Everyone thought he was crazy, but restaurant developer David Tallichet knew that there was something he was missing in the jungle. Tallichet was an innovator in the restaurant scene, building a legacy based on the culture and flavors of the food that he serves. However, this discovery he made in the jungle had nothing to do with his success as a restauranteur. When he ventured out into the jungles of Papua New Guinea, he ended up raising ghosts from the grave. Tallichet’s discovery is not only interesting but of historic significance.

Tallichet made his fortune in the restaurant business, establishing a Polynesian-themed restaurant chain in California. However, his success can be attributed in part to the discipline he learned while serving in the military. During WWII, he served as a co-pilot on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Tallichet was a force to be reckoned with both in the sky and in the kitchen.

He had a deep passion for aviation even as he made his fortune in the restaurant business. With his fortune, he began to collect aircraft, specializing in military plane replicas. His planes, for example, were used in the major motion picture “Pearl Harbor.” Tallichet was a successful businessman who was always looking for new adventures. So he led a group to Papua New Guinea in search of adventure, trekking through the dense jungle!

Despite his team’s years of survival training, no one was prepared for the surprise they discovered in the middle of the jungle. When Tallichet saw it, he was moved to tears. He was immediately transported back to 1942. Captains Fred Eaton and Henry Maynard Harlow of the United States Army Air Corps were hired for a highly classified and dangerous mission.

The pilots were shot down over Rabaul, New Britain, en route to their destination, and landed in the swampy jungles of Papua New Guinea. The nine people on board the plane had few resources and were in dangerous territory. Forced to abandon their plane, the crew trekked through the jungle for six weeks and battled both the terrain and sickness, from malaria to heatstroke.

The abandoned aircraft lay there in the jungle for decades, until Tallichet and his crew ventured back to Papua New Guinea to find it. When Tallichet and his team found it, they were able to have the “swamp ghost” lifted out of the jungle. This incredible discovery is documented in the video below. The old bomber is now officially retired from duty and on display in Hawaii.