Warbird Information Exchange

K Weeks elusive P-47D. Seems pretty original

Anyone remembers when this was up for grabs eons ago on Barnstromer.com? I think it was in the 400K$+ range back then.

Also, I had never seen his Nardi FN.305...sweet looking little plane. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nardi_FN.305

That Thunderbolt is quite the time capsule, so is the Nardi. I was unfamiliar with that type. Great looking aircraft. I appreciate Kermit's willingness to share his collection on Camera.

That 60% P-47 Project looks pretty cool too.

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I enjoyed that video.
Steve Wolf is an amazingly capable builder.
He built the wings for Jim Wrights Hughes Racer.
I have no doubt that his scale Thunderbolt will look the business.

Been following Kermit's posts on FB regarding the P-47. To me, on the posts at least, he is making it sound that he just needs to put it back together and it will fly. Think there is a bit more work than that.

Hopefully he does more videos on some of the other storage containers. Would love to see his Lancaster.

I about spit up what I was drinking when in the video he described an airbrushed painting on the side of the finished plane would a "WW2 look," as if there were more than an actual handful of warbirds during the Big One that actually had airbrushed nose art.

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Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

In one of the later videos he talks about the other work needed due to corrosion. Being a very complex plane the restoration will take a while, especially at their historical pace. In one of the videos he points out the two Tempests. He seems to start a restoration and lose interest before they are finished.

Wow...the Nardi hasn't been touched! Preserved Axis Aircraft reported back about 2003 that it was being restored in the UK. Musta just been there to be surveyed if it was there at all. The ones with the Alfa inverted 6 were the IMO, sexier birds.

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Didn't the Tempest projects lose steam when the guy working on them retired? Anyone know if Kermit found someone to continue those builds?

A decade ago he dragged out the poor Spitfire that had been allowed to deteriorate. It is probably the lowest-hour restored Spitfire in the world. It had fuel tanks removed and leaks fixed, fabric control surfaces re-covered and a host of other work. I think he got as far as ground running it, but I don’t think it was ever actually flown before losing interest and moving on to “the next big thing”

Did the BT-15 ever get finished? Either of the Pups? The Fokker D VII? Either of the DH-4s? The Standard J-1? Either of the Tempests? Did he ever get the B-25 that he was taxying around a few years ago back in the air? Or fly the C-47 that he bought and ferried across the Atlantic, got a type rating for, and parked? How about the Pitcairn Autogyro?

Has anything been finished since the Stinson L-1 and the Benoist, almost a decade ago?

Or the B-24 or the B-26. It's an amazing collection but it's tough not to shake your head at all the planes he buys, fawns over, then parks somewhere, seemingly never to look at it again.

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Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

if you don't like what Kermit does with HIS planes, cough up the cash and make him an offer. He at least puts them in hangars and protects them. He has many planes under going restoration around the country and world, the A-26, P-51A,P-40,P-35, Boomerang, Jenny, Me-108, Me-109G, F4B, F4U, Kingfisher, Tony, and others I am sure I am forgetting and everyone of those restorations is supporting a business and giving people jobs. What have you keyboard commandos done ?

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
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I'm simply pointing out the facts.

Or are we all supposed to succumb to the cult of Kermie-worship that he very cleverly fosters by putting out an endless stream of recycled old 'look at me' videos from back in the day when things were actually happening in his facility?

If you listen to all of Kermit’s comments during the video, there are a couple of interesting things said about FoF and various projects.

Mike, you have it all wrong and you will figure it out eventually. When he came on the scene in the 1980's, I was a young adult and didn't know what to think about him. He's the real deal and one of a kind. He's been a force on the world scene for preservation of both military and other vintage aircraft.
He's learned a lot in the last forty years. He's been cheated, bilked, and screwed out of money by all kind of restoration shops, brokers, import-export schemes, etc. over the years. If everyone had been as ethical as Kermit, all of the airplanes would be restored and flyable at this point. Many of his aircraft he had to pay double or more to get them finished. I was at an airport in Florida once that had two of his aircraft under restoration. They had been sitting for years. He had paid 100% in advance and the mechanics had taken his money and not finished the airplanes.
On the videos, Kermit is just sharing some of the amazing experiences for those that have the love for aviation. "Mike" maybe the old airplanes aren't your cup of tea. I suggest you immerse yourself in video games and all things Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin!