Lived through the '80s? You likely remember Tattoo, played by actor Hervé Villechaize on ABC's "Fantasy Island."
At the start of each episode, the diminutive character cried "de plane, boss! de plane!" to Mr. Roarke, played by Ricardo Montalban.
Now "de plane" — a refurbished 1967 Grumman Widgeon G-44, the last of its kind to be built — is going on sale at the Branson Auction this month, according to a statement from company owner Jim Cox.
In the news release, Cox said the vintage seaplane appeared on the TV show from 1977 to 1984, and it had multiple owners afterward. In the mid-'80s, it was confiscated by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. "The pilot was using it to smuggle drugs!" Cox said in the statement. Later, the government sold it to a private collector. Of the 150 Grumman Widgeons that survive today, "de plane" has the least amount of time in the air, 900 hours.
The Branson Auction (also known as the Branson Collector Car Auction) takes place April 15-16 at Branson Convention Center, with the plane — now painted cherry-red — going on sale April 16.
The auction is entering its 38th year, attracting more than 5,000 people each spring and fall in Branson. More than 250 "sports, muscle, vintage, classic, custom and antique automobiles" go on sale, according to the news release.
The Grumman Widgeon is the Branson Auction's first collectible airplane to be auctioned.
News of the sale has been covered by a TV station in St. Louis, a newspaper in Tulsa, and New York-based lads' magazine Maxim.
Original article can be found here: http://www.news-leader.com
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