The International Cessna^® 170 Association

For geezers like me who remember watching Sky King back in the 1960s on Saturday mornings, you can watch 60 plus episodes on-line at the following web-site http://www.americanflyers.net/entertainment/skyking.asp

Don't worry about Hollywood coming after you, they are in the public domain.

I just spent two hours watching five episodes, complete with Nabisco commercials. I hadn't seen this show in close to 15 years, when the Family Channel would occasionally show it. I prefer the ones with the 310B instead of the Bamboo Bomber. I'd love to have a straight tail 310 in the original paint scheme!

Without spoiling the experience too much, let's just say the stories are simple with spies, smugglers and/or robbers, Penny is cute but annoying, and Sky himself is a stand-up guy, a great role model. I realize it was a kid's show, and loved it back then. Today, these shows seem a little dated, but they should be viewed in context. I had the same reaction last year when the Outdoor Living Network ran "Sea Hunt" late at night (actually Sea Hunt was my favorite; I learned to scuba dive years later because of it.) TV then was a different medium than today...

Wow, to live on a ranch with your airplane and chase bad guys with it, sounds like George Horn is living the dream! Russ Farris

P.S. Several years back at Sun-N-Fun, some guy with a 1956 310 in the factory scheme of turquoise, black and white (beautiful!) showed up wearing a Stetson hat; everybody knew who he was supposed to be. The 1960 310D Kirby Grant bought after the show was finished has been restored as Songbird III, and turns up at SNF and Oshkosh every year, a beautiful restoration as well.

Russ, thanks for sharing this bit of trivia with us. I guess I am an old geezer because I too remember watching SK (in B&W no less). I will have to "tune in" and watch some of these on one of these days when its too bad to do the airport thing.

I have it on good authority (Joe Harris) that its a good thing George isn't really trying to catch the bad guys because with that RED airplane he wouldn't be able to catch them!!

BTW George, can we expect your usual LATE arrival in Georgetown? I would expect it as it is, after all, about 32 miles from your hangar to GTU. Be sure to bring Penny--er Jamie.

I just watched the first episode of Sky King- that old Bamboo Bomber brought back fond memories. I got my multi-engine rating in one and did a little air taxi work with a UC-78 /T-50.
It was a delightful airplane to fly, although with an engine out it merely stretched the glide.
Rudy

I preferred the old T-50 myself. Cessna refurbished them after the war and sold them with upgraded gross wt. kits, etc., so it made sense for them to sponsor/support the show. When the 310 came out they saw the opportunity to promote the new model in the show.
"Sky" was to be honored by NASA at one of the shuttle launches. If memory serves, it was to be the (fatal) Challenger launch,( but Grant was killed in a car accident on the way to the launch?)

An interesting biographical link: http://www.surfnetinc.com/chuck/kgrant.htm

Interesting biography of Mr. Grant. They made many more films in those days- they didn't cost multi million bucks like today.
I guess that Challenger flight was jinxed...
Rudy

Actually, Kirby Grant was killed on October 30, 1985 - he was enroute to the Cape at the invitiation of the astronauts, but it wasn't the Challenger launch. Challenger was destroyed in January 1986. Russ Farris

Even without Kirby Grant it was jinxed...
Rudy