The Region : Plane Owner Sues Paramount Pictures

A man who rented out his vintage jet for the filming of the television show “MacGYVER” filed suit against Paramount Pictures and producer Henry Winkler, claiming they cut the plane up without permission. Louis Fricke, who lives in Santa Clarita Valley, claims in his Superior Court suit, which seeks $37,500 in damages, that he leased his rare T-33 jet frame--a Korean War-era jet complete except for the engine--to Paramount in early 1985 with the express understanding that the craft would not be altered and would be used only as a prop. When Paramount took the plane to Utah to film the ABC-TV series, however, studio employees allegedly used a chain saw to cut off the nose section, the front landing gear and a 36-inch section in the rear of the fuselage, the suit said.