Fantasy of Flight

B24

Article and photography by Del Laughery

Powered heavier-than-air flight became part of human collective consciousness when, on December 17, 1903, Ohio-native Orville Wright flew the 600-pound “Flyer” a distance of 850 feet in 59 seconds at a location just north of Big Kill Devil Hill, NC. Two years later, with a much-improved Flyer III, Wilbur conducted a 39-minute flight in a circular pattern over Huffman Prairie, NC, travelling a total distance of 24 miles at an average speed of 61.5 mph. He would have flown it for a longer period, but it simply ran out of gas! It was during these first, delicate, years of flight that many people began their almost irrational love of all things airplane, and that love has gone unabated for 121 years. In fact, despite the fact that space travel was added to the mix in the 1960s, people still focus on the potential and reverie of conventional flying, daydreaming when they will take a ride or even pilot an aircraft by their own hand.

So, even with that many years behind us, aviation is still thrilling. Boys and girls fly model airplanes in their living rooms. College students study aerospace engineering in the hopes of advancing the science. Military pilots still guard the frontier and commercial pilots connect the public to otherwise very distant locations. So, when I recently visited the Fantasy of Flight® collection at Orlampa Airport (FA08) Polk City, FL, I found myself in complete agreement regarding the name’s implied importance of aircraft and flying, and it is with a very deep amount of thanks to the museum staff that I write this article about the collection on display in their hangar.

Duck

First, it should be understood that this is a private collection. In fact, it’s the world’s largest personally-owned collection of vintage aircraft. Me? I collect 35mm slides of the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. But if you’re Kermit Weeks, his collection of aircraft is “a natural extension of a lifelong, unbounded passion for aviation and aircraft.” And while the collection is in Polk City today, it actually got its start at Tamiami Airport, FL, in 1985, which was almost immediately too small. By 1995, the collection moved to its current location after Mr. Weeks purchased the site (which was near a body of water so that vintage sea planes could be operated), cleared and leveled the ground for two turf runways, and erected the main hangars by mid-1993. One need only walk into the hangar to feel his excitement in the air as you are immediately overwhelmed by the sheer density of airframes strategically positioned to make maximum use of the space available.

P-51C

To give you a sense for what I mean, ten steps into the hangar you’ll see a V-1 Buzz Bomb mounted high and to your left, the nose of a wingless Chilean P-47 to the right, while front and center are a pair gleaming P-51s, a C-model Mustang on the left and a D-model on the right. My favorite aspect of this sight includes the view of the nose of a B-24J in the opposite corner of the building just visible over the back of the P-51C. While I imagine the layout of the aircraft changes routinely, the obvious care and attention these aircraft receive, and their purposeful presentation, does not. Keeping them in pristine condition is a challenge for any museum or collection, and it’s no easy task for the Fantasy of Flight staff given many on display here are flyable.

It won’t take long to walk around the aircraft that are available for viewing. There simply aren’t that many given the space limitations in the hangar. That said, take the time to avail yourself to the tour provided by the staff. The information you’ll receive is well worth the time investment. The guide will discuss aircraft and powerplant changes over the life of the type and tie it to world events that drove government policies and military needs of the time. If you’ve ever wondered why an aircraft came to be, or why a radial engine was chosen over the much more streamlined, and attractive, inline engine, then the tour is for you. If that’s not enough to get you interested, the fact that the guides are incredibly knowledgeable, happy to be speaking to you, and overtly nice should be.

Nardi_FN305

Historically significant aircraft, and who is to say what is, and isn’t, significant, are what make this collection as special as it is, as are some of the stories behind how they came to be part of the collection. For instance, tucked in front of the P-51D’s nose you’ll find a 1935 Nardi FN.305D, a radial-powered Italian trainer and liaison aircraft of which only two were built. One can argue its significance, but the fact that it was acquired after residing in an Italian castle peaked my interest in the aircraft. Additionally, there are very few vintage Italian aircraft that are flight worthy, and once this one is restored it will make a valued addition to the Mr. Week’s stable of airworthy planes.

B-24_Nose

Another interesting acquisition story is found in the collection’s non-flying B-24J. It seems that immediately after WWII, the British destroyed most of their Lend-Lease aircraft, all but for a few that were stationed in India, which the newly independent country retained. In the early 1970s, four of these Liberators were obtained by collectors and eventually acquired by Mr. Week’s in the early 1990s and flown to its current location. With only a handful of the type in flyable condition, this will make a wonderful, though expensive to operate, addition to the collection.

I-16

An additional future flyer is the 1933 Polikarpov I-16, another radial-powered aircraft, this time a single-seat fighter. Shaped somewhat similar to a Gee Bee racer, it looks as if it would have similar, unforgiving, flying characteristics. But, in fact, the aircraft was fast, maneuverable, and recovered from spins in a benign and predictable way. That said, during initial testing it was noted that the aircraft did not tolerate abrupt control surface inputs, which garnished a poor reputation that lasted its entire career. Despite its undeserved reputation, over 7,000 of the type were built. The type could be fitted with RS-82 unguided rockets. On August 20, 1939, an I-16 shot down a Nakajima Ki-27 fighter with an RS-82 from approximately a kilometer away. The aircraft in the Fantasy of Flight’s collection was originally acquired by the Midland Army Air Force Museum, rebuilt from a wreck found in Russia at the original Polikarpov factory.

ME-109

Other non-flying aircraft include a wingless P-47, an equally wingless ME-109, a Lockheed Vega (for which only the fuselage ribs are displayed), a DeHavilland DH-4, and a pair of Gee Bee racers. Flyable examples in the collection include a P&W-powered F4U-4 Corsair, the previously mentioned P-51s, a Supermarine Spitfire Mk 16, and a Grumman Duck (which is on loan from the World’s Greatest Aircraft Collection). Now, if you really want to get into the inner workings of the collection, and see what the general public does not, you’ll need to do a little pre-planning for a visit to the restoration facility, which is just across runway 14/32. Accomplishing this involves not only two weeks advance notice, but also a bit of cash. $500 buys you, and up to four additional guests, a 3.5-hour tour of the collection’s original hangar that is now used to restore future flyers.

You can hover over each thumbnail for an aircraft’s type or click for a larger photo.

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