Many Millionaires Have Their Own Aircraft,

but how many can do this?

photographs of LIFE veteran Loomis Dean, land on water! this has got to be the ultimate go anywhere toy, a flying yacht! Loomis was invited aboard, 

the man behind the flying yacht, Glenn Odekirk, is pictured here on the left, aboard his dingy, which would have been fixed under the wing during flight,

the luxury post-war conversion of a consolidated PBY Catalina, one of the most versatile airplanes used in the Second World War, 

in it’s day it was a patrol bomber and submarine killer, after the war the aircraft was surplus to requirements, 

Glenn Odekirk saw a new future for the roomy Catalinas as extreme luxury flying yachts. They were to be the epitome of glamorous travel that he called Landseaire, “It seemed like no one was getting real utility out of a private airplane”, Odekirk was quoted in a Flight magazine article in 1953. “Normally, it’s just a means of transportation in which you ride from here to there with varying degrees of comfort. So, I decided to build an aerial luxury yacht in which you can land and live almost anywhere in the world with all the comforts of home.”

 Glenn invited some fellow executives from the Southern California Aircraft Corp., family members and two attractive blonde aspiring actresses to lure the interest of the LIFE magazine camera lens. The day spent sightseeing along San Diego’s coast was meant to generate publicity for Oderkirk, who was hoping to sell his planes to wealthy American industrialists,

no expense was sparred converting the aircraft, noise is kept to a remarkably low level by a 4in-thick lining of Fiberglas and of course it had a kitchen and shower for those longer trips. A Landseaire costed a lot of money $265,000 was the basic price, this coupled with heavy operating costs, put the craft beyond the reach of most millionaires,

from the article in LIFE:

“Sleeping accommodation is provided for eight persons in three double beds and two singles. Near each bed are an individual light, radio switch and speaker, curtains, vents for air conditioning system, and a telephone. Occupants may contact the shore by means of a marine ship-to-shore telephone. In addition to this item of ‘electrickery’, the converted aircraft are fitted with no fewer than seven communications receivers, two transmitters, a broadcast receiver, FM-AM radio and a built-in television set!”

“Overall carpeting adds further to the comfort. A shower bath, in waterproof plastic, runs hot and cold water. The w.c. is electrically flushed when on water; in the air a chemical toilet is used. The galley, in white porcelain and stainless steel, rivals the equipment of the most modern kitchen. A three-plate cooking range, oven, large refrigerator and frozen-food unit are installed. “  

and above is where the boat to get you to shore is kept, part of the article can be viewed here, what an amazing idea, I wonder if todays jet set ever though of having a Landseaire aircraft, instead of the boring ones that can not land on water? I am only making these 2 posts today, as I am now off to do a days work in the shop.