Fantasy of Flight

I recently paid another visit to Fantasy of Flight located over in Polk City, FL. If you are an aviation buff this place is a "must see" and even if you aren't all that crazy about aircraft you'll probably appreciate the history and the quality of the overall experience. Fantasy of Flight is a privately owned collection of aircraft that all belong to Kermit Weeks. You can get more of the story behind Fantasy of Flight on their official website by clicking here, and Mr. Weeks's blog offers addition insight here. And for the official Wikipedia take on Kermit Weeks, click here.

Okay, up to speed yet? Good. Let's move on to the photos from my visit.

Here's the official sign located outside the entrance to the main building:



And just before entering the building you are greeted by this message from Kermit Weeks:



Just across the field from the main entrance was this sight that would make any aviation history buff's heart skip a beat:



Once inside the museum you begin your experience by walking through a few set pieces depicting significant milestones in aviation history. Among the first is a World War I diorama featuring combat soldiers and a swooping fighter plane of the period:





World War II is next on your travels through history and that war is represented by this B-17, which is parked in the recreation of an airbase of the time. One side of the B-17 is "battle ready" while the other side represents a B-17 recently returned from battle and undergoing repairs. You get to walk through this aircraft at your leisure to examine the crew spaces and components:



Here's a shot of the control panel in the B-17. I am always fascinated with these old panels, the technology they represent, and the skills the pilots had to possess to deal with these complex machines:



Coming out of the historical displays you enter the civil aircraft hanger where you are greeted by an almost overwhelming array of aircraft of all shapes and sizes:



Further along you enter the warbird hanger where an equally dizzying array of fighter planes and other military aircraft await your perusal:



This is one of two P-51 Mustangs on display. This one is marked up to represent the Tuskegee Airmen's squadron. Click here for more on their story:



Out on the tarmac sat this sexy Supermarine Spitfire. This is only about the second time I have ever seen one of these planes up close and personal like this:



Each day they fly one of the planes in the collection. During one of my previous visits it was that Tuskegee Airmen Mustang. This time it was this German artillery observation plane:





When they landed the plane you were able to get a very close look at it. I noticed that planes don't appear to need as much tread for cornering as motorcycles:



Part of the experience was a tour that takes you behind the scenes to the working areas of the Fantasy of Flight operation. The first stop was the restoration shop where they are actively working on several planes to bring them back to flying condition:



You can see in this shot that these planes don't start out in the most pristine of conditions, but the restoration shop works pure magic to return these hulks to the skies where they belong...with Kermit Weeks (no, that's not him in the photo) at the controls, of course:



Sitting over in one corner of the restoration shop was this hulk. That's a complete, albeit slightly disassembled, P-38 Lightning that Weeks will have his restoration shop return to flying condition:



The next stop on the tour was the engine warehouse. Everything you see in this photo -- and a whole lot more you can't see -- is an aircraft engine of some sort or description. This was a fascinating stop on the tour, especially once you heard what the guide had to say about this diverse collection of engines:



The next stop was for a glimpse inside one of many storage bays, each one, like this one, crammed full of aircraft awaiting restoration:



The final stop on the tour was the maintenance hanger, which was chock full of more incredible vintage planes; all of them in flying condition and ready to go at Kermit Weeks's whim:



Leaving the maintenance hanger I shot this view across the field toward the main display building:



Okay, that's enough to give you an idea of what a visit to Fantasy of Flight holds in store. But let me caution you that I have only scratched the surface here; you really must pay this place a visit for yourself. You will not regret the time you spend and I assure you that the price of admission is well worth it for the opportunity to see this much aviation history in one place.