft is so famous, when you consider that it only ever flew a distance of one mile at an altitude of around 80'. 


The aircraft is housed in the beautiful Evergreen Aviation Museum at Mcminnville, Oregon around 40 miles out of Portland. The Museum also hosts a range of other amazing aircraft including an SR-71 and a Titan 2 Missile. But to really seal the deal, they also have a fantastic indoor Waterpark, upon the top of which sits an actual Boeing 747 and from which you enter waterslide tubes that seem to last forever. 


Here's a small range of pics from the day:

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw such a realistic scaled version of the Space Shuttle.

The weary travelers.

 

The SR-71 Blackbird.

Note how the Port Engine is accessed.

This X-15 is a mock-up. The real version crashed, killing its Pilot.

Here's some pics of the Spruce Goose, we managed to get a complete tour, inside, outside and the roof(!).

This should provide you with an idea of the enormity of this aircraft. Hard to believe that it's made from wood.

It is just about impossible to capture a picture of the Spruce Goose in its entirety.

Inside, looking aft.

If you ever wondered how the Spruce Goose is supported.

Schuyler at the controls.

The view from the roof.

The inside of the Starboard Wing which includes a walkway.

The family in the 'upper deck'.

We completed the day at the coolest Waterpark in the World:

How cool is this?

Inside the Waterpark. The stairs lead all the way up into the belly of the Boeing 747 from which you exit from one of the four waterslides.