There is a private aviation museum called "Fantasy of Flight" in Polk City (east of Tampa) that will close at the end of April. See: http://www.fantasyofflight.com/ It had been on my list of things to see, so yesterday we hopped in the Falcon and drove over there. We added another 110 miles to the odometer and the car performed magnificently. It just seems to keep running better and better.
The facility is really nice. It is on an airstrip and all the aircraft on display are flyable or are being restored to make them so.
Falcon in front of bldg.jpg
This is a 1958 airliner. It would be cool to get this one back in the sky.
Falcon in Front of Lockheed.jpg
A flying boat. This is the very image of the spirit of travel.
Flying Boat.jpg
The owner of the museum gave a flight demonstration with his restored P-51 Mustang. The sound that the engine made when he wound it up for take off was really something. An employee told me that the owner insists on authenticity on all his restorations. He will actually have an early engine re-made from old blueprints rather than substitute a newer engine. (He has a lot of money from oil royalties. His grandfather was a geologist who asked for a percentage on the oil wells that he located rather than a fixed payment.)
Mustang.jpg
This is a shopping plaza in Lakeland. I like the big space-age looking sign. I would guess that it is from the early 60's.
Lakeland.jpg
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