Great Lakes 2T-1MS
- : United States
- : 1931
- : Menasco Pirate
- 125
- 28 ' 6"
- 110 mph (176 km/hr)
- 1580 lbs (717 kg)
- : Static Exhibit
- 20 ' 4"
- : Original
This aircraft, NC304Y, was used by the Great Lakes Aircraft company for advertising in various aviation magazines of the 1930s. It went on to be used as a trainer at the Bridgeport, CT airport in the 1930s. The Great Lakes was a favorite of Cole Palen’s and other famous pilots such as Paul Mantz and Tex Rankin were also known to enjoy it.
Cole found the Great Lakes in the body of a wrecked tractor-trailer where it had been stored for approximately 25 years. It was restored by Cole, Mike Lockhart and Andy Keefe in Florida in the early 1970s and was a regular performer at the Aerodrome until the early 2000s. It is powered by a 125 HP Menasco Pirate engine.
This Great Lakes was featured in a 1970s Mounds/Almond Joy commercial, during which Cole held candy bars up to the camera while performing aerobatics and acting “like a nut.”
Click for more information about the Great Lakes 2T-1MS