Originally posted by T0J0
You guys talking about the Orlando Flight restoration museum at Kissimmee? They have several A-6's availible to fly for a price and alot of great planes being restored in the hanger...Seems to me I have a photo of a FW190 they pulled from Norway, and apparently know the story how it ended up on the side of a mountain. was a nice escape for an afternoon well worth the $8.00 admission for the Tour if I remember corectly...
Has anyone been to Fantasy of flight near O-Town?
Is it worth the 2 hour drive ?
T0J0
Yep, we're talking about the restoration museum at the airport, known as the Warbirds Museum when I went with Verm. Its a working museum, meaning no fancy placards, no velvet bannisters, and no air conditioning. Its essentially a giant aircraft workshop that specializes in vintage military aircraft, and is well worth the price of admission. The tour guides swing a hammer one minute, give tours the next. I took my wife one time and she's not much of an airplane person like I am, but she enjoyed learning how it all worked and the kind of money that changed hands in the business.
All of those planes have private owners except for the B-25 that they fly for promotional purposes, and the museum is constantly changing, depending on how long it takes them to get the planes completed and delivered to their owners. The FW would certainly be worth seeing, particularly stripped down to its frame with bits of plumbing and wiring to get an idea of how the darn things were put together. When I was there, there was an ex-USMC F4 Phantom in desert camo sitting by the wayside. Some lucky corporate CEO had himself one heck of a ride sitting there on the pavement and grass, waiting to be put back together!
Fantasy of Flight is worth the ride if (a) you've never been and (b) you live between Tampa and Orlando. Their air combat simulator is behind the technology curve but is still fun to do. The "theme rooms" are pretty cool too, particularly the B-17 film and tour. I'm hoping they'll add a "Korea" and maybe a "Vietnam" theme room to the building. What they really need to add is an "air combat maneuvers" rollercoaster, with tracks set up to simulate two planes dogfighting. Maybe some day.
Incidentally, they sometimes film the tv show "Sheena" there. Their vintage floatplanes have doubled as props on more than one occassion. Time your visit right and you could be a star!
