1949 plane that appeared in Stallone’s film will fly from São Paulo to Paraná

After spending several years in maintenance in Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo, the classic Grumman HU-16 Albatross plane, registration PP-ZAT (serial number 49080), produced in 1949, should make a flight in the next few weeks towards its new house, in the interior of Paraná.

According to information confirmed to the Aeroin portal by a source, the maintenance of the aircraft has already been completed, leaving only a few bureaucratic procedures for it to be taken to Jorge Luiz Stocco Airport, also known as Aeroparque Aldeia da Serra, located in Palmeira, Paraná. There, it will be placed alongside the collection of Eloy Biesuz, a partner in the air taxi company Helisul and owner of the aircraft.

The classic aircraft, developed after the 2nd World War with the objective of supplying the military forces’ needs for search and rescue missions at sea, had great appeal among air forces around the world, including the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).

The specimen mentioned in this article, for example, was acquired by Brazil from the US Air Force and flew here with the registration number FAB-6535.

Years later, the unit was auctioned twice, until it reached the hands of the late Carlos Edo, who restored it and put it to flight, taking it to a series of exhibitions by his Circo Aéreo across Brazil. Finally, in 2011, it was purchased by Eloy Biesuz, gaining a Helisul sticker, but remaining for a while under the management of the aerial demonstration group led by Commander Edo.

A curious fact about the Albatross is that, in the year 2010, it served as the setting for the movie “The Expendables” (“The Expendables”), starring Sylvester Stallone, when it received an eye-catching black paint job, disguised as an airplane boat. a group of environmentalists.

Today, the aircraft has a livery that harkens back to its beginnings in the US Air Force.