Warbird Information Exchange

I’ve been there at least six times. Last year I had my family with me for the first time and even my wife liked it. Like Jack said: It’s more an Attraction than a Museum but it’s worth it.

Joerg

Jack, Thanks for the Corsair pics, here are a few when I used to C.C. the airplane some. Yea that's a mall parking lot & a road takeoff






I have to make it down to Kermit's place someday.
Thanks Again for the pics.

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Jack, how did you get a pass to leave OR

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While the airplanes were all wonderful (and thanks for posting the pix, Jack), I actually found myself studying the architectural details of the hangar itself when they showed up in the background. It’s almost an art-deco “palace” of aviation! I especially loved the bay windows overlooking the F3F. The whole thing has such “character” that is all but long gone elsewhere. If aviation is a religion, then surely this is one of its grandest cathedrals.

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What's the story on the Gee Bee Sportster? Is that the one that Delmar Benjamin used to fly?

I agree with Rajay about the FoF hangar. What a great piece of architecture!

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

If you are into warbirds FoF is a must. Very cool place. I agree about the Hangars. I found myself checking them out along with the water tower and such. It is just a cool place.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Anyone know how far along Whistler's Mother is? How about his other B-17 Suzie-Q

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

The architecture there is interesting, but it's a very Disney take on art deco. The tour guide explained that the repro wartime water tower holds water for the fire suppression system.

It was also explained that the turf runway has a hard runway 18 inches underneath the grass, so Jennys and B-24s can be equally at home on it.

The facility includes a conference center that I'm sure is very nice, but don't think has very high utilization rates considering the remoteness of the facility. Kermit styles himself the "mayor of Orlampa" but there don't seem to be many competitors for the title. The day after I visited, I was chatting with someone from the Florida Attorney General's office whose business it is to know her way around the state very well, and she had never heard of "Orlampa" and seemed pretty disgusted when I explained the concept to her. Kermit may just be way ahead of his time, though.

There are some out-buildings in an adjacent field where there are no tours and reportedly the planes are stacked in there like cordwood. I assume that's where the other Fort is.

I caught a glimpse of the Hellcat in the shop during my visit in Jan. and it appeared to be actively being worked on and fairly well along.

August

If you are there don't let a shortage of time dissuade you from visiting Fantasy of Flight. If it is lunch time there is a old style lunch and snack bar at the entrance,next tot the windows and you can eat without even paying admission. If you have an hour, you can get a quick look through most of the museum. If you have a few hours you can see it in more detail, and try the Corsair simulators, and best of all maybe take a short flight on a Stearman or other biplane, and often Kermit will fly something for the folks to see. I have seen him fly the Storch, incredible, and the P-51C. A good guy and a good place.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

I was there in December and took the restoration tour...

Nothing is being done with the P-38 right now. It will take a TON of work. The booms and wings were taken off by someone else with a chainsaw!

The Hellcat is just sitting thee in the same condition as it was 5 years ago when I was there.

In addition, in the back there was a Ju-52 I believe and Meteor that will be restored to flying condition.

(Of course the Lancaster in crates as well!)

Don't forget the F7F and SBD. And the HUGE cache of Allisons and other in-line engines! Truly he's put together one top notch museum. But it feels like the museum has slowed down significantly in recent years. This could be just because certain knowledge about projects are kept hush hush and we aren't privy to whats been going on recently. But I've been there twice and will go back again and again to see what the Wizard has been doing recently.

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Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

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Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

What's going on with the B-24? Are there plans to possibly get her flying again? I understand she would really need to be completely torn down and rebuilt to be safe and reliable.

SN

Thanks for the preview, I'll be there in a couple of weeks (along with the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola and Don Garlit's Drag Racing Museum in Ocala).

Here are a few pictures taken in March 2009 of the restoration shop. The P-38 does indeed looks like a very long term restoration project.

I spend a full day at FOF and took in all the tours and extras...had a really nice time.

I sorta wish the F4U was parked in the main hangars and she did seem to be in the dark in the sim hangar.

The art-deco style of the main hangar and the newer ones across the runway are pretty cool...Here in Kansas City (Kansas side) at what used to be the Fairfax airport...now a GM assembly plant...the old terminal building was very, very similar to Kermits stylish hangar...even the interior reminds me of going to the snack bar in the long gone terminal...Very roomy accomodations for the different class of travelers, in the era of Ritz...

Kermit told me that the water tower was kind of an in your face thing with Polk city....politics...was forced to put in his own water supply...and the runway was purposely built to accomodate a B-29....the only grass runway like it ...anywhere.