SPRUCE GOOSE: the move north

Once it was decided the Goose would go north, the problems of moving an aircraft this size would have to be identified and dealt with. Weighing in at over 170,000 pounds, with a wing span of 320 feet and a tail towering over 80 feet above the ground, the project clearly would not be an easy one. Since flying it to Oregon was out of the question, (though I'm sure many of us would liked to have seen this!) disassembly for transport would be necessary. Some of the original team that built the flying boat were brought in to help in the mammoth project. With their guidance, a plan was carefully drawn to get it into manageable sections while keeping the structural integrity. Disassembly began on August 10, 1992. It would take more than a month to complete preparations for the move. Sections too large for overland transport were loaded onto a barge to be towed up the Pacific coast. Then inland via the Columbia and Willamette rivers. After a stop in Portland, continuing upriver to McMinnville, Oregon. The smaller parts, and this really *is* a relative term, were trucked north via Interstate-5. Many of us following the story of the move, had concerns about something of this historic value out on the Pacific at the beginning of the stormy season. To everyone's relief, the move went very well. The Sause Brothers tug Natoma, with her precious cargo, pulled alongside the seawall in Portland, Oregon on October 22, 1992. The final leg of the move to McMinnville, plagued with bad weather and unfavorable river levels for the next several months, was finally completed February 27, 1993. Towed the last few miles overland by powerful vehicles normally used for house moving, accompanied by much fanfare, the move to the temporary home for the beleaguered old flying boat was complete.

Currently Goose tours are not available, but you can get pretty good look from the parking lot outside the temporary museum. Disassembly of the Goose has made some interesting views possible. This shot is looking inside the wing at the in-flight engineer stations behind the engines. A number of services could be done to the engines from these locations while in flight . The photo does not indicate the actual size of this space, a fully grown man can easily stand up in this area inside the wing.