(click thumbnails to enlarge)
This is Rick and Randy's Solent Mark 3 Flying Boat, built in 1946, last operating in the South Pacific in the late 50's.
It and two sister ships were purchased by Howard Hughes and kept under armed guard in Richmond California for 10 years. Two of the planes were scrapped in the mid seventies. The third was purchased by Rick and Randy in 1975, now named Halcyon, after the mythical Greek bird that had the power to still the waters.
In the late 70's and periodically since, some efforts have been directed to preserve Halcyon, but full restoration of this plane will require a multi-million dollar effort.
In the early 90's Rick opted to direct his resources into restoring a Grumman Albatross, which is now fully operational. The Albatross is about 1/2 the size of the Solent, but still is quite an impressive machine.
Halcyon was used in "Raiders of the Lost Ark". A model was built of the Halcyon for the in-flight shots, but the dockside shots and interior shots that appear in the movie are the "real" plane with a few added extras like a mat glass background and water matted in from a nearby dock.
Harrison Ford and Carol Grant pose for a picture while final preparations are being made to shoot the scene. .