Will Commemorate The Historic World War II-Era Airplane, 'Swamp Ghost'

Pacific Aviation Museum has entered into a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the talented artists of Walt Disney Animation Studios & Disneytoon Studios. In order to honor the famed World War II-era B-17 “Flying Fortress” affectionately named “Swamp Ghost,” artists Mike Gabriel (director, “Pocahontas,” “The Rescuers Down Under” and the Oscar-nominated short, “Lorenzo”) and Klay Hall (director, Disneytoon Studios “Planes”) worked together to create original nose art, to be exclusively displayed at the Museum.  The announcement was made by TV personality David Hartman at the Museum’s Annual Gala on December 5th, 2015. The date for the exhibition opening will be announced at a later time.

“We hope that the creation and display of the Swamp Ghost nose art serves as a tribute to aviation history and to all those who serve,” said Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disneytoon Studios Worldwide Marketing VP Greg Coleman.
 
During the war, The Walt Disney Studios made over 1200 insignia for the US and Allied forces, many of which featured iconic characters, including Donald Duck. Disney characters were often painted onto the nose section of aircraft during this era. “Walt Disney's "Donald Duck" was one of the most iconic and likable characters during the 1940's,” says Klay Hall. “He was very popular amongst servicemen, possessing a feistiness with a "can do" attitude. He seemed like a natural fit for the Swamp Ghost nose art.”
 
The history of Swamp Ghost, the airplane, is a unique one; no lives were lost in the crash. The plane, a B17 “Flying Fortress” ran critically low on fuel during a mission and had to be ditched in a jungle swamp in the Papua New Guinea area in 1942.  All the men walked away from the plane unharmed. It was thought lost until 1972, when it was spotted by a Royal Australian Air Force helicopter, completely intact, resting in a swamp. The plane never received an honorary name or piece of nose art (that usually happened after a few missions). The plane gained the name “Swamp Ghost” because of where it was found. The plane was then carefully extracted from the swamp and ultimately moved to the Pacific Aviation Museum, where it has been exhibited in its “as is” condition since 2014. The exhibition of Swamp Ghost and its nose art joins a collection of more than 40 aircraft within the museum.
 
“My fervent hope was to do honor to the insignia and nose artwork that the Disney artists created back in the 1940s during the war, by doing a Swamp Ghost design that was totally convincing to the time in which the Swamp Ghost was flying," Gabriel said. "Klay and I analyzed every aspect of the nose art designs that were created to try and convincingly capture the look, feel, and colors of the time, in order to authentically transport the viewer back to the time. I hope when people see the nose art Klay and I have created, they sense the deep attachment and commitment we have to this exciting project.”
 
“This is not only an honor for us to be a part of, personally,” said Klay Hall, “it is in remembrance and tribute to our fathers and grandfathers who served their country during that time and those that serve today.”

(Image provided with Pacific Aviation Museum news release)

FMI: www.pacificaviationmuseum.org