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Fantasy of Flight

Fantasy of Flight is an aviation-related attraction in Polk City, Florida, USA that takes visitors back to the pioneering days of early flight, World War I, World War II and beyond. The attraction bills itself as "World's Largest Private Aircraft Collection". Most of the aircraft in owner Kermit Weeks' collection are airworthy and may be seen flying.

Gallery

Other large collections of flying historic aircraft

Commemorative Air Force‎, in Midland, Texas.
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby, UK
Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden near Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, England;
Champlin Fighter Collection at the Seattle Museum of Flight (formerly housed at Mesa, Arizona);
The Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas.
The Yankee Air Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
The Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum‎ in St Louis, Missouri

The Collection

Kermit Week's Collection contains the following aircraft, although the aircraft are not always present at the museum. (Source: Fantasy of Flight Official Website) (The Museum aircrafts' registration is displayed next to the aircraft name).

Waldo Wright's Flying Service also operate a Boeing PT-17 Stearman and a New Standard D-25 from the Fantasy of Flight Museum, the Boeing Stearman is used for 30 minute long 'hands-on experience' flights, in which the customer takes control of the aircraft at some point during the flight. The New Standard D-25 is used for 15 minute Barnstorming flights, in which the customer sits in the forward open cockpit of the aircraft as a qualified pilot flies the aircraft.

Douglas DC-3

The Fantasy of Flight Collection's Douglas DC-3 aircraft is an empty shell of an aircraft, although it still has landing gear, it does not have any engines, the aircraft was displayed for a period of time along side a road that leads by the museum in a 'crashed' position, nose down in the ground with a mannequin hanging from the tail wheel, apparently a 'man' evacuating the aircraft with a parachute. The mannequin was dressed up for certain occasions around the year, including Santa Clause for Christmas, Uncle Sam for Independence Day and a Pilgrim for Thanksgiving. The aircraft in this crashed position received a mixture of critism and compliments from various people. Some people claimed that the aircraft made the aircraft look bad and set a bad example to airline passengers (One example of an internet protest:

). However many people found the position of the aircraft comical, and many people enjoyed guessing what the mannequin would be dressed as next. The aircraft has Fantasy of Flight written on the sides and under the fuselage. Currently, the aircraft is in an upright position in the same spot as it used to be, and the mannequin is hanging between the cockpit windows and the door of the aircraft on the left hand side. The aircraft has had false propellers placed on the aircraft, blurred to make the effect that the engines are running. The aircraft was moved to it's upright position due to a number of phone calls to the emergency services claiming that an aircraft had crashed by the road