When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter # 18

[Bill O.]

EPILOG

On July 8, 1965 at about 7 PM, Paul Mantz, 61, died in the AZ desert while working on the movie, The Flight of the Phoenix

And even more ironic: His partner, Frank Tallman was to fly that sequence but had injured his knee the day before while playing with his son.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGZ83z38tDI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n82nN_lqn58

[Stewart A.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter # 18

If you look at the second you tube clip, when the slow motion is captured you can see the body of the home made plane break in half from the skis hitting the ground that actually sends the nose of the plane downwards, ending the plane and Paul Manz's life. It just shows how well a plane needs to be built. The tail was obviously too long for the amount of strength built into it.
Stewy

[Bill O.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter # 18

Stewy:

In the movie, the guy who designed the plane was a TOY airplane designer...very intriging story.

Mantz, though, had a high alcohol level on autopsy.

[Bill M.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter # 18

Corvette News Vol. 12 no. 2 has an article on Frank Tallman. There is a picture of Frank and his mid-year. This article is in The Best of Corvette News.

[Steven B.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter # 18

Corvette News Vol. 12 no. 2 has an article on Frank Tallman. There is a picture of Frank and his mid-year. This article is in The Best of Corvette News.

Without digging out my CN or Best of, isn't that the article that shows Tallman flying through the billboard for "Its a Mad Mad Mad ???World" and mentions a leg injury?

[Bill M.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter # 18

Without digging out my CN or Best of, isn't that the article that shows Tallman flying through the billboard for "Its a Mad Mad Mad ???World" and mentions a leg injury?

That's the one.

[Chris H.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter # 18

I can remember my mom taking me to see this movie when I was a kid and she mentioned to me that they never showed the plane landing because it crashed and the pilot was killed. Now I know the full story.