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Fantasy of Flight: An Aviation Fan’s Dream

By Karon Warren

During a press visit to Central Florida in 2009, I immediately fell in love with Fantasy in Flight. As someone who loves to fly, I was captivated by the history and aircraft collection that owner Kermit Weeks put together. Visitors learned the history of aviation starting with man’s earliest efforts to take flight and then how aviation played a role in both World War I and World War II. In fact, in the WWII exhibit, you even got to climb aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress, and experience how military personnel fought the enemy by air.

Aerial View 2

Afterward, visitors moved into the hangars, where they could view Weeks’ aviation collection. Since the 1970s, Weeks has amassed more than 140 civilian and military aircraft, all of which are still in flyable condition. The collection ranges from a 1916 Morane-Saulnier monoplane to a 1944 P-51C Mustang from World War II, and many pieces in between. Two of my favorites are the 1917 Fokker DR-1 Triplane that resembles Snoopy’s nemesis The Red Baron, and an Army helicopter used by MASH units like those we saw in all those “M*A*S*H” episodes.

The Red Baron

Sadly, on March 4, I received this bit of news via the Fantasy of Flight Facebook page: “After 18 years of being in operation, it’s time we close the attraction and move forward toward creating the vision for what I know Fantasy of Flight can become,” Weeks said. Right now, plans are to focus on restoration and maintenance of aircraft, with a focus on hosting corporate and special events. These include team building excursions, birthday parties and weddings. Thankfully, there are plans to reopen to the public later this year with, as Weeks stated, “an aspect of the collection in a reduced capacity and admission price.”

Hangar shot

Although I don’t know how that will take form, I do know I will be looking forward to the announcement that Fantasy of Flight will be welcoming the public to once more view its incredible collection. In the meantime, visitors can still head over and tackle Wing WalkAir, a new ropes course with a zipline. During my recent visit to Fantasy of Flight, my daughter and I took to the air on the ropes course. Rising up three levels to a height of 40 feet in the air, Wing WalkAir features horizontal ladders, balance beams, rope walls and other challenges as you make your way through the course.

Wing WalkAir

My daughter completed a ropes course a couple of years ago as I watched, but I was excited to go with her this time around. Although she was nervous at the beginning, she refused to stop and instead persevered through each new challenge. I let her choose which new path she wanted to take and was thrilled each time she celebrated with a giddy, “I did it!” at the conclusion. It’s a great ropes course for all skill levels, and one I hope to experience again in the future.

View from Wing WalkAir 2

Until Fantasy of Flight reopens to the general public, I highly recommend celebrating your next special occasion at the facility and finding your own path on the Wing WalkAir course. It could be your own small journey of self-discovery just as Fantasy of Flight embarks on its own path. And be sure to follow Fantasy in Flight’s evolution on its Facebook page. As Weeks stated, ““This isn’t the end of Fantasy of Flight, it’s just the next step on the company’s journey to become what it was always meant to be – a quality attraction that uses entertainment as a means to an end for self-discovery and self-transformation. Think of this as a caterpillar going into its cocoon. We expect to re-emerge as a brand-new butterfly!” Now why would you want to miss that?

Disclosure: Karon and her family visited Fantasy of Flight as guests of the attraction. All opinions are her own.

 

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: 1916 Morane-Saulnier monoplane, 1917 Fokker DR-1 Triplane, 1944 P-51C Mustang, B-17 Flying Fortress, Central Florida, Fantasy of Flight, Fantasy of Flight: An Aviation Fan’s Dream, Karon Warren, Kermit Weeks, MASH, Paula Schmitt, The Red Baron, This Girl Travels, Travel, Wing WalkAir

About Karon Warren

A freelance writer for more than 15 years, Karon Warren has covered a variety of topics, most notably travel, weddings and lifestyle. She loves discovering new people, places and experiences that epitomize the amazing wonders found in this world and sharing their stories with her readers. When she is not out exploring, Karon resides in the North Georgia Mountains with her husband and two children. You can learn more about Karon at www.karonwarren.com. Also, catch up with her on Twitter as well as Instagram.

Comments

  1. Mary @Green Global Travel says

    April 1, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    Very interesting story. I’m looking forward to seeing the next phase of Fantasy in Flight. I’m glad to read that the owner will re-open his collection to the public.

  2. Elle says

    April 2, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Great read and great photos too!
    Nice to see such an interesting collection.
    Elle x

  3. Valen-This Way To Paradise says

    April 2, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    Very cool! My dad was a pilot and I flew with him since I was very young, so I’m always interested in aviation!

  4. Jennifer says

    April 2, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    Do you know why they are closing/restructuring to focus more on corporate events? I can’t tell if that’s exciting news or not. It seems like a fun place for fans of flying/history of aviation.

    • Karon says

      April 15, 2014 at 9:48 pm

      Jen, my guess would be that corporate and special events are the moneymakers for the museum right now. Either that, or they want to honor their commitments to those events already booked for the coming months.

  5. Aleah | SolitaryWanderer.com says

    April 4, 2014 at 11:23 am

    Too bad there’s nothing like that here in the Philippines. I love flying; one of my most memorable moments was being a pilot for a day (actually, more like 5 minutes) in Malaysia. I would have loved to see this!

  6. Terry at Overnight New York says

    April 4, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    Too bad Fantasy of Flight is off limits to the public for now, but fingers crossed it will have a bright future. Wing WalkAir looks daunting — but fun.

  7. Matthew Hirtes says

    April 4, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    Flying’s my second favourite way to travel after the train. So, I’d definitely like to visit this attraction. Thanks for the tip.

  8. Lillie - @WorldLillie says

    April 5, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    What a neat place visit! Looking forward to its butterfly emergence. 🙂

    • Karon says

      June 30, 2014 at 2:33 pm

      Me too!

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