Jet Set

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Fantasy of Flight in Polk City will satisfy any aerial fan.

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Hanging around at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

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Pensacola's National Museum of Naval Aviation

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Lakeland's Sun'n Fun Fly-in

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Grab four friends and take a 15-20 minute flight in a bi-plane at Fantasy of Flight.

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Put aviation history on the agenda of your next getaway.

Enclosed in an air- and humidity-controlled room inside what looks to be a large hangar in Lakeland is an acquisition the Smithsonian Institution vied for. But the largest private collection of memorabilia from Howard Hughes’ personal effects went to Florida’s official aviation museum: the Florida Air Museum, located in the southwest corner of Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.

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 the Sun 'n Fun Fly-in Convention 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 a few years ago with the help of dedicated museum volunteers and staff. 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).

Fantasy of Flight also offers hot air balloon rides and biplane flights in a 1942 Boeing Stearman PT-17.

The museum also features more than 70 vintage and sport aircrafts, as well as serving as the home to the Florida Aviation Hall of Fame. Visitors interested in hearing a living history should call ahead for a schedule of speakers who frequent the museum, including former astronauts, aerobatic pilots and other aviation notables.

Each April, the start of the flying year, more than 160,000 people “take off” to Lakeland for the six-day SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-IN and Expo (that’s when things get busy at Linder Regional, as 5,000 aircraft of every size, shape and description participate in the event). There are daily air shows – including one at night! – plus military jet demonstration teams (the USAF “Thunderbirds” and Navy “Blue Angels” have recently appeared), hot air balloon launches, antiques, rotorcraft, Warbirds and more. Lakeland Linder Regional Airport also hosts the annual Florida Jets Radio Control competition in March and the world invitational Top Gun RC competition in May.

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. The rotating attraction displays 40 pieces from the vast collection at a time.

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. Since 2005, Fantasy of Flight has continued bringing in the airmen every February for special symposiums.

Visitors can explore aviation history hands-on by walking onto a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress. In every month of the year except September, Fantasy of Flight also offers hot air balloon rides and biplane flights in a 1942 Boeing Stearman PT-17. The rides start at $69 per person for the New Standard D-25 and are $229 for a 30-minute experience in the Stearman PT-17.

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.

Flight Stops in Florida

Jet-setting to a different part of Florida? Add one of these stops to your flight plan:

National Naval Aviation Museum, 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 on most Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to watch practices by the famous Blue Angels flight team stationed next door. 850-453-2389, www.navalaviationmuseum.org

Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee: With a digital domed planetarium, IMAX® movie theater and space mission simulator featuring a mission control room and space station lab, this learning center piques the interest of young visitors in science and technology. 850-645-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 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame houses the world’s largest collection of personal astronaut memorabilia. Discover the human story behind space travel through historic spacecraft, an interactive simulator and hands-on activities that offer a true taste of space, including the G-Force Trainer and a space shuttle landing simulation. 877-313-2610, www.kennedyspacecenter.com