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Kermit Weeks warbird info

Posted by Rob Mears on Sun Feb 16, 2003 09:06:26 PM

I had a chance to chat with Mr. Weeks today about a couple of his more inquired about warbirds.

Regarding the Napier-Sabre powered Tempsest, he says the primary plan right now is to return it to as close to flying condition as possible so that it can be put on display at Fantasy of Flight. I followed by saying "so it's safe to assume it won't be flown again?" He described the complexity of the design, and the fact that there are close to 3000 parts that make up the large chin scoop assembly alone. He went on to say that the idea of whether the plane will be flown again or not will come to fruition as time and the restoration process move forward, He said he had a couple of engines for the plane, and alluded to the fact that if they were to manage to get one running, it might justify some limited flying time. I gathered that such decisions are ones that he would more naturally make "in the moment". I could tell from his approach to the subject that if everything went smoother than smooth with the restoration process (airframe & engine) that he would probably enjoy taking the Tempest up for a few flights before relegating her to the hangar for display.

Regarding the Japanese Ki-61 "Tony", Kermit felt that it would be a fairly simple process to restore the airframe as its design was not very complex. The big question arises with the powerplant. We talked about the DB.601, etc, and I came to the conclusion that his enthusiasm for the Ki-61 probably doesn't match the price tag for overhauling the plane's engine :) Needless to say, the "Tony" is way down on his priority list.

I also asked about the "other" Corsair that he has in storage. He said it was an extra airframe and he had no current plans for it. His main Corsair focus is of course centered around the F4U-4 "Angel of Okinawa" that forms the centerpiece for his "Fighters Over The Pacific" flight sim display room. I found out that it wasn't Hurricane Andrew that caused the current damage to the plane, but the crane operator that was cleaning up afterwards. Rather than swiveling a piece of hangar wreckage away from the Corsair, he tried to maneuver it over the top of the plane. Of course as fate would have it, the cable broke and he dropped the girder on to of the folded wings of the F4U-4. By doing so he knocked the wing panels out of allignment and they can no longer be unfolded and locked. This doesn't show to the naked eye (with the wings folded up of course), but the locking pins are more than a few inches(!) out of allignment when an attempt is made to unfold the wings.

I snapped photos of the entire Fantasy of Flight Museum, as well as the on sight storage and restoration facilities. Only about half of his 160 aircraft were on sight at Polk City, but it was a good five hour expedition to have a successful peek at it all. I'll try to post some pictures of the highlights of my trip in a couple of days.

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