Orlampa, FL, USA - January 2014
The Hudson wasn't the only airplane I found with a Canadian heritage. This Lockheed P-38 Lightning was once owned by Kenting Aviation and Spartan Air Services and flew high altitude photo- mapping missions as CF-GKE. It ended up abandoned in Paraguay before returning to North America to pass through several owners' hands. (Trevor McTavish)
Of course, if you start looking around you'll find all the parts, like these wings and the horizontal stabilizer. (Trevor McTavish)
Or the tail booms sitting on the floor and still showing its American identity as N6190C. (Trevor McTavish)
Or the vertical stabilizers and rudders sitting on the floor in another part of the warehouse. (Trevor McTavish)
I even found the original metal work for the 1950s-vintage photographer's nose tucked away on one of the shelves. (Trevor McTavish)
Another cool artefact I spotted was this original sign to the Movieland of the Air. This was Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz' impressive collection of airplanes, many of which made appearances in Hollywood movies. On of those airplanes was a Bleriot XI replica built for my grandfather in the early 1950s. (Trevor McTavish)
This airplane was an Australian CAC Boomerang Mr. Weeks obviously purchased in Australia. Behind the fuselage is an unrestored wing centre section and two brand new outer wing panels. (Trevor McTavish)
Another South Pacific veteran was this Grumman F6F Hellcat. (Trevor McTavish)
The only Soviet airplane I found in storage was this Lavochkin La-11. (Trevor McTavish)
The sign didn't comment about where Mr. Weeks found this La-11, but the unique canopy suggests (at least in my mind) the possibility of being a display airplane or playground toy. Either that of the Soviet Air Force was taking the idea of a blind flying hood to a new level. (Trevor McTavish)
There was also a Spanish-built Junkers Ju 52 trimotor. Like many of the airplanes in storage it showed signs of being damaged in Hurricane Andrew. (Trevor McTavish)
A little more commonplace, but still certainly worth collecting was this Beech AT-11 Kansan trainer. Unlike many other AT-11s out there today, Mr. Weeks' example appears to have never been demilitarized. (Trevor McTavish)
This tiny Buhl Pup certainly looked cute and would probably be an interesting project for one of today's homebuilders. (Trevor McTavish)
Mr. Weeks' Douglas SBD Dauntless had certainly seen better days, but thanks to a second career as a movie set wind machine it still survives today. (Trevor McTavish)
Another Austrlian plane was this Wirraway trainer. (Trevor McTavish)
Another movie star airplane is this Morane-Saulnier 230, which played a fatally-flawed new fighter plane in the movie The Blue Max. (Trevor McTavish)
I liked how the Morane-Saulnier logo played off the rivets, and some of the dents inflicted on the MS 230 by Hurricane Andrew. (Trevor McTavish)
Another interesting airplane was this Curtiss SNC-1 Falcon. Although it was originally designed as an advanced military trainer it's finished in the markings of Bill Barber, who competed in this airplane as captain of the US Aerobatic Team. (Trevor McTavish)
I was also impressed to discover this Messerschmitt Bf108 Taifun. Interestingly, this one has a Chilean registration. (Trevor McTavish)
How about a rack of wings? The cream-coloured ones are from the Bf108 Taifun. (Trevor McTavish)
According to the signage on this Curtiss 519 Oriole biplane, few of those built survive to the present day because they were commonly used in movies, disguised as German Albatross fighters. (Trevor McTavish)
Looking very much like a de Havilland Fox Moth, this 1929 Genairco Cabin Biplane was a uniquely Australian design. Upon closer inspection the front end of the Genairco is certainly not as streamlined as the Fox Moth, with a noticeable downward slant to the upper cowling. (Trevor McTavish)
Last, but certainly not least in my tour of Fantasy of Flight is this Dewoitine monoplane. It kind of sums up the collection Mr. Weeks has assembled - colourful, unique, and still showing signs of the damage inflicted by Hurricane Andrew. I thoroughly enjoyed the day I was able to spend in Orlampa, and thank Mr. Weeks for allowing members of the general public a chance to peek into his amazing toy box. (Trevor McTavish)