Fantasy of Flight Founder Kermit Weeks Publishes Second Children's Book, "The Spirit of Lindy"
Award-Winning Author Shares Story Featuring Historic Plane To Inspire Youngsters to Reach for Their Dreams
For more information, contact:
Mary Deatrick, DPR
(407) 332-5212, mary@deatrickpr.com
For photography, visit www.fantasyofflight.com
POLK CITY, Fla. (Sept. 13, 2012) - Kermit Weeks, founder and owner of The World's Greatest Aircraft Collection™, Fantasy of Flight, has just released his second children's book entitled “The Spirit of Lindy.”
The author, aviator and attraction owner feels his second book, which has been in the works for two years, has even more potential than his first. “It’s a great story based on the famous flight Charles Lindbergh made from New York to Paris to win the Orteig Prize in 1927,” he explained. “I came up with the concept, wrote the story, and had two incredibly talented Disney-trained artists, Dominic Carola (pencils), and Ryan Feltman (paint), do the artwork.”
“The Spirit of Lindy” introduces two new airplane-based characters, Geoffrey D. H., an enthusiastic DeHavilland 4 Mailplane with a grand idea, and Lindy, based on Lindbergh’s plane, Spirit of St. Louis. The story takes place at Fantasy of Flight where familiar characters from “All of Life is a School” - Gee Bee Zee, Puff, and all their friends - work together to help Lindy pursue his dream and learn a valuable life lesson in the process.
As in his first book, “The Spirit of Lindy” emphasizes the importance of “going beyond ourselves,” said the 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.”
Weeks, who is a former world aerobatics champion, an avid aircraft designer and a collector of more than 160 rare and vintage aircraft, owns and displays the planes on which the characters in his newest book are based, the DeHavilland 4 Mailplane and a Ryan M-2 single engine monoplane which was adapted by Lindbergh’s team to make the trans-Atlantic flight.
“I got smart this time,” explained Weeks. “While creating ‘The Spirit of Lindy’ I made sure I created characters based on planes I already had in the collection!”
Weeks currently owns seven of the 10 characters in “All of Life is a School,” hopes to acquire two more and build a replica of the third, a Curtiss of which only one exists and is housed in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. He intends to use other planes from his extensive private collection as the inspiration for characters in future books.
“The Spirit of Lindy” may be purchased at the Fantasy of Flight gift shop or online for $19.95 plus applicable sales taxes and shipping at www.fantasyoflight.com.
Fantasy of Flight is Central Florida’s premier aviation-themed attraction showcasing vintage aircraft from the world’s largest private collection; themed immersion experiences; interactive exhibits; a tram tour of aircraft maintenance areas; Restoration and Backlot tours; Fun with Flight center for families and the country’s only Aerial Demonstration of the Day (weather permitting) featuring a vintage plane. General admission also includes The Tuskegee Airmen - They Dared to Fly exhibit; the multimedia tribute to the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) - A Passionate Pursuit, a walking audio tour and many special events throughout the year.
New at Fantasy of Flight this year is Wing WalkAir, a thrilling outdoor attraction featuring a 600-foot zip line suspended four stories above water and a three-level ropes course complete with 33 midair challenges to be performed while tethered to an overhead line at heights of up to 45 feet. Ideal for families, couples, student/youth groups or corporate groups seeking teambuilding opportunities, Wing WalkAir is the first attraction of its kind in Polk County, located midway between Tampa and Orlando. Admission is $22 for the zip line and ropes course or $15 for the zip line and $12 for the ropes course when purchased separately. Group rates are available. Fantasy of Flight admission is not required for entry to Wing WalkAir.
Hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily. General admission is $28.95 for adults, $26.95 for seniors ages 55 and over and $14.95 for children, ages 6-12, plus 7 percent sales tax. Annual passes are available for $69.95 for adults, $39.95 for children ages 6-12, plus 7 percent sales tax, and are good for one year from the date of purchase. Biplane rides, through Waldo Wright’s Flying Service, and hot air balloon rides are available for an extra charge. For more information about Fantasy of Flight, call 863-984-3500 or visit www.fantasyofflight.com.