Warbird Information Exchange

My father & I went to Fantasy of Flight just outside of Lakeland FL a while back.
Great collection of aircraft, top notch all the way.
I took a bunch of pictures while I was there, here are a few of my favs from that trip.

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FLORIDA DIECAST AVIATION FORUMS
www.forumsvibe.com/cfldiecastmodel

Very nice!!

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Great pix, thanks for sharing

Great pictures!

cool pics! what is the status of the b-24 ? it was a flyer a few years ago wasnt it? sim.

very cool pics, thanks!

what's the scoop on the P-38? and what the heck is that contraption to the left of the Natter replica?

cheers

greg v.

The yellow ball with the framework on top is a balloon gondola I suspect.

.


Flew as JOE with Dave Tallichet as the owner some years ago.

Great pics of some great subjects! I gotta get down there some time myself.

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

Status of Mr. Weeks' B24...

I was told a few years back ('99 during a visit to FOF) that the a/c could be made flyable "relatively quickly". There was an incident with a wingtip and a catering truck as they were preparing to open the Fantasy of Flight. Further, various engine components were "borrowed" for use on the Short Sandringham when Mr. Weeks flew the Olympic Torch as part of the Atlanta Summer Games.

Would definitely like to see this flying, but would really like to see the B26 in the air again...then there's that B23...and...

A really great collection and I have always been treated very well during my visits to FOF. Thank-you Mr. Weeks.

FOF has a full time resto shop & the P-38 was one of the projects.
During the shop tour they said the P-38 was flown down to south or Central America after the war, fitted with a new camera mounted nose & used for photographic land survey.

After many years of use it was left for dead down there & later found by somebody in the 80's.
That mental giant cut the plane up with a chainsaw in order to ship it back to the states.
Now I don’t remember if the aircraft made it back to the states in the 80's or if I was left for dead again.
Either way MR Weeks of FOF rescued the poor P-38.
They said it would take at least five years to complete the P-38 & make it airworthy again.

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FLORIDA DIECAST AVIATION FORUMS
www.forumsvibe.com/cfldiecastmodel

Yes it was exactly that. I think it was to fly around the world but didn't make it.
Sorry I whish I had more info.

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FLORIDA DIECAST AVIATION FORUMS
www.forumsvibe.com/cfldiecastmodel

Here's the scoop on the P-38:

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p38regis ... 26761.html

Back in '80, when Dick Lambert had it, he let me sit in the cockpit and if you look at the data plate today, you'll probably still see where I scraped the rust off with a quarter to read the serial number...

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

I'm jazzed enough just to see that it's in the restoration que. With Mr. Weeks' penchant for exotics, I always thought he'd look right at home in a P-38.

Any clues as to what other restoration projects are currently underway with FoF?

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

The P-38 is in que, but that que has a very long wait. During the five years between my visits, that P-38 never changed position. Same location its been in for a while.

As far as other projects, I know there is a Hellcat waiting. They are currently working on a P-35 and I think a Stinson. Great to see any restoration work going on.

Great place to visit. Daily aerial shows too by Kermit himself!

Tommy