Port of Ephrata sells PBY aircraft from 'Always'
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 months, 4 weeks AGO
The PBY Catalina, also known as Consolidated Model 28, was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. The one shown here sat at the Port of Ephrata for years prior to being auctioned recently. It is known for its role in the filming of the movie "Always."
COURTESY PHOTO/DAVID LANMAN
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | November 21, 2023 6:51 PM
EPHRATA — The PBY-5A Catalina that has sat for some time at the Port of Ephrata will be finding a new home after it was auctioned off by port officials at the request of the state, according to Port Director David Lanman. The aircraft is best known for an appearance in the 1985 Steven Spielberg movie “Always.”
“We were not considered the legal owner,” Lanman said. “The proceeds are going into a Department of Revenue trust fund so as to be available for any liens that might pop up on that aircraft.”
Lanman said the port had impounded the aircraft in July for the purpose of ultimately giving it a home.
“It’s going to a museum in California, and it’s going to be restored to be on static display,” he said. “And that museum is Yanks Air Museum out of Chino, Calif.”
The Yanks Air Museum has a variety of aircraft on display from the early to late 1900s, according to the museum’s website.
The film “Always” starred Richard Dreyfus, Holly Hunter and John Goodman and is available to stream on a variety of online services for just under $4. It is a remake of the earlier film, “A Guy Named Joe,” which was released in 1943. Some scenes in the film were shot in Ephrata.
“That particular aircraft was in one of the opening scenes of the movie and another scene or two,” Lanman said.
He added that he had reached out to the Columbia Basin Herald because he wanted people to know what had happened to the aircraft because many of them had grown up in the area and would have wanted it preserved.
“But it was just rotting away, and the port was liable for that aircraft even though it wasn’t ours,” Lanman said. “But for anybody that loves aviation, you don’t want to see an airplane with that kind of history just sitting there rotting. A museum will now take it, they’ll restore it and put it in static display. Which, I think, is appropriate for that aircraft.”
Lanman has worked to ensure the history of the port has been preserved since coming on as director earlier this year. He also stopped the demolition of two World War II-era hangars that will now be refurbished and used as assets to draw businesses to the port, while preserving local historic structures.
For more information on the Port of Ephrata, visit PortOfEphrata.gov. Learn more about Yanks Air Museum at YanksAir.org.