Florida update

RE: Florida update

Forgot I’d taken this one – if you look closely you can just make out a figure hanging from the tail. The pic was snapped at 60mph as we drove home and it was pure chance the sign was caught in frame. Made me chuckle anyway.

I’m posting some pics from Fantasy of Flight and Reilly Aviation on pbase http://www.pbase.com/pixel_eye so have a look later on.

The article on Reilly Aviation in the latest Flypast is very good. The tour guide, Richard I think, was very good and made it very interesting. Although he was a bit too good at figuring out personal traits!!! Couldn’t believe that there was a party of Brits from Newcastle there too! It is a good place to visit if you have the time, and want a break from Disney.

Bob
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RE: Florida update

Tom,
I feel priveleged to have seen it fly then!! I will guard the footage with my life!!
Bob

RE: Florida update

Thanks for the photos Bob. You were very fortunate to be able to see the P-51C fly, apart from seeing it’s arrival at Sun ‘n Fun in 2001 I haven’t seen it fly since. I’ve been out there about half a dozen times this year so far, and have seen the Storch fly every one of those times. If anybody needs some Storch photos, I have plenty. 😀

RE: Florida update

Ashley,
Glad you like the pics.
The ‘black and white’ cockpit shot is from inside the B17 they have set up as a living experience type thing. I had to shoot it using the night vision mode on the DV camera. When you watch the tape it has a background sound of the aircrew talking over the intercom during a simulated mission (apologies to William Wyler & Memphis Belle original film!)

Details of the P-51C are given on the FOF website as:-
“Paul Mantz purchased P-51C USAAF s/n 42 103831/N1204 in 1946 as war surplus and developed this aircraft into one of the hottest cross-country racers. Along with its sister ship N1202, Mantz managed to dominate the post war air racing until 1950. He subsequently placed the aircraft on display outside his facility at Orange County Airport, California.

In 1985, Kermit Weeks purchased the aircraft along with the majority of the Tallmantz collection.

In 1987, Art Teeter’s Cal Pacific Aeromotive began restoration on the rare C model Mustang, completing the restoration in March 2001. Aircraft 42 103831/N1204 is painted in the color of the Tuskegee Airman Ace, “Lee Archer”. Fantasy of Flight’s P-51C Mustang is one of only two flyable C model Mustangs in the world.”

It was really nice to see it take off whilst we were there – they do sometimes have a little air display on some days, by a single aircraft, but my luck was in when I saw the P-51 sat outside the hangar. There was a bit of a mad scramble to get outside when it started up!!!

Bob

RE: Florida update

Thanks for the pictures Bob 🙂

Is that P-51 the recently restored “Tuskagee Airmen”? (Tuskagee? Correct spelling anyone please? :))

RE: Florida update

OK, having zipped through the DV tape I took whilst at FOF, I snapped to MemoryStick the following images, which I hope you’ll appreciate. The quality is not too good as they are saved at 640×480 and do not come up to digital camera quality, but it’ll give you a little feel of the place.
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RE: Florida update

Whee … 🙂

Thanks for the picture, Bob — and for the info, Tom!!

RE: Florida update

Thanks Tom,
I wondered what was going on with the earthmovers etc!
There is a lot crammed into FOF, and I enjoyed the B17 experience – not every day you get to clamber through one and the effect was quite good.
Coupled with the visit to Flying Tigers/Reilly Aviation, it was a good day out. Glad I made the effort to go.

Chocks away…………
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RE: Florida update

Luckily, I have the good fortune of living on the coast here in Central Florida, and I manage to visit Fantasy of Flight frequently, as well as the other museums in the area.

My last visit to FOF was about three weeks ago. The B-24 was back in the maintenance hangar and the B-26 was inside also. I always get a little bit irritated when I hear people refer to these planes as being neglected. Believe me, these planes are not being neglected.

The problem Fantasy of Flight is currently facing is lack of space. These guys don’t have room to work. Some of you may not realize this but the presentation hangar, immersion experiences and generally the whole building you have visited was not originally intended to be the attraction, but was going to be used for maintenance and restoration.

Stage II of the attraction is now in place, and groundbreaking took place back in May on the construction of a mock WWII airfield near the entrance. Plans are for the B-17 immersion experience as well as all WWII aircraft to be moved to this new facility when it is complete. Once this is done it will free up a LOT of space for ongoing maintenance and restoration.

From what I’ve gathered there are plans in the future for the creation of a Golden Age hangar area, as well as a potential seabase for the Sunderland.

Remember, this attraction is just in it’s infancy, and it’s already amazing. If anybody ever has any questions about what’s going on out there please don’t hesitate to drop me a note.

Best regards,

Tom Royal
http://www.warbirdjournal.com

… and yet again!!

Andy — My apologies, my notes on “Joe”‘s last flight dates weren’t where they should have been — I will let you know when I find them.

SadSack — Yes, that formation is unlikely to be repeated in a hurry, I agree … And yes, that site by Robert Quirk is a great one, for Liberator and ACSEA enthusiasts. I also have a weakness for this one, for obvious reasons 🙂 :

http://www.warbirdsofindia.com/ovb24.html

Regards,

Snoopy

RE: Thanks again!!

The B-24 was missing soem of the left wingtip when I was there in April ’99 – don’t know if this is the incidnet referred to, or whether they’d simply removed it (didn’t look damaged…)

The Connie’s – sorry, Starliner’s – arrival was spectacular, very low over the Orlando/Tampa Interstate, and a go around from the FE who thought the captain was overshooting. Saw a great pic of it…

RE: Thanks again!!

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 16-08-02 AT 12:11 PM (GMT)]Fabulous! Unlikely to ever be repeated?

Anyone seen the rest of that site?

RE: Thanks again!!

Many thanks for posting that pic Snoopy 🙂

RE: Thanks again!!

The Lysander was sitting on a crate in the hanger when i visited. I overheard a guide telling people it had been with Kermit for years and was damaged in hurricane andrew. He wasn’t very impressed when i corrected him and told me i was mistaken, i had a magazine in the car which happened to have a photo in it of the Lysander flying at Duxford, i showed it to him and he still said i was wrong and just because the one in the photo wore the same markings it doesn’t mean it’s the same one. I left it there.

RE: Thanks again!!

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 15-08-02 AT 05:23 PM (GMT)]Snoopy – I went to Fantast of Flight in the first week of April… probably the 4th or 5th!! I’m sorry I don’t know when this incident with the truck occurred, I either can’t remember, or they never told me!!!

RE: Thanks again!!

Snoopy,

Yes you are right,,if it wasn’t for people like Kermit Weeks many a fine aircraft would have never been restored or saved.

With regards to “Joe” I would be interest in hearing about it’s last flight dates. And resparring would be an expensive repair so let’s hope it will at least be preserved in a somewhat runnable condition in the meanwhile(ground run)

Thanks,

Thanks again!!

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 15-08-02 AT 03:29 PM (GMT)]Alexis — thanks again.

Ashley — there’s a nice picture of the occasion (B-24 plus Hurricane plus two Spitfires plus Lancaster!!) at this url — it’s in b&w, but that seems to add a bit of atmosphere, to me:

http://www.rquirk.com/fail/article/artphoto/fail07wb.jpg

Andy / British Canuck, you’re right, the Fantasy of Flight B-24 hasn’t been airworthy for a few years now, but it was airworthy till around the mid-’90s. (I have a more accurate date somewhere in my archives, if you’re interested.) I have an impression it was fatigue problems with the main spar, which led to grounding — sounds like potentially a major piece of work; but doable, if someone has the interest and the budget.

I wouldn’t be too judgemental about Kermit Weeks. Whatever the lack of sustainability, he has built a remarkable collection, and restored most of them to a better state than when he first acquired them. More than I have the pockets for!

Regards,

Snoopy

RE: Thanks — and another quick one??

It is a shame that many of Kermit’s aircraft have deteriorated over the years. I had been told that the Mossy’s wings had delaminated and rendered it unairworthly also(due to improper storage). Maybe it’s like when a child gets a new toy or puppy..it’s fun and new for awhile then something else comes along and it get’s put aside. I only hope that his Lancaster project(KB976) currently in storage containers does not meet the same fate!

RE: Thanks — and another quick one??

If I were a betting man, I would lay everything I have on the fact that Kermit Week’s “Connie”, or more correctly Starliner, never sees air under its wheels again.

Sadly, great collector though he undoubtedly is, I am in two minds about Mr Weeks. For my liking, far too many of his aircraft, even those restored at great expense, subsequently fester away almost uncared for, e.g. Mosquito, B-24, B-26, Sunderland,…………..

RE: Thanks — and another quick one??

Bob…did you see the Lysander at all?

And any chance of sneaking it back in your suitcase for me? 😛

Snoopy…the B-24 in question was at Duxford before my time but I have seen plenty of photos of it…I would have loved to have seen it departing for the States with it’s BBMF escort…I wonder if anyone has any pictures of this please?

Ashley