Fantasy of Flight to Close as Public Attraction, Will Focus on Private Event Business: Attraction has world's largest private collection of vintage aircraft

AUBURNDALE | Troubled by waning attendance and image problems, Fantasy of Flight, an aviation-themed attraction boasting the world’s largest private collection of vintage aircraft, closes to the public April 6.

Kermit Weeks, the charismatic former aerobatics champion and aircraft designer who built Fantasy of Flight in part to house his collection, said he delivered the somber news Tuesday morning to staff inside the attraction and airfield just off Interstate 4 near Polk City.

“I turned 60 last year and the clock is ticking; it’s time to move on,” Weeks said. “So the bottom line is, instead of focusing on a business that quite honestly is not sustainable, I can focus my energy and resources toward a dream that will sustain.

“I have great employees, a great product,” he said, “but people think we’re (little more than) a dusty old airplane museum.”

Weeks said he failed to change that misperception over the 18 years Fantasy of Flight has operated, despite adding elements such as aerial demonstrations of rare, vintage aircraft, tram tours that give visitors a glimpse of ongoing restoration efforts and a zip line.

Over the next few years, Weeks said, he’ll continue to build on his private event business while working on plans to create a new destination attraction, one where aircraft take a back seat to character-driven entertainment and opportunities for self-discovery.

“I’m going to get some of the best minds in the design business,” he said. “We’re going to look like the big boys up the street,” meaning major theme parks, “but with a completely different product.”

Fantasy of Flight was a good fit in a county where aviation continues to be a thriving business, said Mark Jackson, director of Central Florida Tourism and Sports Marketing.

He expressed optimism over Weeks’ assurance of a new venture.

“Kermit has always been a visionary and someone who has a unique ability to make the necessary changes to his products and offerings, which ultimately will put the business in a more competitive position,” Jackson said in an email.

“Fantasy of Flight has played an important role in the message we convey to potential visitors. I’m looking forward to what Kermit’s creativity and perseverance will come up with next. We’ll certainly be there to help him market his next great idea.”

Bobby Green, city manager of Auburndale, which annexed the Fantasy of Flight property in 2008, said growth along the I-4 corridor bodes well for Weeks’ future plans.

“If there’s anyone that can reinvent Fantasy of Flight and the opportunities of that property, Kermit Weeks is quite capable of doing that,” he said.

“I think with Florida Poly, and the things happening with light rail, I think he realizes he’s in the center of the universe ... Let’s remember that Legoland (Florida) used to be Cypress Gardens. Whatever happens there will be good for Auburndale but will also be good for Polk County.”

Without mentioning specifics, Weeks said the closing will result in a reduction of his workforce. At one time the attraction employed as many as 70 people.

It’s the second reduction since May 6, when Fantasy of Flight cut operating hours from seven days a week to four, entertaining guests Thursday through Sunday, only. A general admission ticket was most recently priced at $29.95 for ages 13 and over.

Weeks said he intends to concentrate on restoration of rare, vintage aircraft, which is the reason he developed the property following the destruction of his Miami air museum by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Weeks has said he bankrolled Fantasy of Flight with royalties from the work of his grandfather, a geologist involved in the oil industry. A part of his collection of aircraft, some of which dates to the dawn of aviation, is scattered around the globe.

Despite efforts to fuse the museum aspects with interactive, immersion experiences, putting visitors into the belly of a B-17 Flying Fortress to witness aerial battle at an altitude of 25,000 feet, Fantasy of Flight never quite earned its keep.

“In its current form it is not a sustainable operation based on attendance numbers,” said Kandice Stephens, the attraction’s operations manager, adding that Weeks’ long-range plans call for a “main attraction” for which people will travel out of their way.

“His (Weeks) vision is to use quality entertainment to help people discover themselves, pushing their boundaries, facing their fears,” she said.

For those who enjoy aviation history, plans are to open an aspect of the present aircraft collection in a reduced capacity and admission price later this year, Stephens said.

“We’ll be reduced to just one (hangar) with a select number of aircraft with historic value, no tram tours, no back lot (tour),” she said.

Meanwhile, the events staff will be retained and the facility will continue to host weddings, meetings and corporate events, including team building and birthday parties.

Groups booked for admittance to the attraction after April 6 will be issued refunds, the release said. Groups currently contracted only for private events will not be affected by these changes.

Annual passholders will receive a pro-rated refund based on the date of purchase. Questions may be sent to: btaylor@fantasyofflight.com.

Story, photo and comments/reaction:   http://www.theledger.com

Restored Ball Turret back on WWII-era Aircraft

The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force B-17 Restoration Team has installed a restored ball turret onto a World War II-era aircraft. The ball turret was revealed during a ceremony on Tuesday.

The ball turret was purchased from the set of the movie "Memphis Belle" and has been under restoration for the last 11 months to transform it from a movie prop into a functioning turret.

The installation was overseen by two groups of the B-17 Restoration Team, an all-volunteer force that has given over 35,000 hours to restore the aircraft.

The Museum's B-17G Flying Fortress arrived in 2009. A donation from the National Air and Space Museum, the Flying Fortress is undergoing a complete restoration to return it to its original combat configuration. When complete, it is anticipated that it will be the only static restoration of a B-17 Flying Fortress in the world with three fully-functioning power turrets.

Story and photos:   http://www.wsav.com

“Miss Pauline”: Work progresses on museum's WW II aircraft

Working on “Miss Pauline” is like working on a giant puzzle with thousands of pieces in two different locations.

“Miss Pauline” is an AT-6 that is being built from an assortment of parts, nuts and bolts.

Sam Dodson, who joined the project in January, fabricated a dolly that is going to take a section of the plane mounted with wheels from a hangar at Terrell Municipal Airport to the No. 1 British Flying Training School on Saturday.

Dodson, who is an airframe and power plant mechanic with Southwest Airlines, along with many other people, is helping rebuild a part of Terrell’s and the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum’s history.

The plane has been named “Miss Pauline” in honor of Pauline Bond Baxter who was an instructor at the flying school during WW II.

The AT-6 is being stripped, cleaned, refinished part-by-part, section-by-section from several planes.

The goal is simple: put together an AT-6 similar to what was used to train cadets from The Royal Air Force, Canada and the United States during World War II and use it as the main display at the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum on Silent Wings Boulevard.

Dodson said the main landing gear has been installed on the center wing section.

“In the meantime, we still need to finish stripping paint and prepare the top skin of the CWS for primer application this week .... before fuselage attachment,” he said in an email on Monday. “If anyone is available to help during the week for this critical task, please let me know.”

Jim Evans, a BFTS board member and the “Miss Pauline” project manager, said he will need all hands on deck Saturday to help mount the wing center section to the fuselage.

“Sam has designed and constructed a dolly which will wheel the wing from the hanger to the museum where we will lift up the fuselage to accommodate the assembly,” Evans said. “This is a major step in our restoration …. You will be a part of important local history in action.”

Cliff Taylor, who is chairman and treasurer of the No. 1 BFTS Museum, said the project still could use about 10 more volunteers, especially people with good mechanic skills.

“We believe we will have a pretty complete plane by Sept. 20, but it will be fully complete by the end of the year,” Taylor said.

Once the plane is completed, the next challenge will be where to put it on display.

Taylor said they will have to make space in the back of the museum, at least initially, to display it.

A committee, he said, is working on where to build a new museum that would accommodate it.

As of late January, Taylor said $38,000 had been spent on the “Miss Pauline” project and there was $9,500 in the bank. He estimates another $3,000 to $5,000 is needed.

People interested in volunteering their skills and time should contact Taylor at 972-551-1333.

To make donation, send a check to No. 1 BFTS, Box 6, Silent Wings Boulevard, Terrell, Texas 75160.

Story and photo:  http://www.terrelltribune.com

Avenger torpedo bomber takes flight: After years of work, public can view restored World War II plane

 When retired airline pilot Charlie Cartledge bought his World War II vintage TBF Avenger torpedo bomber in 1999, it was missing a few important parts, namely an engine and cockpit instruments. The wings needed to be rebuilt, too, and attached to the fuselage.

It took 14 years of work, but the plane finally became flyable a few weeks ago. On Aug. 14, Cartledge took to the air with his plane for the first time, in Wadsworth.

He hoped the plane would be fine after all that work.

“Yeah, that first takeoff is pretty exciting,” he said.

The legendary torpedo bomber is now at Erie-Ottawa Regional Airport, near Port Clinton. When Liberty Aviation Museum’s star attraction, a B-25 bomber, is away, the museum rolls Cartledge’s bomber into the museum hangar to take its place, so that visitors will still have a World War II plane to look at. The Avenger was at the museum Friday.

Cartledge, 54, who lives in Orrville and Middle Bass Island, remembers confidently telling people that his torpedo bomber would be airborne in five to six years. “I still get kidded about that,” he said.

The Grumman TBF Avenger is a single-engine plane, but if you saw it in a picture, you’d likely not realize how big it is. It has a wingspan of about 54 feet and is about 40 feet long, dwarfing most single-engine planes.

People who stand next to the plane are surprised how large it is, Cartledge said.    “It was the largest carrierbased aircraft of World War II,” he said. “It handles like it looks — like a big truck.”

Cartledge’s bomber was built in New Jersey. The Navy accepted it in July 1945, shortly before the war ended. It was retrofitted to spray pesticides on farm fields and then passed through various hands before Cartledge bought it for $100,000.

He picked a bomber, rather than a fighter, because it was what he could afford.

“Basically, it came down to finances,” he said.

A working fighter plane cost $1.5 million. A working Avenger cost $150,000, although Cartledge paid less for a “needs work” model.

With help from friends, he had to retrieve parts for the Avenger from all over North America. The engine, for example, was purchased at an auction in Oregon and shipped to Oklahoma City for an overhaul before finally traveling to Ohio.

“I had to fabricate all the hydraulic lines,” Cartledge said.

“I just think it’s amazing and fantastic,” said Ed Pickard, a Liberty Aviation volunteer who’s been working to restore one of the museum’s PT boats. “The job he did on this plane is just incredible.”

Cartledge owns three planes: the Avenger, an AT-6 Harvard training plane — also used in World War II, and on display at Liberty Aviation Museum — and a Cessna.

The Cessna is the practical plane, the one he uses to take a quick trip to Middle Bass Island. A Cessna can be ready to go in 10 minutes.

But when Cartledge wants to fly his Avenger, he starts work at about 8 a.m., checking oil levels, seeing if any of the hydraulic fluids are leaking and doing other service tasks.

The wings fold back for easy storage on top of an aircraft carrier, so he has to make sure they’re fully extended and locked into place. If all goes well, his plane is ready to fly three hours later, at 11 a.m.

World War II pilots had a ground crew, but Cartledge is his own ground crew.

Pickard said Cartledge deserves credit for his dogged persistence in restoring the plane. Many aviation buffs buy an old plane, work on it for years and wear out, leaving the incomplete bird sitting in a hangar somewhere.

“He really is to be commended,” Pickard said.

Story and Photo Gallery:    http://www.sanduskyregister.com

'War Horse' ready for taxi

The restored F-111 aircraft that was unveiled in June at the Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport will make its way Sunday to its permanent home at Aviation Heritage Park on Three Springs Road.

Moving the plane is the culmination of nearly a year of work since the F-111 arrived at the airport last October from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Phoenix, where it had been sitting in the boneyard, a storage space for retired planes. The aircraft, affectionately known as the “War Horse,” was reassembled and restored at the airport, where it has sat completed for the past three months.

“It’s been a long year, but at the same time, it’s been a very fulfilling effort,” said Arnie Franklin, a retired Air Force pilot and a member of the Aviation Heritage Park. “We know that Bowling Green and the surrounding area will be very proud when we get it out there.”

Franklin’s right wingman flew the plane during the El Dorado Canyon mission in 1986 that raided Libya, for which Franklin was mission commander. The plane was also part of more than 50 missions during the Gulf War before being retired in 1996.

Aviation Heritage Park officials had to wait until now to move the plane because of the lengthy planning and preparation needed to transport such a large aircraft, he said. At 73 feet long with a wingspan of 32 feet, it’s the largest plane the group has ever moved. 

At 10:30 p.m. Sunday, the “War Horse” will be towed by a tractor with the tow bar connected to the plane’s nose gear.

“Since it can’t be pulled under its own power, we’re going to tug it,” said Jim Wright, president of the Aviation Heritage Park.

The tractor hauling the plane will turn from the airport onto Scottsville Road and then onto Three Springs Road to the park. The convoy will include personnel from the Bowling Green Police Department, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Bowling Green Municipal Utilities and the airport.

The tractor is unable to pull the F-111 more than 3 mph, so it could take two to three hours to transport it, Wright said. The late time was chosen to avoid traffic and cause as little disruption as possible.

To make the plane easier to transport, its wings will be swept back and its nose, called the radome, will be taken off, Franklin said.

The pad where the aircraft will sit in the park had to be modified because the plane is so big, and the chain-link fence in the park was taken down temporarily in order to move the plane into place, he said. Steel plates will also be arranged on the ground of the park to act as a taxiway. Otherwise, the aircraft would sink into the ground because it’s so heavy.

Once the plane is in place, the nose will be reattached and a sign will be put in front of it, Franklin said.

Those tasks should be completed within a few days of the plane’s arrival at the park.

Aviation Heritage Park officials plan to have a dedication ceremony to celebrate the plane’s arrival at the park, though the date hasn’t been determined, Wright said.

Original story:  http://www.bgdailynews.com

Clear flying: Mineral Wells, Texas

Mornings last week provided J. D. Dunson with “beautiful, thrilling” opportunities to exercise his vintage, piston-engine 1956 North American T-28 warbird.

Dunson is a pilot and member of the Eagle Flying Museum, where he keeps his aircraft.

He had been flying over Mineral Wells Thursday morning in his classic, updated plane that he said cruises at “about 200 knots, somewhere around 250 mph to, maximum, 300 mph.”

“It was made to train jet pilots [and was] their last transition from a heavy, fast airplane ... to a jet,” he told the Index, adding that the 8,000-pound, 1,445 horsepower flying machine was made until about 1960 and served “as the primary trainer for the Navy and the Air Force and Marines for years and years and years.”

“I’ve been a pilot all my life and I lived through this transition,” he said of planes to jets. “When I was a young man, there weren’t hardly any jets, they were all pistons. And that era is completely gone in America, forever.”

Dunson said most of the old airplanes, like the warbirds, are now in museums. The Eagle Flying Museum, located at the Mineral Wells Municipal Airport, is an active flying museum. Dunson said he takes his T-28 out once or twice monthly.

The museum moved to Mineral Wells just over one year ago, according to Executive Director Scott Perdue. Its goal, he said, is to preserve heritage.

Many of the museum’s planes were used as trainers, Perdue noted as he pointed to a bright blue-and-yellow PT-17 Stearman  bi plane with fabric wings and then to an AT-6 Texan, made by North American.

For more information on the museum, visit the website at www.eagleflyingmuseum.org.

- See more at: http://mineralwellsindex.com

Help is in the air: Volunteers keep things flying at aircraft museums

Dick Goldstine's father was a mechanic at the Millville airport and he grew up flying model airplanes there. Goldstine himself served in the Air Force.

Now 67, the Millville resident still spends most days at the airport, part of a crew of volunteers at the Millville Army Air Field Museum who help to restore old World War II-era vehicles, or do whatever jobs are needed to keep the museum operating.

"We're keeping alive the history of the Millville airport and what the guys who were here did," Goldstine said.

Volunteers have always helped at local historical air museums during large events. But as grants have become harder to get and budgets get tighter, museum officials rely even more on a core group volunteers who add a personal - and sometimes historical - touch to the exhibits.

At the Naval Air Station Wildwood Air Museum at the Cape May airport in Lower Township, volunteers work as greeters, welcoming visitors and providing information.

"Most of them are older folks, interested in aviation, and they really like getting to talk to people who visit," said Bruce Fournier, Wildwood museum deputy director.

Jane Kotz's late husband worked as a pilot at the Wildwood airport, and since they were always out at the airport, she was asked to volunteer. She moved to Florida for awhile, but then moved back to North Cape May two years ago.

"People come when they're on vacation, but we also recently had a young man from Cape May who said he'd never been here," Kotz said.

Bob Olivieri of North Cape May said he's learned things from the guests who visit, including a German Messerschmitt pilot from World War II.

"We talked for 45 minutes," he said.

Olivieri, 82, said he likes to keep busy, and likes talking to people. Volunteering at the museum lets him do both.

"I'm one of those people who always puts his hand up to help," he said. "I'd rather be doing something than nothing."

In Millville, the volunteers work on equipment, but also help organize events, paint and change lightbulbs as needed.

"It's fun out here," said Jerry Benfer, a retired educator and member of the Millville museum board who came out one day about 10 years ago and never stopped helping.

Tim Jacobsen, 63, of Millville came out with Goldstine one day and wound up tearing apart and restoring a 1973 military truck.

Millville museum director Lisa Jester said earlier volunteers were typically from the World War II era, but now they are getting people from the Vietnam era. The museum has begun adding information about the Korean and Vietnam wars to the museum.

Some, but not all of the volunteers were in military service. George Lods, 70, of Millville, served with the Army military police in France.

"This is an opportunity to be part of history," he said.

Ron Franz,80, of Millville served in an Army tank unit, and got involved with the museum because an antique car club he belonged to used to meet at the airport.

"Then I drifted over here, too," he said. "I'm here every morning. I'll do bricklaying, painting and electrical work, but not plumbing. I hate plumbing."

Roy Wilson, 79, of Mays Landing, teaches a model airplane and Introduction to Aviation class on Saturdays at the Millville museum for children ages 12 and older. He sees the classes as a way to interest the younger generation in history and aviation.

"We take them out on the flightline, talk to pilots," he said. "We want them to think of aviation as a career. The trick is to keep them mesmerized."

Volunteers said their work makes them feel like they are contributing to the preservation of America's history.

Mike Hajek, 81, of Rio Grande, spent the Labor Day weekend at the Cape May airport, though he admits his legs don't hold up as well as they used to. A transplant from South Brunswick, he moved south in 2000 after his first wife died because he got lonesome and had friends in the Cape May County area.

"It's in my blood to volunteer," he said, and working at the museum makes him feel that he also making a contribution to history.

"I don't want the history of our country to die out," he said. "This is a way to teach people."

Upcoming events
 
A 12-week Introduction to Aviation course for young people ages 12 and older is held at the Millville Army Air Field Museum, at the Millville airport from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays beginning Sept. 7. The fee is $125 and includes a subscription to Model Aviation Magazine, and five flying model airplanes. Call 856-327-2347 to register.

An Aviation Celebration will be held at the Millville Army Air Field Museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 28. Cost is $5 and children younger than 6 are free. Event will feature World War II-vintage aircraft. Call 856-327-2347.

Story and Photos:  http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com

Crashed WWII Spitfire being dug up on Salisbury Plain

The remains of a buried Spitfire aircraft shot down over Wiltshire during World War II are being dug up.

In 1940, Pilot Officer Paul Baillon bailed out of the aircraft, and the wreckage has been buried in the earth of Salisbury Plain since.

Now a team of archaeologists, injured soldiers and veterans have begun a project to retrieve the wreckage, which is not expected to be recognisable.

The pilot's daughter, Rosemary Baillon, is also on site to watch the work.

'Enemy aircraft'

She said: "At the first threat of war, my father joined the Royal Air Force volunteer reserve and learned to fly at Sywell, Northamptonshire.

"It was on 27 October 1940 that my father was brought down by enemy aircraft near Upavon.

"This was a particularly worrying time for my mother who was expecting me to be born in the March of the following year."

It is believed the 609 Squadron pilot bailed out after damage to the plane's oil tank meant visibility was severely reduced, and he could not land safely.

The project to unearth the wreckage, called Tally Ho, is being carried out by Operation Nightingale - an initiative established by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and The Rifles.

It helps injured personnel return to their regiment or prepare for civilian life.

'Sacrifices of airmen'

Richard Osgood, DIO's senior historic advisor, said the project had been poignant and moving.

"Archaeology is all about people - whether they be prehistoric, Roman or Saxon," he said.

"This site has yielded traces relating to the sacrifices of airmen from the 1940s and it has been a real privilege to re-tell the story of Paul Baillon.

"The Protection of Military Remains Act protects these sites and it is important that they are considered properly.

"This is avowedly the case in this instance and it is thanks to the hard work of the British service personnel and volunteers involved."

Original Article and Photos:  http://www.bbc.co.uk

Teachers on Dive for Megalodon Teeth Also Find WWII Plane Wreck

Couple searching for rare shark teeth also find downed World War II plane

A North Texas couple hunting for rare shark teeth has made an extra find -- a crashed World War II plane.

Wes and Kerry Kirpach, who are both teachers, regularly travel to Venice, Fla., to scuba dive and search for teeth from extinct sharks. On a recent trip, the couple discovered what they believe is a P-47 Thunderbolt.

"The best we can figure, the pilot that was flying the plane survived the wreckage, and I would imagine he swam to shore, then he continued on," Wes Kirpach said. "He later crashed in the Pacific and survived and, if I'm correct, he passed away in Macon, Ga., at the age of 92 just a couple years ago."

The state of Florida and the Air Force is now investigating the wreckage, the Kirpachs said.

The couple was diving to search for teeth from megalodons, a species of prehistoric sharks.

Megalodons were comparable in size to a modern whale shark and could have measured up to 60 feet long. Scientists believe the species went extinct between 4 million and 20 million years ago.

Finding halves of the teeth are common, but finding two matching halves is very common. But luck was on the Kirpachs' side -- they also found two matching halves on the same trip they discovered the downed aircraft.

Wes Kirpach, who teaches Advanced Placement biology in Plano, and Kerry Kirpach, who teaches Advanced Placement art history in Frisco, have been married for nine years.

The couple regularly uses their trips and interests at educational tools in the classroom. Wes Kirpach said his students have discovered new species right outside his Plano West High School classroom.

Pieces of history are all around them, and it helps kids learn, Kerry Kirpach said.

Story, Video and Comments/Reaction:   http://www.nbcdfw.com

Texas company reproduces legendary WWII fighter plane

 Credit: Josh Stephen / WFAA
 Authentic replicas of the legendary Spitfire British fighter plane are being manufactured in kit form at a small factory in Cisco, Texas. 


 

CISCO, Texas — One of the most iconic and deadly fighter planes of World World II has come back to life in rural Texas.

First built in the late 1930s by the British, the Spitfire played a pivotal role in turning back the Germans in the Battle of Britain.

Now — in 2013 — there’s a Spitfire replica rolling out of a small factory in Cisco, Texas.
This is an aircraft that's fast, nimble and easy to fly.

It's like a Porsche in the sky, said Mike O'Sullivan, whose company, Supermarine Aircraft, makes the planes in this tiny town.

"When you're in a Spitfire, you think the direction you want to go and it will go that way," he said.

From a young age, O'Sullivan, an Australian, listened to stories about the legend of the Spitfires told by the men in his home town.

"I grew up in the Outback, where nearly everyone went to war,” he said.

Eventually, the magic of Spitfire compelled him to spend $8 million and seven years designing a replica. He moved his business to Texas in 2008.

"I'm not trying to brag, but I do seem to have the magic ability to just put it together,” O’Sullivan said.

In terms of vintage Spitfires, O'Sullivan said there are still about 40 airworthy planes out there, and that one recently sold for $4.5 million.

His new Spitfires are all crafted by hand. He sells them boxed up, as a kit, for $175,000. Buyers around the world assemble them on their own, and they often draw a crowd wherever they fly.

"I've had people take their own plane out of a hangar to put the Spitfire in to say they had a Spitfire in there overnight, and you've got to come over and stay with me," O'Sullivan said. "I mean, how good is that?"

That's what you get for lovingly and carefully reviving a legend of the sky.

Story, Video, Photo Gallery:   http://www.khou.com

Historic WWII aircraft restored at North Little Rock Airport

 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - A pair of pilots in North Little Rock are chasing their dream of restoring a historic DC-3 aircraft. 

The WWII prisoner of war transporter was purchased at a 2006 auction from the State of Arkansas. After bringing it back to the North Little Rock Airport, aviators Bob Partyka and Harry Barrett began work on the plane with the goal of restoring it to original condition.

The plane's history dates back to the mid-1940's when it was built for the Canadians in WWII. It was loaned to the British towards the end of the war and was later used to charter passengers to and from the North Pole in the 60's and 70's.

"We've taken most of the interior out, and we've still got a lot of work to do to get it back to the way it looked in World War 2," said Barrett, who also manages Barrett Aviation at the airport.

The owners said their main goal is to one day showcase the plane for the public. Barrett said he would like to try to form a museum with it and get some donations and keep it flying.

"It's a part of our history," Barrett explained.

At the very least, Partyka said he wants to bring it up to Federal Aviation Administration standards, so they can take passengers up in the air.

"I wanna see it fly again," he hoped. "That's what this airplane was born to do is fly."

Story, Video, Photos:   http://www.thv11.com

Sea Fury's stunning aerial display over Falmouth: VIDEO

 

 Credit Martin Perrett.

People in Falmouth were treated to a spectacular aerial display as a 'Spitfire' style plane took to the skies above the town on Friday.

The aircraft, a Sea Fury, wowed crowds on Gyllyngvase Beach with loop the loops and spins over the sea.

The aircraft was understood to be from the Royal Navy Historic Flight, based at the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in 1972 in order to preserve Naval heritage and to be a living memorial to all Fleet Air Arm personnel.

 The Hawker Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Hawker.

The type is distinctive due to it being not only the last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, it is also one of the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built.

Developed during the Second World War, the Sea Fury has many similarities to Hawker's preceding Tempest fighter; the type had several qualities that made it more suitable for carrier operations, being a lighter aircraft and the pilot having a significantly improved field of view.

Introduced to operational service in October 1945, too late to participate in the war itself, the Sea Fury would slowly supplant older fighters used by the Royal Navy such as the Supermarine Seafire.

Story, Photo and Video:  http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk

Plane was at Iwo Jima

The OY-1/(L-5) Sentinel now at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot was at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. It is one of 11 planes belonging to the Texas Flying Legends Museum based in Houston. The planes spend a portion of the year in Minot and also in Maine before returning to Houston for the winter months.

See more here:  http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/576599/Plane-was-at-Iwo-Jima.html?nav=5010

Warbirds will take to Daytona's skies for Coke Zero 400

DAYTONA BEACH — Coke Zero 400 fans won't hear the roar of high-powered military jets over the Speedway at the end of the national anthem, but they will be entertained with vintage warbirds. As the sequester budget cuts continue to keep military jets grounded, Daytona International Speedway has secured a group of eight World War II-type aircraft to perform the pre-race flyover at the July 6 race. 

Read more: http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20130628/NEWS/306289980?Title=Warbirds-will-take-to-Daytona-s-skies-for-Coke-Zero-400

Vulcan still a thriller for pilot

Saturday, June 15, 2013
Lincolnshire Echo


A Lincolnshire man who was the youngest ever captain of a five-man Vulcan bomber crew at 23 will be watching the iconic aircraft from the ground at the RAF Waddington International Air Show.

And the sight of XH558, still the only airworthy delta- winged Cold War deterrent, will make the hairs on the back of 69-year-old Tim Turnbull's neck stand on end.

The retired squadron leader, who spent five years at the Scampton base flying the Vulcans carrying Blue Steel stand-off missiles, now lives at nearby Nettleham.

But he has a true boy's own story – the son of a mill owner, he set out to fly and had his pilot's licence before he could drive. It reached a peak in January 1964 when he flew his very first Vulcan, the same XH558 which will thrill thousands in the skies above Lincolnshire later this month.

Within two years, the young pilot was elevated to captain the crew, an honour he cherishes to this day.

In all, he flew the Vulcan fleet for a total of nearly 2,000 hours, nearly 1,200 as skipper.

And he went on to log more than 7,000 airborne hours, including taking the controls of the Tornado fast jet.

Given a model airplane for his fifth birthday, he made his own and progressed to the Airfix kits – dreaming all the time of becoming an airman.

"If I hadn't been accepted as a trainee pilot, I would have run my father's cotton mill," he said. "I didn't want to do anything else in the RAF but fly.

"And I was so lucky because all the aircraft I flew were so very different. But we all still love the Vulcan because of its shape, amazing maneuverability for such a big plane – and that noise. It's such a formidable package.

"I'm really pleased that it's still flying and I'm looking forward to seeing it again at the Waddington Air Show."

Brought up in Lancashire, Mr Turnbull joined the RAF in 1961 and, after officer training, was posted to Lincolnshire to fly the de Haviland Vampire in 1963 out of RAF Swinderby.

A year later, at 20, he joined 27 Squadron at Scampton.

He then instructed at RAF Little Rissington in Gloucestershire and Manby in Lincolnshire and then secured a NATO attachment with the Allied Command Mobile Force (Land) from 1973 until 1975.

This was a quick reaction force which could be deployed at short notice to resist any attack on a member state. He was also stationed at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus.

He was based in Germany in the 1980s before his final posting of a 37-year career – at RAF Cranwell from 1995 until 1998 as an instructor on the Bulldog airplanes.

Even after his official retirement from the RAF, Mr Turnbull stayed on for another decade at RAF Coningsby as a civilian.

"I achieved all my ambitions, had wonderful experiences, made many friends and enjoyed every minute," he said.

Story and Photo: http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk

Spitfire tribute to Middleton wartime pilot: Sergeant Allan Leaver-Ridings was flying Spitfire W3644 when he was shot down and killed over Devon on June 23, 1942

By Simon Thacker

13 Jun 2013 08:00

A spitfire pilot from Middleton, killed three weeks before his twenty-first birthday, is having a memorial installed in his memory.

Sergeant Allan Leaver-Ridings was flying Spitfire W3644 when he was shot down and killed over Devon on June 23, 1942.

Allan, a former pupil of Middleton Grammar School and North Manchester Grammar School, had been a trainee reporter for the Oldham Chronicle before the war.

A £6,500 replica of his Spitfire will be installed at Lytham St Annes, his mother Edith's home town on Saturday, June 21, two days before the 71st anniversary of his death.

Spitfire Display Team volunteer Lee Townsend said: “We've done quite a bit of research on him and apparently he was up against one of the top German aces – low on fuel and out of ammunition, so he didn't really stand a chance.

“We also know Allan's father William owned a shop in Long Street, Middleton between the Assheton Arms and Cemetery Street which sold toys, and he also owned a motor-repair shop in the 1930s.”

The memorial for RAF Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Command features a replica of the nine-metre plane posed as though swooping over a landscape. It commemorates the 5,886 airmen from coastal command killed in the Second World War.

Among the guests will be RAF veterans and Allan's niece, Anne Selka as well as John Coombes, Fylde Spitfire Memorial Fund chairman.

Story and Photo:  http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Last surviving German bomber lifted off bottom of the Channel

The World War II Dornier is lifted from the English Channel this evening.

 Photo: IAIN DUNCAN

By Sam Marsden

9:20PM BST 10 Jun 2013

The RAF Museum salvage team had previously been hampered by strong winds, but a window of good weather allowed them to winch the only surviving Dornier Do 17 bomber from the sea bed.

Covered in rust and barnacles, with its propellers broken off, the aircraft was pulled to a barge at about 6.30pm.

The team tried to lift the plane on June 2, but bad weather thwarted the attempt within 40 minutes of success when an increase in winds made the sea too choppy to complete the operation.

The plan, which was three years in the making, was adapted so lifting equipment could be attached to what were believed to be the strongest parts of the aircraft’s frame and raise it whole, instead of constructing a cage around it.

The aircraft at Goodwin Sands was discovered by divers in 2008 at a depth of 50ft on a chalk bed with a small debris field around it.

Sonar scans by the RAF Museum, Wessex Archaeology and the Port of London Authority confirmed the identity of the aircraft as the Dornier Do 17Z Werke number 1160.

None of the bombers, which were nicknamed “flying pencils” because of their narrow fuselage, were thought to have survived since the Second World War.

The aircraft is said to be in “remarkable condition”. Other than the effects of the sea, such as barnacles, coral and marine life, it is largely intact.

The main undercarriage tyres remain inflated but the propellers clearly show the damage inflicted during the bomber’s fateful final landing, experts have said.

Peter Dye, the director general of the RAF Museum, said: “The discovery and recovery of the Dornier is of national and international importance. The aircraft is a unique and unprecedented survivor from the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.

“It will provide an evocative and moving exhibit that will allow the museum to present the wider story of the Battle of Britain and highlight the sacrifices made by the young men of both air forces and from many nations.

“It is a project that has reconciliation and remembrance at its heart.”

The Dornier will be conserved and prepared for display. It will be placed in two hydration tunnels and soaked in citric acid for the first stage of its conservation. Once the delicate process is complete, the aircraft will be displayed at the museum’s London site within the context of the Battle of Britain story.

A grant of more than £345,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, has allowed the work to commence.

Story and Photo:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Sonar scans of the last surviving Dornier Do 17.

Monday,  June 10, 2013, 10:56

Historians are attempting to try and lift the only surviving German Second World War from the Sea at Ramsgate.

The aircraft was shot down off the Kent coastmore than 70 years ago during the Battle of Britain and the project is believed to be the biggest recovery of its kind in British waters.

So far attempts by the RAF Museum to raise the relic over the last few weeks have been hit by strong winds but the conditions have now improved.

Museum spokesman Ajay Srivastava said: "The forecast now suggests two weather windows this week when we can return to the wreck site and complete the lift.

These are Monday June 10 between 1530 - 1800hrs and early Tuesday morning between 03.30 - 06.30hrs.

"If this proves to be the case, and we know how erratic the weather has been this year, we will raise the Dornier early this week.''

The team last attempted to lift the aircraft on June 2 but again bad weather thwarted the attempt within 40 minutes of success when a sudden increase in winds made the sea too choppy to complete the lift.

The plan - three years in the making - has been adapted and now involves attaching lifting equipment to what are believed to be the strongest parts of the aircraft's frame and raising it whole, in a single lift instead of constructing a cage around it, which was the original plan.

Peter Dye, director general of the museum, said: "We have adapted the lifting frame design to minimize the loads on the airframe during the lift while allowing the recovery to occur within the limited time remaining.

"The RAF Museum has worked extremely closely with SeaTech (the dive company) throughout this process and both organizations remain determined to complete this challenging task and see the Dornier safely recovered as planned and delivered to the museum's conservation centre for preservation and public exhibition.''

The existence of the aircraft at Goodwin Sands became known when it was spotted by divers in 2008 at a depth of some 50ft lying on a chalk bed with a small debris field around it.

Sonar scans by the RAF Museum, Wessex Archaeology and the Port of London Authority then confirmed the identity of the aircraft as the Dornier Do 17Z Werke number 1160.

Nicknamed the Luftwaffe's ''flying pencil'' bombers because of their narrow fuselage, this aircraft is said to be in ''remarkable condition''.

Experts are excited by the find because other than the effects of sea life, such as barnacles, coral and marine life, it is largely intact.

Amazingly the main undercarriage tyres remain inflated but the propellers clearly show the damage inflicted during the bomber's fateful final landing, experts have said.

Mr Dye added: ''The discovery and recovery of the Dornier is of national and international importance.

''The aircraft is a unique and unprecedented survivor from the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.

''It will provide an evocative and moving exhibit that will allow the museum to present the wider story of the Battle of Britain and highlight the sacrifices made by the young men of both air forces and from many nations.

''It is a project that has reconciliation and remembrance at its heart.''

Once it has been lifted, work will start to conserve and prepare the Dornier for display.

It will be placed in two hydration tunnels and soaked in citric acid for the first stage of its conservation. Once the delicate process is complete, the aircraft will be displayed at the museum's London site within the context of the Battle of Britain story.

A grant of more than £345,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), which was set up to save the country's most precious heritage, has allowed the work to commence.

The Dornier Do 17 will join a range of more than 1,200 objects and places which have been safeguarded by the NHMF at a cost of more than £300 million.

These include HMS Caroline, the last surviving First World War ship, a rare collection of work by Second World War codebreaker Alan Turing and HMS Alliance, the last surviving submarine of the Second World War.

Source:  http://www.heart.co.uk

Cape May County Airport (KWWD), Wildwood, New Jersey: WWII bomber due to arrive on Sunday

Posted: Saturday, June 8, 2013 12:01 am | Updated: 12:12 am, Sat Jun 8, 2013.

By RICHARD DEGENER, Press of Atlantic City

LOWER TOWNSHIP - The World War II B-17 bomber "Yankee Lady" is due to arrive at the Cape May Airport on Sunday evening. It will be open for tours and excursion flights Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Flying Fortress, fully restored by the Yankee Air Museum, is scheduled to arrive at Naval Air Station Wildwood around 7 p.m. Sunday. It opens to the public at 10 a.m. Monday. The ground tours will be included with regular museum admission. Flights will cost more. For prices and to make reservations, call Dave Wright at 734-483-4030, ext. 236.

Yankee Lady pilot Duane Nelson, a retired Northwest Airlines pilot and one of only a handful of pilots worldwide qualified to pilot B-17s, said just seeing the four-engine heavy bomber take off and land is exciting. Flights should be within a 35-mile radius.

"Once airborne, we'll climb to approximately 1,200 feet and, under visual flight rules, assume an easterly heading for an outbound leg north. Following the coastline at approximately 160 mph, our northern marker will be the Somers Point area. We'll make a sweeping 180-degree turn to head south over the Intracoastal Waterway on the return leg to Cape May Airport," Nelson said.

Bruce Fournier, executive director of NASW, said the Yankee Lady's visit will help celebrate American Pride Days at the museum. He says it's an opportunity to provide people with a "once in a lifetime, remember forever, bucket list adventure."

American Pride Day includes three days of events at the airport, from Monday to Wednesday. Entertainment includes The Bob Ferris Orchestra on Monday and The John Walters Band on Wednesday.

American Pride Days includes several lectures on Tuesday. Geoffrey Rossano, recipient of the 2010 Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize, will present "Stalking the U-Boat" at 11 a.m. and "Hero of the Angry Sky" at 1 p.m.

For more information, contact Fournier at 609-886-8787 or by email at bruce-nasw@comcast.net or visit the Hangar's website,  http://www.usnasw.org.

Source:  http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com

Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum: http://www.usnasw.org

Vintage war aircraft grounded due to insurance costs

RENO, Nev. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) -- An operations official with the The Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour says the Reno – Tahoe Airport Authority has forced them to cease flying their WWII Vintage Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator and North American P-51 Mustang from the Reno - Stead Airport due to insurance concerns. 

The group was supposed to be in town from June 3 to June 5. Visitors could explore the aircraft inside and out, and experience a 30-minute flight. They were even able to the plane for various fee levels. The airplanes still can be displayed at the airport through June 5th, but cannot offer flights of any kind.

The Collings Foundation tells News 4 they have $15 million insurance on the bombers and $500,000 per passenger. They say airport officials told them they must up their passenger insurance to $1 million. The Collings Foundation tells News 4 they obtained the $1 million insurance as requested, and then were told they must get $5 million per passenger; they cannot afford $5 million per passenger. They tell News 4 they have never had to increase their insurance at any other airport in the past.

When reached for comment Reno – Tahoe Airport Authority President & CEO Krys Bart confirmed the warbirds have been grounded. Bart confirmed it was an insurance issue, but could not confirm the exact amount of insurance that was needed because she was not in her office and did not have the paperwork available. Bart said the insurance amount is determined by the airport’s insurance underwriter.

The Collings Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit educational foundation devoted to organizing "living history" events that allows people to learn more about their heritage and history through direct participation. The Collings Foundation says Wings of Freedom Tour is in its 24th year and visits an average of 110 cities in over 35 states annually.

Story and Comments/Reaction:  http://www.mynews4.com

Future up in the air for old cargo plane: Owners hope to see C-47 fly again

 

Photo Credit: Benjamin Krain

Pilots Harry Barrett (left) and Bob Partyka bought this WWII era C-47 aircraft in 2003 from a mechanical aviation school in Texarkana and brought it to the North Little Rock Airport.

Depending on whom you ask, the aging cargo plane parked on the ramp at the North Little Rock Municipal Airport for more than a half-dozen years is either a dangerous eyesore or a flying legend.

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Northwest Arkansas, Page 7 on 05/20/2013:  http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2013/may/20/future-air-old-cargo-plane