Warbird Information Exchange

A shame that yet another flyer seems destined to become ground bound at Polk City

“Rumors of its death have been greatly exaggerated” - N1944A is Coming Home to Fly!by Fantasy of Flight on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 5:07pm
Despite popular rumors, one of the most legendary World War II aircraft flying, the C-47 Dakota N1944A, will not be put in mothballs. In fact, this beloved hero is coming home from a long stay in Europe to take a place of pride in the flying aircraft collection of Kermit Weeks, owner of Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.


Of the remaining collectable World War II aircraft still flying, very few actually saw duty. And of those, even fewer have the war record of N1944A:

D-Day Invasion
Operation Market Garden
Battle of the Bulge
Crossing of the Rhine
Repatriation of POWs at war’s end
Its homecoming will follow a North Atlantic crossing, flown by award-winning pilot Weeks and Verne Jobst, who has 8,000 hours in DC-3s. Making up the crew of the trans-Atlantic flight will be Glen Moss (flown two crossings, one in a DC-3 and last month in a Cessna), who is consulting on the flight, and Fantasy of Flight Aircraft Department staffers Andy Salter and Wayne Root, both of whom bring vital mechanical skills to the

operation.



The route will include elements of the “Great Circle Route,” but according to Weeks, they may deviate slightly to what he jokingly calls the “Great Scenic Route.” N1944A will make its Homecoming Debut at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it will be displayed for a few months, before flying south to Fantasy of Flight.



Once the aircraft leaves the UK, Weeks has promised to provide updates, photos, and observations, which will be posted on Fantasy of Flight’s Facebook page as they occur. “Of course,” reminds Weeks with a laugh, “This all relies on the technology. There will probably not be a 3G signal available in some of our locations.”



Trans-Atlantic ferrying of significant vintage aircraft is becoming rarer and rarer these days, taking place only every 5 or 10 years. Weeks’ only previous ferrying across the Atlantic took place in 1993, when he brought his Short Sunderland to the USA. He sees this flight as one of the last of its kind and certainly one of the most significant.

Howdy All

FOF have stated on Facebook that it wont be mothballed !

Lightning

If Kermit Weeks wants to buy as many warbirds as possible, and store them in a shed, he's quite free to do so.

His money, his aircraft. He doesn't 'owe' it to anyone to return any of them to flight.

The bloke who pays the bills, calls the shots. He may get some of them flying, he may not. As they're his toys, none of us can criticise him or make demands.

If he wants to bring it home and park it, never to be flown again, that's his right.

Cheers,
Matt

The bloke who pays the bills, calls the shots. He may get some of them flying, he may not. As they're his toys, none of us can criticise him or make demands.

Matt