A long time ago this question was posted but the thread with the answer seems to have disappeared. So now I'm wondering out loud again.
I think it was a Curtiss biplane but don't know what model and whether it was a US Army Air Corps or US Navy plane.
Did the Peter Jackson version use the same type of biplane?
A bit late for the original poster, but just to keep the record in order...
1928 Curtiss F8C Helldivers were used in the filming. IRL, the US Army Air Corps did keep planes in the NYC area.
I think they take off from Floyd Bennett field in Brooklyn or Queens. We see the Manhattan skyline in the background. There are so many great matte shots: everything on Skull Island and the Manhattan background from the top of the Empire State Building, Central Park, the Chrysler Building and downtown in exactly the right place. This is testimony to the detailed craftsmanship of the film, as are of course the special effects.
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