Fantasy of Flight Founder Kermit Weeks Shares Real-Life Lessons In First Children's Book, ‘All of Life is a School'
POLK CITY, Fla. – Gee Bee Zee is unseasoned but enthusiastic. The little yellow monoplane takes off on an important assignment without paying close attention to his flight teacher's lessons. If not for backup from his older brother, Jimmy G., Zee might have failed at his task.
The Gee Bee brothers and a colorful lineup of expressive vintage aircraft characters from the Golden Age of Aviation rev their engines for a debut children's adventure in "All of Life is a School," (KWIP Publishing, $19.95) by Fantasy of Flight owner and creator Kermit Weeks with illustrations by Project Firefly.
The scene is set at the mythical "Fantasy of Flight" airfield, where many types of airplanes created in the 1920s and '30s live and where older, wiser airplanes help youngsters push the boundaries of flight. The true-life Fantasy of Flight is the premier aviation-themed attraction open since 1995 in Polk City, Fla., and the only aircraft museum in the world showcasing daily aerial demonstrations for guests. Weeks displays more than 40 vintage airplanes at the attraction, while others in his collection are in the process of being restored for flight.
Project Firefly illustrators Ron Cohee and Robert Stanton -- former Disney animators, with art coordination by Pam Darley, give effervescence to Weeks' characters through bright hues, cartoon-like features and realistic depictions of flight maneuvers.
Eager Zee is a reproduction of the 1931 Gee Bee Model Z Super Sportster guests can see up close at Weeks' Fantasy of Flight attraction. Older, wiser Jimmy G. is the red-and-white monoplane based on the Gee Bee Model R-1 and named after famed pilot Jimmy Doolittle, who flew it to victory in the Thompson Trophy race of 1932. Other characters are based on historic aviators and airplane designers. Flight instructor Roscoe's character combines attributes of a Wedell-Williams plane and the renowned pilot who flew it to victory in the 1934 Thompson Trophy race, Roscoe Turner. New student Benny bears the moniker of award-winning airplane designer Benny Howard, known for his DGA (Darn Good Airplane) series of planes.
Along with other airplane characters, Zee and Jimmy soar with the message that children should pursue their dreams and their passions.
It was important to Weeks that his book developed the Fantasy of Flight concept of "going beyond ourselves," says the first-time author. "Everyone can relate to the metaphor of reaching for the sky and the stars. Within us all, we soar in our imaginations and fly in our dreams."
And we all make mistakes along the way, just as Gee Bee Zee does. Weeks, a former aerobatics champion, recalls how he, too, has learned life lessons from mistakes. He remembers the time he removed some heavy parts from his "Weeks Special" aerobatic plane – the one that earned him three silver medals and one bronze in the 1978 World Aerobatics Championships in Czechoslovakia.
"I was trying to save weight and built this second set of wings that were really light," Weeks recounts. "I was just back from Czechoslovakia and had flown the plane for about 100 hours without a problem. The nationals were coming up, and I was practicing. Suddenly, ‘Bam!' I looked out and could see that a large part of the fabric on the top wing of the biplane was gone. I had to land and came in really fast – I was so lucky. I learned that I had pushed my boundaries just a little too far."
Both his book and his Fantasy of Flight attraction reflect Weeks' vision of "going beyond yourself and striving to be all that you can be."
Weeks' passion for aviation began when he was a child. At 17, he started construction on his first home-built plane, which he flew four years later. In 1973, at age 20, he began competing in aerobatic competitions while studying aeronautical engineering at Miami-Dade Junior College, then University of Florida and Purdue University.
He qualified for the United States Aerobatics Team with the "Weeks Special" craft he designed and, in 1978, he was runner-up among 61 competitors worldwide. During the span of a dozen years, he placed as one of top three flyers in the world five times and won 20 medals in World Aerobatics Championships competition. He twice has won the United States National Aerobatics Championship and has won several Invitational Masters Championships in different worldwide competitions.
During the late 1970s, Week began acquiring and restoring antique aircraft and, in 1985, he opened the Weeks Air Museum in Miami, a non-profit facility showcasing his private collection and other antique aircraft. By 1995, he had acquired a 300-acre site in Polk City between Tampa and Orlando and realized another dream – the opening of his aviation-themed attraction, Fantasy of Flight. During the years of the attraction's operation, Weeks had acquired more of the surrounding land and added new experiences to the existing attraction.
Weeks says he wrote his children's book for two reasons – to impart a valuable lesson to his daughter, Katie, and to continue laying a foundation for a new generation theme-park industry based on "things that are real. I will continue to pursue my own dreams and create Fantasy of Flight as a place where others can discover theirs."
"All of Life is a School" (KWIP Publishing, $19.95, 64 pages) is available in hardback at the Fantasy of Flight gift shop, through www.amazon.com and soon will be available at www.geebee.com.
Fantasy of Flight is an aviation-themed attraction showcasing vintage aircraft from the world's largest private collection; themed immersion experiences; flight simulators; interactive exhibits; a tram tour of aircraft maintenance areas; Restoration and Backlot tours; and an Aerial Demonstration of the Day. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Audio tours, hot air balloon rides and biplane rides also are available. The Art Deco-styled Compass Rose Diner serves lunch daily from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Recent additions to Fantasy of Flight include the Fun with Flight Center; The Tuskegee Airmen – They Dared to Fly exhibit; and a multimedia tribute to the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) – A Passionate Pursuit. For more information about Fantasy of Flight, call 1.863.984.3500 or Contact Us.