Warbird Information Exchange

Some corrections to the Wikipedia list (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_of_Flight) -

- In addition to the Boeing 100 listed (to be completed this year), Kermit Weeks also has an Army-version P-12 and a Navy-version F4B at the same shop.
- There is no mention in the list of Week's Douglas A-20 Havoc, his dozen or so CAC F-86 Sabres, and 1-2 B-29's that are all in storage with Aero Trader.
- There is no mention in the list of Weeks' Douglas A-26 Invader, which should be completed/flying this year with Aero Trader at Chino.
- There is no mention in the list of Weeks' Cleveland Air Racer Goodyear FG-1D Corsair "Joe" - the center section has been under restoration in Australia, while the rest remains in storage at FOF (eventually to be completed in-house, according to Weeks).
- Both of the Hawker Tempest projects are now in indefinite storage at FOF.
- The mention of the P-47 being stored "still in its original shipping crate" is rather deceiving - it remains in the shipping container it arrived to the US in, from Venezuela, in 2003/2004.
- There is no mention in the list of Weeks' Vultee BT-15, which has been a restoration project being finished up over the past year.

What TYPE or TYPES of Sikorsky Helicopters did he buy??[/quote]
Three S-55's so far, of which one is a badly corroded parts bird to get the other recent aquisition converted from turbine config. The 2 S-55's are planned to give flying tours over FoF and possibly Orlando as I recall.[/quote]

It would be great to see some flying piston engine S-55/H-19 types!

I also see the Walter powered Nardi FN.305D I-TOMI is not listed.

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Three S-55's so far, of which one is a badly corroded parts bird to get the other recent aquisition converted from turbine config. The 2 S-55's are planned to give flying tours over FoF and possibly Orlando as I recall.[/quote]

It would be great to see some flying piston engine S-55/H-19 types! [/quote]

True dat! We had an piston H-34 nearby about 16 years ago that used to practice in my neighborhood down on the shore which allowed for some really 'effin awsome memories. Unfortunately she became a victim of ground resonance a few years later and the thrill was gone....16 years is tooo long!

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He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

I'm not a big Weeks fan/follower/groupie but even I know of two airplanes he owns that are not on that list.

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Heck, after the reported scrapping of the Casa Grande fleet, at this point I'd be excited about a turbine H-19 flying.

If he does give rides, I'll be on the first flight!
I was at Pima last week and learned that their H-19 on display, may very well be the first helicopter I saw in person.

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I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

Three S-55's so far, of which one is a badly corroded parts bird to get the other recent aquisition converted from turbine config. The 2 S-55's are planned to give flying tours over FoF and possibly Orlando as I recall.[/quote]

It would be great to see some flying piston engine S-55/H-19 types!

[/quote]
I believe the airframe he is planning on returning to flight will have a radial. Iirc, they are going to use the airframe that was converted to turbine because it was the most complete, but re-convert it back to piston.

Kermit just posted a video update on his A-26 at Aerotrader.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rQYTKc ... JAEFK1ipf8

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Thanks for that, I don't put a lot of trust in Wikipedia, as anyone can make an entry so was wondering there was an 'official listing somewhere.

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Doesn't seem to have much good to say about Chino. Maybe he should stay away?

Oh, lighten up, he's just being facetious. Without wealthy clients like Kermit and others, Aero Trader would be out of business.

Don't take what Kermit says seriously, everything he says is in good fun!

He didn't say anything bad about AeroTrader, not sure where that's coming from. The feed lots are a "feature" of Chino and everyone says something about it, most of them in good fun, but there are plenty that are out there who are actually negative about it. Kermit is one of the former, not the latter. If you don't hear him chuckling every time he makes a joke about the cows, then you weren't paying attention anyway.

Chino does seem to be particularly aromatic in the early morning hours for sunrise photo ops. Fingers always crossed to be upwind.

The cows have kept the houses from encroaching as quickly. He's also taking the backroads which go right through the middle of the dairies and chicken farms.

Let's face it, if it wasn't for the airport, none of us would ever go to Chino.

It does remind me of a funny story, though. When Leroy Penhall was describing why he based his warbird business at Chino, he said, our neighbors are a prison and a bunch of dairy farms. I haven't heard any of the cows complain yet.

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