Air Museums Breakdown

Ok.....as most, if not all, of you know, I am a yearly member of the main museums in Central Florida.

So, since some of you are thinking about visiting, I figured i would give a breakdown of the main three, as I call them, I-4 museums.

The Kissimmiee museum is very.....slapdash and is much more interesting to those interested in the restoration side. Though they DO give rides in the SNJ's on the premesis, mostly they are a small operation that is notable for their restoration work, of which they are currently working on two Fw-190s, a Stearman, a MiG-17, and two TS-11_Iskras.


In Lakeland they have the Florida Air Museum which is mostly general aviation stuff, and, really, not all that interesting. Part of this is due to the fact that I know more about aviation than anyone I have ever met on the staff there, and that's not a good thing. Besides being basically a storehouse for a lot of post-WWII General Aviation home-builts, the Florid Air Museum somehow managed to get their hands on the ultra rare Lockheed XFV-1 Salmon and Convair YF2Y-1 Sea Dart, in addition to having one of the F-14D-R Super Tomcats (thoroughly demilitarized), and about six of Kermit Weeks' aircraft he doesn't have room for at Fantasy of Flight.

The best bang for your buck in Central Florida, IMHO, is Fantasy of Flight. They have aircraft from the early age of aviation up until the Korean War, and, best of all, the majority of them fly. They fly at LEAST one aircraft every day, and you never know what's going to take to the air on a given day. Add to that the fact that the staff is quite knowledgeable about the aircraft they have under their watch (if you aren't with me, that is, ;) ) and are always approachable and easy to talk to. The museum also offers biplane rides, tours of the back lot restoration and storage areas, and quite possibly the best in-museum restaurant I have ever eaten at.

So, if any of you ever want to hit an aviation attraction in central Florida, hit me up, I'd be more than happy to play tour guide, and I tend to get pretty good discounts on admission as well. Never mind the fact that everyone at FOF at least knows me by sight ;)