http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 2455.story
Up, up and away?
The Liberty Belle and other warbirds may no longer fly in Osceola once the owners of the Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum sell the attraction.
By Elizabeth Kirk | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted January 9, 2005
It was a great day for flying, and the newly restored B-17 aircraft Liberty Belle couldn't wait to stretch her wings again.
The World War II-era bomber, restored over the course of 10 years at the Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum, flew twice Wednesday for about an hour in a series of shakedown flights. Called the Flying Fortress, the B-17 took to the skies Dec. 8 for the first time in 37 years.
These moments of triumph may be among the last for the popular attraction, because owners Tom and Suzzie Reilly have a potential buyer for the museum and some of its planes.
"It's a bittersweet deal," said Reilly, who has operated his business restoring old warplanes in Kissimmee since 1985. The museum is closed, but the planes remain on display. The museum used to attract 30,000 visitors a year.
The potential sale comes on the heels of one of the most high-profile and expensive restoration efforts the museum has undertaken -- that of the Boeing B-17 Liberty Belle owned by collector Don Brooks and his Liberty Foundation.
The plane, scheduled to be completed in May, will go on the air show circuit for about 10 months. The Liberty Belle will continue to fly in air shows each year with the help of periodic maintenance.
Brooks said he likes to think of the plane as a "flying museum," where people can learn about veterans and the history of aviation by taking a ride. He also plans to give ground tours of the plane.
"The more you learn about the planes, the more you appreciate what the veterans did, what sacrifices they made," Brooks said.
World War II enthusiasts and tourists from all over the world come to the museum to remember their own days in combat or to catch a glimpse of aviation history.
One of the more famous planes in the museum is a Stearman biplane N2S-1 flown by former President George H.W. Bush when he was a naval aviation cadet in 1942.
Mike Walk, a German native who lives in Naples, has visited the museum five times and returned last week to see how the museum fared during the hurricanes.
He pilots a Stearman similar to the one on display at the museum and said he likes to come by and see the progress of the reconstruction.
"I'm fascinated with old airplanes, and I love to watch how they work here," Walk said.
The history of the planes and ideal weather conditions make Kissimmee Gateway Airport the "perfect airport for these planes to fly in," said Terry Lloyd, director of aviation for the airport.
But the weather isn't always positive for the planes.
August's Hurricane Charley destroyed the company's three trucks and devastated the hangar, tearing off the front and roof. The planes inside were flung on top of each other, and many were severely damaged.
The Liberty Belle, which was outside during the storm, was untouched.
It's a special plane for Reilly, who has rebuilt 31 planes during the past 33 years. Similar facilities finish one plane every five years, he said.
Reilly says he prefers to rebuild World War II-era planes that others have passed over.
"They're alive, and they have personality. You can communicate with them," he said. "It has a certain romance."
The Liberty Belle was in pieces in what Reilly calls the "junque yard," because "it's expensive junk." But the plane was restored carefully to become one of only 14 airborne B-17s in the nation.
"Flying her is like wearing a worn, comfortable leather shoe," he said, comparing the B-17 to more modern but less pilot-friendly planes.
Reilly will move on after the museum's sale, heading to Douglas, Ga., where he will work on planes for himself and a newly recovered B-17 for Brooks.
He also plans to keep a place in Kissimmee where he can work on planes. The planes he has refurbished have graced the skies in Osceola for nearly 20 years.
"I have about 10 more [planes] left in me," Reilly said.
Elizabeth Kirk can be reached at 407-931-5916 or
ekirk@orlandosentinel.com.[url][/url]