There were no pumps in Apr 2016. The two end pumps were in place in Apr 2018. But the Big Red Star Sign was still missing.
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| Street View, Mar 2019 |
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| Street View, Mar 2019 |
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| William Erb posted The Airplane That Never Flew Back in 1930–31, two local brothers named Elmer and Henry Nickle had a dream that was bigger than your ordinary roadside gas pump. At a time when more Americans were buying cars and long highway trips were becoming part of everyday life, their service station sat on the newly widened Clinton Highway (U.S. 25W) just north of Knoxville. They wanted something eye-catching, something that would make travelers pull off the road and fill up with gas. So they built their station in the shape of an airplane. From afar, it looked as though a little aircraft had just come in for a landing , complete with wings stretching out over the pumps where motorists could park to fuel up. Locals later said it was inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the famous plane that crossed the Atlantic and captured imaginations everywhere. Of course, the airplane never flew, it was never meant to. It was meant to catch your eye, and it did exactly that. As cars sped down the highway, travelers surely looked twice as the shiny wings and quirky design stood boldly beside the road. |
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| David Spradlin commented on William's post A recent rear view of the plane station. Do a Google search. There is pics of the inside too. Neat |
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| Calvin Schubert, Nov 2022 |
They found old glass metered pumps for the restoration.
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| Rebecca F, Apr 2023 |
A closeup of the globes. The globes are collector items and cost significant money, let along the pumps. And that sign probably wasn't cheap. I see the historical marker is next to the sign.
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| Bruce Clarke, Jan 2024 |
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