Besides the parts of the movie involving the Connie, there were plans to film several scenes wherein Hughes is flying the YF-11, one of his experimental aircraft of the time period. A mockup of the aircraft was in the hangar and was used for the flying scenes with Hughes at the controls. In the photo of the mockup, it's interesting to see the abrupt changes in "scale" between the cockpit and the engines and wings. When a little "movie magic" is added later, the effect will be that of a real aircraft in flight.

Our flight crewmembers were assigned vehicles for transportation to and from the set each day. They were also provided meals, several times during the day, along with the rest of the production crew. At the end of the last day of filming, each crewmember was given funds to cover their expenses. Upon their return to Kansas City, all six members of the crew donated their expense money back to the museum.

After several days, filming was complete, the sets were being torn down, and our crew was fueling the Connie for the long flight home. A dawn takeoff was set up for Saturday morning. The departure went as planned, and at sun-up the Connie was roaring down the runway and homeward bound. The aircraft performed beautifully and the engines ran smoothly. Oil consumption for the trip was surprisingly low, even considering the four freshly overhauled engines. 

From a financial standpoint, this latest AHM movie making adventure was a great success. The flight crew, our maintenance technicians, and other AHM support personnel once again demonstrated the professionalism and "can do" attitude that will get us invited back again, when the next opportunity arises.