This color film, a travelogue from 1966, was commissioned by the Piper Aircraft Corporation to highlight their Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche aircraft, which had debuted in 1962. The film follows the Blue brothers, Linden and Neal, as they retrace an identical flight they made through South America ten years prior (that got them on the cover of LIFE Magazine, no less). The Blue’s are joined by fellow revelers and an identical Twin Comanche sister ship, serving as the camera platform. Over 31 days they cover over 32,000 miles and visit fourteen countries. Besides the natural and ancient wonders of South America, we’re shown a Columbian pool party, a Chilean horse ranch, a Peruvian market, and a Brazilian discotheque. Presented by Piper Aircraft Corporation. Narrated by Dale McElhatton. Produced by Sound and Scene.
00:07 TITLE CARD 00:19 Still image of young Linden and Neal Blue 00:20 Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer aircraft (Blue Bird I) takes off, crashes 00:52 Cover and inside of LIFE Magazine from April 8, 1957 01:12 The Andes Mountains, Atacama Desert, Amazon River 02:57 The two Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche aircraft, Blue Bird II and sister ship 03:07 Izalco Volcano, El Salvador 03:22 Blue Bird II lands at plantation in Nicaragua; banana trees, sugarcane fields 04:15 Panama Canal 04:24 Medellín, Columbia; pool party, man holds a Polaroid Land Camera 05:15 Launching paper lanterns 05:51 Navigational tools 05:53 Guayaquil, Ecuador 06:05 Misti volcano, the Altiplano, Peru 06:34 POV: Landing at Cusco, Peru; Arco de Santa Clara 07:02 Machu Picchu, Peru 07:43 Closeup of masonry, aqueduct, baths, sundial at Machu Picchu 08:41 Climbing Huayna Picchu 09:08 Indigenous Peruvians at a market in Pisac 09:33 Lake Titicaca 09:40 Buzzing herds of llamas and alpaca 09:49 La Paz, Bolivia; airport sign, control tower, Blue Bird II refueled 10:36 Cockpit indicators and controls 11:37 Mount Aconcagua, Argentina 11:57 Blue Bird II serviced in hangar 12:28 Ranch in Chile 12:53 Man operates Ham Radio 13:55 Man rides Indian motorcycle 14:07 Piper Tri-Pacer taking off 14:43 Waterskiing on Lake Villarrica, Chile 16:00 Osorno volcano, Chile 16:43 Buenos Aires, Argentina 16:51 Iguazú Falls, Argentina 18:24 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Miss Brazil 1966, Ana Cristina Ridzi 18:47 Copacabana Beach, Discotheque 20:11 Brasilia, Brazil 21:21 Santarém, Amazon and Negro Rivers meet 22:05 Manaus, Brazil; man paddles dugout, banana market, tributary in the jungle 23:47 Recap of locations seen 24:45 CREDITS
Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida. Founded in 1927, throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th century, Piper was considered to be one of the “Big Three” in the field of general aviation manufacturing, along with Beechcraft and Cessna. Linden Blue is now the co-owner and vice chairman of General Atomics, the U.S. military contractor that manufactures the Predator drones used by the Central Intelligence Agency. He is also the managing director of the aircraft manufacturer Spectrum Aeronautical. His brother Neal is the CEO and chairman of General Atomics.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
