service stations of old

Hey, thanks for uploading some terrific old gas station photos showing some Hudsons gassing up as well!

There's an interesting story regarding the "Bomber Gas Station" in Milwaukee, Oregon. According to the book, "Gas, Food and Lodging", owner of the bomber gas station, Art Lacey, flew the B-17 bomber he bought and brought from Altus Air Base in Oklahoma City to around Portland, OR. What's more interesting about this "war bird's" final flight, Lacey was only licensed to fly a single engine aircraft and had absolutely no multi-engine time. This didn't stop him from flying the B-17. After paying $13,750.00 for the surplus Flying Fortress he hired some local farm hands to help "unpickle" the aircraft. Then it came time to fly the bomber. Rules for flying the airplane required two pilots to be at the controls. So, unable to obtain a co-pilot at the time, Lacey simply placed a mannequin, complete with flight cap, in the right seat.

As it turns out, Lacey cracked up two B-17's attempting test flights. Both "wheels up" belly landings (apparently the Air Force took pity on Lacey and wrote off both B-17's as "wind damaged"). Finally on the third try (and third B-17!), the detemined owner brought two pilot friends with him. This time he was successful getting off the ground and stayed airborne, but got lost in a snow storm somewhere over the Sierra Nevada Moutains.

Coming within inches (according to Lacey) of smaking into a mountain, the crew flew low enough to buzz a small town and find where they were geographically. They then flew the bomber at tree top level following railroad tracks and adjacent road signs to Klamath Falls, OR where they finally landed and fueled up. Taking off again, they flew towards Portland getting lost one more time in another unexpected storm forcing a landing at Troutdale, OR.

Lacey said that getting the bomber across town to it's final Milwaukee, OR location was almost tougher than flying the plane across the Western U.S. But, that's another story.