Kermit Weeks may not understand the notion, but he grudgingly accepts that not everyone loves airplanes.
That said, though, the stunt pilot and aviation enthusiast is unbending in his insistence that everyone–regardless of age, gender or occupation–secretly longs to fly.
That’s why he built his attraction, Fantasy of Flight, to appeal to the masses. It doesn’t focus so much on the attributes of individual airplanes as on the romance, nostalgia and adventure of flying.
“Flying really encompasses all facets of life,” said Weeks, 42, who boasts the world’s largest collection of British fighter planes and American bombers. “It’s a physical reflection of what we all want on a spiritual level, which is inner freedom.”
The 13-acre, $30 million attraction about midway between Orlando and Tampa is housed in a sprawling, burnt-orange building fashioned to look like an Art Deco-era airbase.
It features three elaborately themed displays tracing the history of aviation, a hangar filled with vintage airplanes restored to flying condition and an adjacent hangar where the restoration work is done.
There also is a flight simulator area, where wannabe pilots can strap into a cockpit for an aerial dogfight, as well as a restaurant and a gift shop.
And that’s just the beginning. Plans for the 300 acres surrounding the existing building include a replica of the original Pan American clipper base in Miami–the first seaplane base for trans-Atlantic crossings–as well as an exhibition hall showcasing early attempts at flight, a World War I hangar with a working airfield and a World War II village populated by people in period dress.
Weeks’ love for aviation was sparked at age 13 when he read about the Red Baron, the famed German pilot. He built his first airplane at age 17, started making test flights at 21 and flew for 15 years with the U.S. Aerobatic Team.
Although Weeks sees the current Fantasy of Flight as a miniature version of his ultimate vision, it doesn’t skimp on the details. Each of the scenes is packed with enough sights, sounds and textures to draw people in and keep them there.
In the World War II display, for example, visitors board a massive B-24 bomber before a mission–the plane is painted and polished–but when they step off afterward, the craft is dirty and war-torn.
A visit to Fantasy of Flight begins with a stroll through the belly of a plane carrying ready-to-jump paratrooper mannequins. Exiting the plane, total darkness, twinkling stars and a strong, loud wind simulate falling through the sky. Then the parachute opens to the sound of peaceful New Age music and the sight–courtesy of a movie screen surrounded by tilted mirrors–of the Earth below: clouds, fields and even a thunderstorm.
Next, the first themed exhibit showcases early flight and early flying machines. A movie screen on the side of a hot-air balloon shows shaky footage of everything from strapped-on wings to a rocket-powered bicycle. Period music completes the effect.
The second exhibit is set in occupied France during World War I. Visitors walk into trenches fashioned from sandbags and held together with a mixture of mud and straw. There are soldiers taking aim all around and the sound of planes overhead.
The final, and most elaborate exhibit, is set in an English airfield on a cold winter’s night during World War II. Visitors can pretend they are bomber pilots as they enter a briefing tent along with their heard-but-not-seen fellow bomber pilots.
A six-minute movie interweaves a silhouetted colonel detailing an imminent mission with newsreel footage of women pitching in to help the war effort back home, troops enjoying musical performances and actual bombing missions.
“We’ve got people rocketing into space and this is the era that got us here,” said visitor Don Hammersley of Spring Hill, who was a crew member on Bi-Military Air Transport planes after the Korean War. “It shouldn’t be forgotten.”
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Polk City is about midway between Orlando and Tampa off Interstate Highway 4 (Exit 21). Fantasy of Flight is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (Compass Rose Restaurant open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Admission is $8.95 plus tax for adults, $6.95 plus tax for ages 5 to 12 (age 4 and under free). It is wheelchair accessible. A 7-minute “flight” in a simulated aerial dogfight costs an additional $5.95. For information, call 941-984-3500.
