Personnel at Wiggin’s Airways, especially Richard Hynes base manager, took quite a role recently when a Hollywood film company enlisted their aid in shooting portions of a movie about Charles Lindberg and his famous Atlantic flight in the “Spirit of St. Louis”.
Prior to their arrival, the Hollywood company notified Wiggins that air scenes would have to be shot along the Atlantic seaboard, mostly from Plymouth to Boston, and others at Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod Wiggins personnel laid the groundwork and when the company flew in last Wednesday, Richard Hynes, base manager of the Norwood airport, piloted director Billy Wilder, producer Buddy Coleman and famous film flyer Paul Mantz on a tour of the Coast in reconnaissance for good scenic areas.
Hynes also piloted the group in his Twin-Apache over Provincetown where they circled at different altitudes for the best photo-graphic heights to be used in the scenes.
When all the data had been compiled, Hynes then flew the director and producer over the areas while the actual filming was being shot by Paul Mantz in the camera plane The scene actually is the portion of the film which will show “Lindy” leaving the Atlantic coast on his ocean crossing
Mantz. by the way, is the famous Hollywood pilot-cameraman who shot such scenes as the canyon portion of Cinerama and also the scenes in Strategic Air Command showing tire bombers at high altitudes in spectacular sequences.
The whole operation lasted three days and the film company is now in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to shoot other portions of the film.
“Dick” Hynes lives in Sharon with his wife and three children.