Warbird Information Exchange

On Facebook Kermit Weeks has made comments relating to a new warbird acquisition, something rare.
Some people think they know but nothing is revealed so far..

"Kermit Weeks
Am getting ready to leave on a really early morning flight to check out the latest really cool acquisition with a couple of my aircraft guys!

Sorry... nobody's really come close to guessing what it is.

I will tell you this - A foreign buyer was VERY close to purchasing it as an investment, and it would have ended up disassembled in a warehouse overseas where it probably would not have seen the light of day for quite some time. I have been following this airplane for a decade and it was always waaay beyond my reach. Well , I pushed my boundaries, I reached beyond myself, and with a bit of divine intervention from the original owner... it fell into my hands!"

Lots of mumbo jumbo there, but how do you know it is a warbird?

We know it isn't an Hs-129...

I love how people have been surmising it is Doc or a Lancaster. He's got a B-29 already, and he's got a Lancaster in boxes. I think this is going to be something more interesting and more of a "stretch". I have my doubts it's a jet, but it could be. I'm almost wondering if he didn't go buy something big, and I mean really big like one of the H&P KC-97's not allocated to Clay's project.

It's interesting that he's been following it for a decade or so. Doc has been in the works for at least that long. And the difference between that one and the one that he has is that Doc is pretty far along in the restoration process, where his would be starting from the ground up. Could easily see him being ready to let his B-29 be a cockpit only display, and work on finishing up Doc.

Alternatively, why would Kermit go get another 4 engined fuel hog that requires multiple pilots to fly? His tendancy lately has been to stick to single engined birds, or (most recently) getting his B-25 ready to fly- something that he can fly by himself if he wants to. He also has his Vega being restored/readied for flight again, which is another fun single-engined bird. I really can't see him getting a 4-engined airplane, considering he has the B-24 sitting static, the B-29 project, the Lancaster project, and his B-17(s). He hasn't done much with those lately, why would he go get another one?

kevin

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FOUND the elusive DT-built B-24! Woo-hoo!!!

The other idea I had was that he bought the other Mars... He does have that lake and a Sunderland afterall..

P-61?...what airplane would be considered an investment? and he is worried that it will be put away in storage...hmmm? much like his two new warehouses for projects to nowhere. I wish he would concentrate on what he has...P-38, Hellcat, P-47, Lanc, I guess it is like large scale hoarding.

JH

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www.spiritof44.com

Thing is, most of his warehouses are for his hoarde of spare parts, not planes. He's certainly putting some projects that have been projects for a long time in there, but this sounds like it's a project that will be in flyable condition soon enough to be in Florida by the end of the year allowing his restoration crew to work on the projects he already has instead of shifting their focus. This does seem to be his current kick too. He buys projects or already restored aircraft and has the work completed off site so that his guys can work on his in-house stuff. Used to, he brought everything in-house, which is a lot of why so many of his big planes got neglected.

It's the old Howard Hughes S-43 in Houston.

Is Kermit's A-26 "Whistler's Mother" still being restored? Seems like it been in the shop for quite awhile.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

B-25 takes two pilots. I don't think you can actuate the hand hyraulic pump while sitting in the cockpit.

Stuka!!!!

As has also been mentioned elsewhere, a S-43 would compliment the S-38 and S-39 he now has, providing a trio of Sikorsky seaplanes. I look forward to seeing the eventual Clipper base Weeks has envisioned for Fantasy of Flight.

How about the former Finch Lockheed 10E finished out like Amelia Earhart's NR16020? It hasn't flown for over a decade and was being offered for sale a year or so ago at an exorbitant asking price of over $1M. Still, it's a cool airplane that would make a nice compliment to the Vega and good draw for the museum as it has a broad lasting appeal to the general public well beyond us warbird aficionados ...

Ha .. I'm already wrong! Kermit posted a pic in a rainy area with tornado warnings. There are clear skies in California (last known location of the Electra) just now, but it is dark and stormy in Texas.

The Hughes S-43 looks like a great candidate. Fantasy of Flight would make a good home for that special plane that has been out of the public eye for far too long.

Ah .. bombadier29 wasn't guessing. It is the Hughes S-43 for sure.

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=440