On Location - Republic Airport

Republic Airport was the setting last month when a television film crew shot scenes for a new show. "Pan Am", a pilot episode for a series about the life and times of the flight crews of that storied airline, filmed at the airport in early March. To set the scene, a restored DC-7 airliner was flown up from Florida, spending nearly two weeks on Long Island.



No, you aren't seeing things - that airplane says "Eastern Air Lines" on it. Those are the original markings of the DC-7, in which it was restored. As part of the Hollywood "magic", temporary Pan Am markings were applied to the port side of the aircraft...





For filming, the ramp at Republic acted as a stand-in for Cuba, circa 1960, with the Pan Am aircraft and crew flying refugees out as Castro came into power.



The Airpower Museum's C-47 even got a "walk on" role...







After two all-night filming sessions, the DC-7 headed home.

April Fool!

Yes, it's been more than a month since I've posted here. No reasons why - well, no good reasons why...

I have been staying busy, between job search and photography, and waiting for Spring to arrive. We did get some great news recently. The American Airpower Museum is safe! Its location near one of the runways at Republic Airport placed it in updated FAA Runway Safety Zones, and it was under the threat of being torn down. The FAA originally said funding was available to rebuild the hangar, but three years ago reversed that decision. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Steve Israel, other officials, and museum staff, the FAA agreed to not require the demolition of the museum's historic hangar, and has changed its course on the question of funding, now saying that airport funds will be available to the museum. The details still need to be worked out, but the museum is safe. It would have been an unspeakable tragedy to lose this magnificent piece of American history.



Josephine Raichele, who helped build P-47 fighters during World War II in what is now the museum hangar, with Senator Schumer and Congressman Israel following the March 21 announcement.