Here is a little more of the story of Charles Blair and one of his flying boats, the VS-44. Scroll down to just past the Eastern DC-3. That flying boat is the only remaining complete pre-war aircraft. It is very impressive to see.
https://aviationhistorymuseums.com/blog/2023/6/21/the-new-england-air-museum
Thank you for your post.
My Dad was a private pilot when I grew up in Vallejo, CA (SF Bay Area). I moved to the Dallas area in 1991.
We had a 1963 Cessna 150C and later he built a Piper PA-17 Vagabond. We flew all over Northern California in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. His best friend was a B-24 pilot in the south Pacific in WW2. I had a private pilot’s license in my 20’s but stopped flying due to the cost. I just go to aircraft museums and airshows these days.
We spent a week at Oshkosh in 1978.
I have been to the following aircraft museums:
Cavanaugh Flight Museum (Addison,TX)
Frontiers of Flight (Dallas, TX)
Pima Air and Space Museum (Tucson, AZ)
Air Force Museum (Dayton, OH)
Smithsonian Air and Space (DC)
Planes of Fame (Chino, CA)
Midland Army Air Field Museum (Midland,TX)
Aircraft museum next to the USS Alabama (Mobile, AL)