Copyright & Trademark Interestingly, the Tempest II never saw combat during WWII, unlike the Mk.V, which was actually the first of the type to enter service, beginning in January, 1944. … I wanna do that!” Salter doesn’t want to deal with the Sabre’s massive, complex carburetor though. Located three, Vintage Aviation Publications is a company founded by a group of passionate Warbirds enthusiasts who love the history and technology Aviation Museums preserve for the public. there are some things that are fairly daunting. I WANT TO BE ME! Thanks so much for writing in Colin. Please note: The large original Fantasy of Flight Facility is now closed except for private events and restoration and maintenance. Kermit Weeks and Gene DeMarco meet up in Omaka in April 2017 to fly the Air Show. We’d love to hear more about your experiences! Related Videos. The land will be used to build “The Tucson Military Vehicle Museum.” A spokesperson from […]. XP-82 Twin Mustang – April 2016 – Restoration Update, B-29 Superfortress ‘Doc’ – May 7th, 2016 Restoration Update, What a project !!! Later, he up ended up buying a Pitts S-2A and learned aerobatic flying in it. Owned privately from 1964 on. Starfighters Aerospace’s Stunning Black Painted TF-104 Starfighter Flies Again at Kennedy Space Center! Weeks Solution S1-WS – N300KW – Owner Kermit Weeks' self-designed and self-built aerobatic aircraft currently in storage for restoration. In January, 2016 he had the fuselage from LA607 moved in beside EJ693 to act as a quick reference for work on the Tempest V. While EJ693’s airframe is more or less structurally complete, Andy Salter has found that a fair bit of her fuselage truss needs reworking. Wings destroyed in 1958. That’s why I rebuild a majority of Kermit’s more unusual engines…”. I wish I had paid more attention as a young boy. Privacy Policy. She was very…. The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). - Pristine Jet Charter: Four British V-Bomber Cockpits Up For Sale, CAF Minnesota Wing Celebrating 50th Anniversary, Air Force Special Ops Featured at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021, Thunderbird: Resurrection of a Legendary Racing Mustang, Lightnings Downunder – P-38 Restoration Report, Dakota Territory Air Museum’s P-47 Update – December, 2020, C-53 Skytrooper “Beach City Baby” – Winter 2021 Restoration Update, Two-Part Series: Desert Storm MiG Killers Reflect, Blue Angel On The Move: Yankee Air Museum Adds F/A-18 Hornet, Striding Into The New Year With The Lancaster Challenge, WWII’s B-17 “All American” Separating Fact and Fiction, POOR LITTLE LAMBS – The Corsairs of Baa Baa Blacksheep, Commemorative Air Force Seeking to Establish a New National Airbase, WWII 75th (Plus One) Commemoration at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021, Flying Legends Finds New Home at Sywell Aerodrome, 2021 SECAS Summit and Air Show Training Camp Announced. I HAVE to finish this [the Mk.V]… I have to at least get it to the point [where it’s ready to fly].”, Andy Salter began sifting through the collection of parts and drawings that previous owner, Nick Grace, had gathered over the years. by Richard Mallory Allnutt. This work included the recreation of the Tempest V’s iconic and famously complex radiator chin scoop, from scratch, by master sheet metal worker Mike Lamb … Kermit Weeks was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in July 1953. Andrea made a nice replacement seat pad for the Tempest V." Source: Kermit Weeks on Facebook. 1913 Benoist XIV; 1916 Brock Morane; 1911 Curtiss Pusher Model D; 1909 Herring-Curtiss Pusher; 1911 Valkyrie; WWI. There’s basically a Sabre equivalent of the [Rolls-Royce] Merlin jacks, where you jack the banks off the top of the cases…There’s one for that engine and I swear it’s the size of a table tennis table. This is where much of the collection is stored. So I’ve redone a lot of that. Any way you look at it though, it is great to see progress underway on these two beauties, and it will be a magnificent day when they fly again. Flying model airplanes since 14, he spent most of his high school career building a bi-plane of his own design, flying it upon completion at 21. She served primarily as a test aircraft with the Bristol Aeroplane Company during their development of the Centaurus radial engine, which powered the type in service. TA122 London Colney, Hertfordshire: de Havilland Aircraft Museum: On display Built by de Havilland Hatfield as FB.VI. We are really happy to hear this William! Much remains to be done though, including refurbishment of nearly all the myriad systems and internal fittings.