Dirk Braun

“A good friend of mine introduced it to me and it just never left me,” he says. “I’m interested in unique and rare things, and aviation was something I loved. And it just kept growing from there.”

The story of the Albatross was too compelling to ignore. “It’s had so many different lives. It started off as an open ocean search and rescue. It was used by Pan American Airlines. It was the last passenger transport flying boat. They’ve been used for countless research missions, surf explorations, all kinds of things. So that, to me is something really special and they made for unique subjects for the movie.”

His feature length documentary Flying Boat focuses on the “handful of pilots and mechanics that are still flying and maintaining the last remaining examples of the Grumman Albatross, which is a large old seaplane from a long-lost era of romance and adventure.” It premiered at Oshkosh in 2022.

When production started, Braun wasn’t a pilot, but in the course of filming he earned his certificate. Learning to fly was “just part of the journey” and he now owns a 1960 Cessna 182 that he keeps and flies out of Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO), a field he appreciates for many reasons including its iconic Hollywood history.

Braun hopes Flying Boat inspires aviators and promotes aviation. “Beyond that, I hope that it appeals to people that had known nothing about aviation and flying and can enjoy something that’s unique and uncover a long-lost piece of history.”

While the Albatross’s glorious past has long been his focus, he’s invested in its future as well: Braun is now a partner in the Darwin, Australia-based Amphibian Aerospace Industries, which intends to bring the Albatross back into production. The venture has been taking orders and hopes to have an airworthy Albatross this year.

When he isn’t flying, surfing, or traveling the world for work and fun, you can find him at his Malibu, California, gallery (Dirk Braun Gallery, 23708 Malibu Road) that exhibits photos from the production of Flying Boat as well as occasional guest artists’ work. 
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