This video tells of the travels of pilots John and Joyce Proctor in their refurbished Grumman ‘Albatross' amphibious seaplane. Nicknamed ‘Albie' by the Proctors, this ungainly looking craft was rescued from the military boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson and lovingly restored to near mint condition. The interior of ‘Albie' resembles nothing more than a luxurious RV, complete with such creature comforts as a queen-size bed, a computer workstation, and a washer and dryer. During the course of this record-breaking Pacific voyage, the Proctors visited Canada, Alaska, Siberia, Japan, Australia, and several South Pacific islands before returning home. As interesting as this sounds, the video is undermined by sloppy technical work and inaccuracies. An annoying and disconcerting smudge appears smack in the middle of the lens of a camcorder used during the trip and the shots of ‘Albie' in flight get tedious after a while. But the most inexcusable error comes when the Proctors are visiting the Samoan home of author Robert Louis Stevenson, and the narrator informs viewers that Stevenson's greatest work was Robinson Crusoe, compounding the gaffe by pronouncing "Crusoe" as "CaRuso"...Defoe and Enrico are spinning in their graves. Libraries that have extensive aviation holdings might want to consider; for the rest of us, it's not recommended. Aud: P. (J. Carlson)
The Boat in the Sky: A 35,000 Mile Pacific Odyssey
(1996) 63 min. $29.95. Alba, Inc. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 12, Issue 4
The Boat in the Sky: A 35,000 Mile Pacific Odyssey
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