Not sure if it was actually the largest, or just the largest wooden plane ever made. Anyway it is an interesting story. A plane that was built for a need that was no longer there by the time it was finished, and which only ever had one short flight.
Spruce Goose the largest plane ever made
- Thread starter BlackDiamond
- Start date
Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:
Certainly the largest wooden plane but it becomes somewhat a game of semantics when comparing with more recent models. What measurement should be used - wingspan, number of engines, takeoff weight, carrying capacity, length? Aircraft ranging from the 747 Dreamlifter (and the ugly Airbus version) to the Ukrainian Antonov cargo carrier or even a B-52 might win in one category or another. There are some pretty unique planes out there. Interesting subject.
Fun video.
The Spruce Goose is now in the Evergreen Museum in Oregon. You can go in the cargo area and look in the cockpit, and pay extra for a tour where you can sit in the cockpit. The way the thing is designed would make it look huge even if built to a smaller scale.
https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/
The Spruce Goose is now in the Evergreen Museum in Oregon. You can go in the cargo area and look in the cockpit, and pay extra for a tour where you can sit in the cockpit. The way the thing is designed would make it look huge even if built to a smaller scale.
https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/
it was in Long Beach for a time, near the Queen Mary, I'm thinking the 70's saw them both (many years ago)
Devil's Advocate
⠀⠀⠀
This gives you an idea of how several very large aircraft compare to each other visually. Wingspan and height wise the Spruce Goose was the largest of the lot until the Stratolaunch platform was created back in 2019.
I spent a night aboard the Queen Mary, when it was first converted to a hotel at Long Beach. Hotel guest were offered complimentary tours of the Spruce Goose housed in its nearby exhibition hall.
At the time, the same company operated both attractions, plus the adjacent “London Town” complex.
The ship and plane used to be my go to when relative's came to visit. For years before they turned the plane into a public exhibit it was a huge mystery as to its whereabouts. There was a big warehouse on Terminal Island that I passed by often where I was told “ The Spruce Goose is in there” that really piqued my interest. It was a big deal to finally go through it as was the Queen Mary.I spent a night aboard the Queen Mary, when it was first converted to a hotel at Long Beach. Hotel guest were offered complimentary tours of the Spruce Goose housed in its nearby exhibition hall.
At the time, the same company operated both attractions, plus the adjacent “London Town” complex.
When they disassembled it, put it on a barge heading to McMinnville Ore I thought it was toast. Apparently they’ve done a great job preserving it.
