Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
By Mike Tango
#1853176
Great thirty minutes of late 80s or early 90s tv featuring Edward Hulton’s restoration of Sunderland ML814. This is the aircraft that now resides at Kermit Weeks’ Fantasy of Flight in Florida.


User avatar
By Rob P
#1853194
"Languishes" might be a better term :(

Rob P
User avatar
By Rob L
#1853200
I visited Kermit Weeks' place in 2004 (a pleasant day away from Sun and Fun). The Sunderland was there.

What was of more interest to me was the Weeks grass runway. It was essentially a concrete cambered runway with 6" of turf/grass superimposed; very clever (& expensive!). That day he had just purchased the Laird Super Solution (perhaps a replica; I don't know) for about $1M

Rob
[edit: SnF to Sun and Fun]
Last edited by Rob L on Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
By Hooligan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1853226
Fantastic to see it flying - forget which year, maybe 1987, but it appeared at Biggin Hill and West Malling where I think it formated with the B-17 and maybe the Lanc. I have a photo somewhere... Wonderful piece of kit.

Presume the pilot in the video was Ken Emmott, possibly assisted by Keith Sissons - the flight engineer could have been Geoff Masterton. None of 'em with us now...
User avatar
By Rob P
#1853485
Rob L wrote:
What was of more interest to me was the Weeks grass runway.


Do you ever think that maybe you should get out more Rob? :lol:

Rob P
JAFO, Rob L liked this
By Skybolt1
#1853522
Great to see the late Geoff Masterton at his flight engineer's desk. I think anybody who has been involved in an aircraft restoration project, no matter how humble, will share some of the emotion of this short film, albeit perhaps not to the same scale! I really hope that Kermit Week's purchase brought some peace of mind to Edward, and refilled the coffers a little.
Mike Tango liked this
User avatar
By Trent772
#1853525
Ever so slight thread drift.

We used to operate into Sanford.

At the eastern end of the runway stood a Connie.

Eventually it disappeared and appeared at Fantasy of Flight. The back story - wrenched out of the Engineers under sever pain was like this.

Kermieeeeeeee obtained it for a dollar. He then said he needed to ferry it to F of F. :?

FAA said - so long as it was airworthy, no worries.

4 engines were running, at least one was producing power, the gear was pinned down and it got ferried......

Very practical.
By Hooligan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1853532
The Sanford Connie (a Starliner) was parked at Fort Lauderdale for years - I saw her there in 1984, then I think Maurice Roundy bought her to help keep his pair running up in Maine as she faced the scrappers at FLL (she'd gone by 1988 when I next went to FLL) - the other Connie there at the time (an 049 I think) was reduced to saucepan material. Roundy ferried her as far as Sanford before (probably) something broke and there she sat until Kermit offered a home at Polk City - think the metal crushers were closing in again at that point.