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.