 The model that Cliff glides with to escape from  Howard Hughes (I) (qv) warehouse resembled "The Spruce Goose", a  plane built by Hughes which was so huge that many people doubted it  would ever fly. This explains his "It does fly!" comment. At the  time the film was made, Disney owned the Spruce Goose, and its  rumored that they placed this part in the film as a promotion for  that attraction, which (apart from the Queen Mary) was the only  money losing Disney attraction in the US.