Fantasy of Flight
Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida.
Established
November 11, 1995 (1995-11-11)
Aviation attraction
over 150 aircraft
It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Tamiami, Florida, On April 6, 2014, it closed to the public, aside from private events and on January 30, 2015, it opened a scaled-down museum displaying a small selection of aircraft while the facility is upgraded for a future reopening.[1]
Many of the aircraft displayed are airworthy and some are flown from the facility's grass runways or its seaplane runway.[2]
– N69FF
Aerostar Balloon
– Displayed as U.S. Mail aircraft.
Airco DH.4
– N4301U
Antonov An-2
– KB976 – Stored in a number of shipping boxes behind the museum's workshop. Nose was guillotined from the main body after a hangar collapse at Woodford Aerodrome in 1987. KB976 made the last official RCAF flight of this type with Flight Lieutenant Lynn Garrison as captain and Flt Lt Ralph Langemann as co-pilot during an air show in Calgary, Alberta July 4, 1964.
Avro Lancaster
– reproduction
Bachem Ba 349 Natter
– N52962 – Displayed at the Florida Air Museum at Lakeland Linder International Airport.
Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing
– N92KC
Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan
– N91448 – Formerly on loan to the Florida Air Museum, the plane was partially disassembled and returned to Fantasy of Flight on March 13, 2014.[9]
Bell P-63 Kingcobra
– Full size reproduction was built at Fantasy of Flight in an attempt to recreate the first scheduled airline service (using a winged aircraft) on the 100th anniversary of its first flight on January 1, 2014. Though the plane was completely assembled and taxi tested, the plane could not achieve the necessary speed to lift off and was not flown at the event.[10]
Benoist XIV
– Under off site restoration after damaged by Hurricane Andrew at the former Weeks Air Museum.
Boeing 100
– USAAF 44-83542, displayed as 42-37994 "Piccadilly Princess." A second B-17, 44-83525 "Suzy Q," is stored.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
(U.S. Navy B-29) – USAAF 45-21787 and USN/USMC Bureau Number (BuNo) 84029 "Fertile Myrtle". Restored nose displayed at "Golden Hill" facility.
Boeing P2B-1S Superfortress
– reproduction
Brown B-2 Racer
– N181BU – One of two flying.
Bücker Bestmann
– N41455
Bücker Jungmann
- Under restoration in Australia
CAC Boomerang
CAC Wirraway
– N94459 "Joe" Displayed in Maintenance Hangar. A nose is also displayed in the Officer's Club event facility adjacent to the North Hangar.
Consolidated B-24J Liberator
– N96UC displayed on the tarmac. An additional PBY is in storage.
Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina
– N2404
Curtiss JN-4D Jenny
– reproduction
Curtiss Headless Pusher
– N923 – The only factory dual-control example flying
Curtiss TP-40N Warhawk
– NC8313
Curtiss Robin
– N10967
Curtiss Wright Junior
N19RX – Delivered to Fantasy of Flight in March 2013. Made its first flight in 2014 and still undergoing testing.
Curtiss-Wright CW-19
- Mk B. 35 - RS712 - On long-term loan at EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
de Havilland Mosquito
– Stored
de Havilland Vampire
– N1944A
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
Douglas DC-3 - Used for advertising alongside the .
Interstate 4
–Stored
EKW C-36
– Stored
Fairey Swordfish IV
– N156FS
Fieseler Fi-156 Storch
– reproduction
Fieseler Fi-103 V-1 Flying Bomb
– reproduction – Under construction off site with original Mercedes engine.
Fokker D.VII
– N94100 – reproduction, one of two built by Brian Coughlin in New York State, powered with a 160 hp Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine and formerly flown at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Fokker D.VIII
– N2009V – reproduction (the last original example was destroyed in a bombing raid in WW2).
Fokker Dr.I Triplane
– N9651 – The "City of Philadelphia," which appeared in the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Ford 5AT Trimotor
– In storage
Gloster Meteor Mk IV
– NR77V – reproduction – Original aircraft destroyed in crash in 1931.
GeeBee Model Z
– NR2101 – reproduction – Original aircraft destroyed in crash in 1933.
GeeBee R2 Super Sportster
– N3215M – reproduction
GeeBee Y Sportster
– Stored
Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat
– N7626C – Stored
Grumman F7F Tigercat
– Stored
Grumman F9F Panther
– N222FM -
Grumman FM-2 Wildcat
– N404Q – Displayed at Florida Air Museum at Lakeland Linder International Airport.
Grumman G-44 Widgeon
– N1214N - A second example is stored.
Grumman J2F Duck
– N9548Z
Grumman TBM-3E Avenger
– N607LA – Under restoration
Hawker Tempest II
– "EJ693" – Under restoration
Hawker Tempest V
– reproduction
Howard DGA-5 "Ike"
– "G-BFHG" – Stored
Junkers Ju 52
– Disassembled and stored
Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien
Kingfisher - Under restoration in Auckland, New Zealand.
– reproduction
Laird Super Solution
– Stored
Lavochkin La-11
– USAAF 44-26761 stored.
Lockheed P-38L Lightning
– N40415 – Stored outside
Martin 4-0-4
- Under restoration.
Messerschmitt Bf 108
– Undergoing offsite restoration in Canada.
Messerschmitt Bf 109
– Stored
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
– Stored
Mitsubishi A6M Zero
– N1943J – Displayed as "Apache Princess."
North American B-25J Mitchell
– Under off site restoration
North American P-51A Mustang
– N1204 – Displayed as USAAF 42-103831 "Ina the Macon Belle" of Tuskegee Airmen pilot Lee Archer.[21]
North American P-51C Mustang
– N5798N – Displayed as 54883.
Piper L-4J Grasshopper
– N50074
Polikarpov Po-2
Polikarpov I-16
– Stored in original shipping crate.
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
– N211NX – replica – One of a dozen replicas of "The Spirit of St. Louis" of Charles Lindbergh.
Ryan NYP
– N65269
Santos-Dumont Demoiselle
Savoia Marchetti S-56
– N106EP Under restoration
Seversky P-35A
– Under off site restoration to flight status.
Sikorsky S-38
– NC50V – "Spirit of Igor", painted in giraffe pattern of the original "Spirit of Africa."
Sikorsky S-39
– visible as part of the restoration shop tour.
Sikorsky S-43
– N111VA
Sikorsky S-55
- reproduction
Sopwith Pup
Spirit of St Louis, reproduction. Powered by Lycoming R-680 engine.
– N63230 - Returned to flying status in 2013.
Stinson L-1 Vigilant
Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk14e - N808U - serial MV262. Stored.
– NC174V – Displayed in U.S. Mail markings.
Travel Air 4000
– Stored.
Tupolev Tu-2
– N906H
UTVA Aero 3 Icarus
– Displayed as BuNo 97286, G5, "Angel Of Okinawa."
Vought F4U-4 Corsair
Vultee BT-15 - Under restoration
– N1913B – reproduction under construction
Weeks Benoist
– N30KW – Owner Kermit Weeks' first self-built aircraft.
Weeks Der Jaeger D-IX
Weeks Solution S1-WS – N300KW – aerobatic aircraft designed and built by Kermit Weeks, stored.
Weeks Special S-1W – N69KW – aerobatic aircraft based on built by Kermit Weeks.
Pitts Special
– returned in March 2014 having been displayed at Florida Air Museum at Lakeland Linder International Airport.[28]
Westland Lysander
The Fantasy of Flight collection contains the following aircraft, although not all are present at any given time as they may be rented out to other facilities, or flown to events, or undergoing additional maintenance or restoration. Most of the collection is in the north and south hangars which are now closed to the public, while a small number are displayed at the interim museum in the old maintenance hangar. In 2012, the "Golden Hill" storage facility opened across the road from the main facility. A number of aircraft have been re-located into this new building, notably the Douglas B-23 Dragon and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress nose.[6]
Partial closing[edit]
On March 4, 2014, Fantasy of Flight announced that they would close to the public after April 6, 2014, but continue to stage private events. They further announced that they would reopen to the public in late 2014 as a scaled-down museum, with reduced admission prices, while they simultaneously begin to design and build the main facility into more of a destination attraction that would appeal to a wider audience rather than just aviation aficionados.[29] Ironically, the announcement that the facility would soon be closing its doors to the public has caused a significant upswell in visitors. Crowds have been so large that the facility has had to make use of its overflow parking area on multiple occasions since the announcement.[1] As of 2017 the museum is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and most Sundays.