Workers Prepare Spruce Goose for Oregon Trip : Tourism: Visitors can see ‘The Flying Boat’ as it is disassembled for ocean journey.

LONG BEACH — The new owners of the Spruce Goose began the arduous task of taking apart the giant airplane this week.

During the next two months, workers will disassemble the world’s largest airplane and move it from Long Beach to McMinnville, Ore., where it will be the centerpiece of an aircraft museum.

Fans of “The Flying Boat” may still visit the attraction under the giant dome at the Long Beach Harbor, where mechanics are in the process of boxing parts of the aircraft built by the late billionaire Howard Hughes.

Most of the heavy work of dismantling the plane will be done at night, said Mark A. Smith, assistant director for the Evergreen AirVenture Museum.

Evergreen Aviation International Inc. bought the plane from the Aero Club of Southern California. The Aero Club sought a new home for the aircraft before the Walt Disney Co., which manages both the Spruce Goose and the Queen Mary luxury liner, discontinues running the attractions this December.

Although the fate of the Queen Mary remains uncertain, the Spruce Goose will be disassembled and placed on barges for its long journey to McMinnville, 40 miles southwest of Portland. by Sept. 30.

This will be the first time the Spruce Goose has moved from Long Beach, where it was assembled in the mid-1940s. The plane was created to transport troops during WWII, but the war had ended by the time the aircraft was completed.

Hughes flew the plane only once, to the delight and surprise of many who did not think the 200-ton behemoth would ever get off the ground. After the brief flight over Long Beach Harbor, the aircraft was stored in a hangar for more than three decades.

In 1980, the Wrather Corp. built a dome for the Spruce Goose next to the Queen Mary and opened it to the public. About four years ago, the Disney Co. bought the Wrather Corp. and began managing the two attractions, which have come to symbolize Long Beach.

When Disney decided to pull out, Queen Mary workers and supporters rallied to the ship’s defense, urging city officials to keep the ocean liner in town. But until recently, there was little outpouring of concern for the Spruce Goose. And by then, it was too late.

Aero Club officials said they were forced to find a new home because of a lack of interest in keeping the plane in Long Beach.

For its final months, Disney has reduced the entrance fee to $10, which is good for both the Queen Mary and the Spruce Goose.