He Fly’s em Too!!
Kermit Weeks, founder of “Fantasy of Flight” (FOF), has such a hard job. He must decide which of these beautifully restored aircraft to fly on any particular day. My sarcasm aside, here’s an excerpt of his bio: “For Fantasy of Flight founder Kermit Weeks, the opening of his aviation-themed attraction has been a natural extension of a lifelong, unbounded passion for aviation and aircraft. Weeks has been involved in aviation since his childhood and, throughout his life, has also maintained a fascination with the worlds around us we don’t see. His enthusiasm for furthering public interest in aviation has never stopped growing. A skilled aerobatics competitor and aircraft designer, Weeks has earned acclaim both for his accomplishments in the air as an aviator, and on the ground for his technical ability to build aircraft and his promotion of aviation and vintage aircraft restoration.” His bio is lengthier and very impressive in my opinion. I encourage everyone to read further on the FOF Website. I believe you’ll also agree that his life’s story is an open-architecture. Besides being one of the most privileged pilots in America, he’s very community minded in his approach to aviation. He and his staff are not just turn-key curators. They preside over an interactive educational experience. I even found some of Kermit’s aviation intro books for children on “Amazon.” My mechanical, behind the scenes curiosities were satiated as well. There’s an elevated walkway that I could look down, through windows, into a variety of workshops showing the current restoration projects. This is a unique perspective I’ve only seen in tech manuals. The walkway also provides an elevated view of the displays in the main Museum Hanger. If you want to validate the experience with souvenirs, there’s a well-stocked gift shop. Outside, the true plane nerd can see anything from a simple engine run-up test, to an actual flight. Kermit is an accomplished aerobatics pilot, but I’ve not seen him try this in any of the rare Warbirds. I have heard of him doing a “Watermelon” bombing run over the ocean in the B25, but I’ve not confirmed that. FOF is a repeat activity for me. One and done isn’t enough for this aircraft experience. And, memberships are offered here too.
By Don C.