Avanti Airlift!

[mfg]

During the Studebaker Avanti 'Operation Airlift', as many as four cities were visited in one day......True?

[mfg]

No 'operation Airlift' pilots in the house today?

[BRitz]

Well....they did cover 24 cities in 16 days, so it may have been possible. TRUE.

[studegary]

I will say false, since ISTR that they made up to three stops in a day.

[mfg]

The answer here would be FALSE...my info mentions they did a max of TWO cities in one day...Studegary mentions they may have done THREE...but FOUR would have probaby been "A City Too Far"!

[plwindish]

It was my understanding the cars were taken out of the planes and set up in displays in tents or empty hangers and they had a roll out program for dealers, vip's, and other interested parties introducing the Avanti and they also were giving people a close up view of the car. With all that going on, 2 cities a day would have been a do-able schedule, not 3 or 4 cities.

[Gunslinger]

Gotta agree. Besides the distances involved between cities (more likely regions which have an airport large enough for the C-82, hanger space available or room for a large tent), flight preparation, fueling, maintenance, loading and securing the cars and unloading them, this must have been a big undertaking. The amount of time required seems to preclude more than one or two stops in a day...the dealer displays of the cars probably took place during normal work hours, further restricting how many stops could be made.

That doesn't even include when fuel was denied the plane for lack of payment and the aircraft sat until payment could be arranged. Studebaker was in quite a precarious financial position...probably more than we really understand.