Del 17 Sep 1991 Code 7-11

Del 14 Jun 1978

Del 6 Aug 2004

"Joe" in the packed hangar at Fantasy of Flight. This B-24J with s/n 44-44272 was built at Ft. Worth, TX with an Emerson A-15 nose turret. She was ferried to India by No. 6 Ferry Unit, RAF Transport Command, serving as KH601. RAF B-24s were dumped at Chakeri at the end of the war. HE771 was refurbished by HAL and flown by No. 6 Sqn "Dragons" in the MR role till retired in Dec 1968. The IAF was the last and longest user of the B-24 from 1948-68, the type also equipping No. 5 and 16 Sqn. Named after Lt Joseph P. Kennedy Jr, the aircraft featured in the movie Young Joe, The Forgotten Kennedy.

Inside the hangar at Fantasy of Flight. The DB-605A has been attached to the fuselage of White 20 under restoration, painted with the red Reichsverteidigung band of JG 1 on the fuselage.

Inside the hangar at Fantasy of Flight. The parasol wing MoS-29 was powered by a 160 hp Gnome Monosoupape 9N rotary engine. It was armed with a pair of Vickers 0.303 machine guns. The AI was inducted in Esc. MS.156 and MS.161 of the Aéronautique Militaire in Feb 1918 and in MS.158 "Serpentaire", which flew the monoplane from Mar-Apr 1918. A few victories were scored against the Luftstreitkräfte, the type being withdrawn from operational service by mid-May 1918 in favor of the SPAD XIII. This AI was built in 1918 and acquired by Kermit Weeks in 1985 from the Tallmantz Aviation collection.

"Sara" built in 1991 at Fantasy of Flight. The Granville Brothers built the original racer on the philosophy of putting the largest engine size in the smallest airframe, producing Models A, X, Y and Z. The Model R Super Sportsters were built for the 1932 racing season. The R-1 was built with a 730 hp P&W R-1340 Wasp in which Maj. James H. Doolittle won the 1932 Thompson Trophy Race, also setting a FAI world speed record, with one lap at 309.04 mph. The R-2 was built with a 550 hp R-985 Wasp Junior. Carrying more fuel, it was designed for the cross-country Bendix Race. Both were DBR in 1933.

Airworthy Super Solution replica in the hangar at Fantasy of Flight. This reproduction represents the 1931 racing aircraft that won the first Bendix Trophy in the hands of Maj. James Doolittle that year. The race started in Burbank and ended in Cleveland with quick stops at Albuquerque and Kansas City, being completed in 9:10:21 with an average speed of 223.06 mph. Famous as an inter-war pilot with many exploits to his name, Jimmy Doolittle quickly refuelled the fast Super Solution and continued to Newark, setting a new transcontinental record of 11h 16 min, beating the old record by over an hour. Note that there is a static replica in the exact same livery on display at the EAA Museum at Oshkosh.

Airworthy Robin B in the hangar at Fantasy of Flight. Built in 1929, the aircraft is powered by a 90 hp Curtiss OX-5 engine. The Robin went on to set several endurance records in its time that included staying aloft for almost 18 days in 1929 over St. Louis by refuelling in flight. Robin J-1 Deluxe "Ole Miss" bettered the record in 1935 by staying in the air for 27 days. "Wrong Way" Corrigan flew his Robin J-1 from New York to Ireland in 1938 in 28 hours. A total of 769 Robins were built, with variants being powered by a variety of engines.

Inside the hangar at Fantasy of Flight museum. Built in 1918 for the Army Air Corps as a trainer, this aircraft is powered by an 80 hp Le Rhône rotary engine.

"Angel of Okinawa" inside the hangar at Fantasy of Flight. Built in 1945, the aircraft was delivered to the USN as BuNo 97286. The F4U-4 was the last Corsair variant to see service in World War II. The armament was similar to the F4U-1D. It was powered by a 2,100 hp P&W R-2800-18W driving a thirteen-foot Hamilton Standard four blade propeller and featured a chin air scoop. This variant had a faster rate of climb and improved service ceiling. Corsairs earned their well-deserved sobriquet in the assault on Okinawa and defending USN's Fifth Fleet against tokko attacks by IJN's Fifth Air Fleet from Kyushu.

Previously ZK-SBT, a superb replica by Vintage Aviator

"Candy Clipper" in the hangar at Fantasy of Flight museum. This airworthy Duck was built in 1945. It is named after the famous J2F-4 Duck that served on Bataan in the Philippines, being the last aircraft to leave the besieged island in 1942. The aircraft was bought by Kermit Weeks in 1983. The last variant of Duck to be built by Grumman was the J2F-5 powered by a 950 hp Wright R-1820-50 engine. After Pearl Harbor 330 J2F-6 Ducks with a 1,050 hp R1820-54 engine were ordered. The amphibians were built by Columbia Aircraft Corporation at Valley Stream, Long Island, of which this is one.

Airworthy Racer in the hangar at Fantasy of Flight museum. This aircraft built in 1933 is powered by a 150 hp Menasco Pirate C4S engine.

Inside the hangar at Fantasy of Flight museum. The S.56 amphibian biplane was manufactured under licence by American Aeronautical Corporation at Port Washington, NY and was the first plane to be used by the NYPD. Powered by a 125 hp Kinner B-5 radial engine, the S.56B appealed to recreational aviators during the Golden Age of Aviation.

Nose section of "Fertile Myrtile" inside the hangar at Fantasy of Flight. Delivered to the USAAF with s/n 45-21787, it was one of four B-29s transferred to the US Navy for long range search operations with the designation P2B-1S. BuNo 84029 was loaned to NACA where it was converted to a mothership to launch the D-558-II Skyrocket. Test pilot Scott Crossfield was the first to exceed Mach 2 on 20 Nov 1953 after release of the Skyrocket from the P2B. His signature with "MACH 2" below it can be seen next to the nose art. D-558-II NACA 144 and NACA 145 launches are represented on the panels.

Inside the hangar at Fantasy of Flight museum. This Thunderbolt was built in 1944 at Evansville, IN and delivered to the USAAF with s/n 44-32814. It went to Fuerza Aérea Venezolana (FAV) in 1949 and served with Escuadrón Aéreo de Caza Nro 36 "Los Diaboles" till its Thunderbolts were replaced in 1956 with the F-86F. The 8-A-36 code indicates it was flown by Escuadrilla A of the squadron. The modified cowl flaps are visible from the later P-47 series, as is the retrofitted dorsal fin fillet in front of the tail to prevent flutter. The aircraft was acquired by Kermit Weeks in 2003.

Airworthy F3F-2 in the hangar at Fantasy of Flight museum. With an increased wingspan and longer length, USN's F3F single-seat fighter was successor to the F2F. It had Grumman's characteristic wheel wells in the forward fuselage. Delivery of the F3F-1 took place in 1936 to VF-5B and VF-6B. This was followed by the faster F3F-2 with a single-row 950 hp Wright R-1820-22 Cyclone engine, armed with one .30 cal and one .50 cal MG in the nose. The type was delivered to USN and Marine squadrons in 1937-38. This F3F wears the emblem of a blue wasp with boxing gloves of the first VF-7 squadron.

Inside the hangar at Fantasy of Flight museum. This is a 2004 reproduction built by Kim Kovach that was acquired by Kermit Weeks. The original "Ike" was a 1932 racer built by Ben Howard and Gordon Israel, along with a similar aircraft called "Mike." The racers were flown in a number of races in the 1930s, with "Ike" flown by Howard finishing with two firsts and a second in the 1932 National Air Races. In 1935 the aircraft was renamed "Miss Chevrolet" for the 1935 National Air Races. Its fuel system was modified to win the world's fastest inverted speed record.