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No offense to the Smithsonian, it’s only fitting that the collection resides permanently here: Linder Regional becomes one of the busiest airports in the world during an aviation festival held each April, the world’s largest private collection of vintage aircraft resides nearby and the U.S. space program wouldn’t have been the same without the “moon soup” concocted in the neighboring hamlet of Lake Wales.
Better than the Movie
The Hughes Collection debuted nearly three years ago with the help of museum volunteers. There are newspaper clippings Hughes kept describing his accomplishments, models of planes used in the film Hell’s Angels and one of his flight suits (along with one that’s slightly smaller, rumored to belong to Katharine Hepburn).
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| | Each April, the start of the flying year, more than 160,000 people “drop in” to Lakeland for the seven-day Sun ’n Fun Fly-In which features daily air shows, a nighttime aerobatics display and, occasionally, fly-bys courtesy of the Blue Angels. | | | |
The museum also features more than 50 vintage and sport aircrafts and is home to the Florida Aviation Hall of Fame. Visitors interested in oral history should call ahead for a schedule of speakers who frequent the museum, including former astronauts and stunt pilots.
Each April, the start of the flying year, more than 160,000 people “drop in” to Lakeland for the seven-day Sun ’n Fun Fly-In (that’s when things get busy at Linder Regional, as 5,000 planes come and go throughout the festival). There are daily air shows, a nighttime aerobatics display and, occasionally, fly-bys courtesy of the Blue Angels (who just happen to be stationed in the North Florida city of Pensacola). Linder Regional also hosts a holiday program over two weekends in December, when Santa Claus flies in on a bi-plane and 12 decorated crafts represent the “Twelve Planes of Christmas.”
Find Truth in Fantasy
A half-hour’s drive away, Fantasy of Flight presents the world’s largest private vintage airplane collection. Owner Kermit Weeks is a former aerobatics competitor and aircraft designer who turned his collection of 160 aircrafts, including a 1918 Thomas Morse Scout fighter plane used by the U.S. in World War I, into a popular attraction.
An exhibit called “They Dared to Fly” tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen through personal memorabilia and video footage. When the tribute debuted in the summer of 2005, members of the African-American air squadron attended and provided interviews to complete the exhibit. Mementos as small as the airmen’s patches to one of their original fighters are on view.
Visitors can explore aviation history hands-on by checking out flight simulators or walking onto a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress. Fantasy of Flight also offers hot air balloon rides and bi-plane flights in a 1942 Boeing Stearman. For around $200, you can take a 30-minute flight (and the controls) in this two-seater between October and April.
Modern Explorers
Looking to make personal aviation history? Take advantage of the good weather that makes Central Florida a favorite skydiving spot. The Florida Skydiving Center in Lake Wales offers same-day instruction and tandem jumps for first-timers, and more advanced programs for experienced jumpers.
Back on the ground, have lunch at the town’s Chalet Suzanne Restaurant & Inn. The romaine soup famously combines a mushroom and spinach base with secret herbs and spices. Astronaut James B. Irwin was a fan, and refused to leave the atmosphere without it (“moon soup” made its first space journey on the 1971 flight of Apollo 15). The rest, as they say, is history.
TRAVEL FILE
Jet-setting to a different part of Florida? Add one of these stops to your flight plan:
National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola: The museum displays about 150 restored aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, a flight simulator and IMAX® films. March through November, arrive early to watch practices by the famous Blue Angels flight team stationed next door. 850-453-2389, www.naval-air.org
Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee: With a planetarium, IMAX® movie theater and space station simulator featuring a mission control exhibit, this learning center piques the interest of young visitors in science and technology. 850-654-STAR, www.challengertlh.com
Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island: Just a few steps away from where today’s astronauts take off, the Astronaut Hall of Fame houses the world’s largest collection of personal memorabilia from U.S. astronauts. Simulators at the complex let you feel the pressure of four times the force of gravity, walk on the moon or land a space shuttle. 321-449-4444, www.kennedyspacecenter.com |
