Kermit Weeks - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Kermit Weeks is an aviation

Aviation

Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...

enthusiast, pilot

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

, and aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

collector. He was recently inducted into Florida's Aviation Hall Of Fame for his services to Florida's aviation history.

Weeks was twice U.S. National Aerobatic Champion. He has 17 medals in world aerobatic competition (as of 2000).

Aircraft Collection

Weeks maintains one of the largest private collections of flight-worthy historic aircraft in the world, most of which are at his Fantasy of Flight

Fantasy of Flight

Fantasy of Flight is an aviation-related attraction in Polk City, Florida, USA that takes visitors back to the pioneering days of early flight, World War I, World War II and beyond. The attraction opened in November of 1995, and houses the world's largest private aircraft collection on display...

facility in Polk City, Florida

Polk City, Florida

Polk City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,516 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,515. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. Currently, the collection contains over 140 civilian and military planes including rare originals as well as authentic reproductions of historic aircraft, such as the Spirit of St. Louis
Spirit of St. Louis
The Spirit of St. Louis is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize.Lindbergh took off in the Spirit from Roosevelt...

. Great emphasis has been placed on historic authenticity and accurate reproductions by Weeks and his restoration team. Thus, for historical accuracy, the collection's Spirit of St. Louis replica has been fitted with one of the few operational Wright J-5 engines still flying. Another famous replica in Weeks' collection is the iconic Gee Bee "Z", a racing plane

Air racing

- History :The first ever air race was held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1908. The participants piloted the only 4 airships in the U.S. around a course located at Forest Park...

originally built in 1931 and destroyed the same year during a world speed record attempt.

Kermit also owns one of the four remaining original P-51C Mustangs

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

in the world, with an estimated worth of $2 million. Other original aircraft in the collection include a Ford Trimotor

Ford Trimotor

The Ford Trimotor was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced...

, an early civil transport aircraft used by commercial airlines in the early 1930s. Weeks' replica Ford Trimotor has been used in films such as the 1930 TWA

Trans World Airlines

Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...

promotional film, Coast to Coast in 48 Hours, appearing on screen with Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...

, as well as the 1984 adventure film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second film in the Indiana Jones franchise and prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark . After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone...

, in which the plane is shown being piloted by Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...

as Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones

Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...

.

The other distinguishing feature of Weeks' collection is that all of his aircraft are functional and able to be flown and are not merely inoperable restorations. Indeed, Weeks has stated that every aircraft in his collection has been flown by him in the past, is being flown currently, or will be flown in the future.

Inherited oil and gas royalties provide Weeks with ample funds to pursue preservation of aircraft.

Aircraft Collection

See also