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Fantasy of Flight to close to public next month
Fantasy of Flight will close its doors on April 6 after 18 years in business. The attraction is located halfway between Tampa and Orlando and has over 100 rare and vintage aircraft. Unfortunately, he said, there was not a big enough market of aircraft enthusiasts to justify keeping the doors open to the public. (www.baynews9.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
It is a really neat place. Kermit's collection is fabulous and he is one cool dude.
This is very sad news. I was able to visit this wonderful facility a few years ago and had a fantastic time. The amount of history and stories told there is amazing. Too bad for the employees losing jobs in a place they enjoyed. They seemed like family.
http://www.fantasyofflight.com/about-us/press-room/press-releases/fantasy-of-flight-takes-a-bold-next-step-on-its-journey/
As I told someone else, maybe we just need to consider the long term here and hope that this means more aircraft will see restoration and/or flying status sooner. It's not going away completely, so maybe that's a good sign.
Darn. At least he isn't auctioning his birds, yet. Maybe it will re-open.
I visited this excellent museum a couple of times after spending some time at Disneyworld. As a private pilot and above all an aviation enthusiast I asked repeatedly if they offered rides on their airplanes but I received a flat no something that was a bit shocking for all who had just enjoyed proactive rides and so at Disney. I know that insurance premiums are awful but there are many aviation museums in other parts of the U.S. where rides are offered (i.e. at nearby Kissimee) which are very expensive. I don't know but perhaps this was one of the reasons why the number of visitors went down. Too bad.
Most museums don't let you play with the toys. Not one person in 10,000 would pay the fare for a 51 ride. Believe me, Kermit isn't closing over monetary shortage. Just no since throwing money away. His oil money will never run out over this venture.
Rides in a Mustang too steep alright, but riding on in a B-17 or a B-25 for half an hour @ 300 bucks or so being expensive as it is would definitely bring in some funding. What is your take as to why crowds at this excellent museum are not flocking there.
I think a little off the beaten path for the Orlando tourists. Only aviation buffs seek it out. Others never realize it is there or won't spend the drive time to visit.