So thoughtful of Kermit to put on the gopro and let us see things as he sees them and let us hear this thoughts and comments, amazing ambassador of aviation restoration and history. Got to love a guy who gets his hands dirty, lifts and lugs heavy stuff around, like me, probably had his back go out from time to time, LOL
Decades ago, when they first started importing Migs from the former Warsaw Pact and China, someone (can't remember who, possibly Kermmie) got a shipment of Mig-17's (or Chinese equivalent) into Long Beach, CA. The excrement hit the rotating cooling device when they arrived because the Chinese basically pulled the planes off the ramp, pulled the wings and tail surfaces, crated them up and shipped them...guns, ammunition and all! ATF went nuts!
A friend who passed in 1999 built a Yak he had found in Egypt. He powered it with an Allison 1710 and a shortened DC-3 prop, reconfigured the fuselage to a razor back and eleminated the air intakes at the wing roots. It was a very nice looking plane although I didn't get to see it fly, I have tons of detailed photos I shot during construction from the late 80s and through the 90s. The pneumatically actuated landing gear was redone with more reliable hydraulics. The radiator and oil cooling were done P-51 style.
I hope I live long enough to see Kermit fly his own S.E.5 or 5a. A magnificent plane to see in flight. The sound from the Hispano-Suiza defines flight in that era.
I'm a fan of planes and, at 48, took my first flying lesson. Eventually, I want to learn more. For the time being, I enjoy your videos and stories (you have a good voice for story telling). What I love about you (and Jay Leno with his cars and motorcycles) is that you are TRUE ENTHUSIASTS who are preserving history. There are many people who are envious of people with wealth, but our country is better because of visionaries who invest their time & treasure, enabling the rest of us to enjoy these amazing machines.
Yak fighter. Motor cannon and plexiglass canopy. Right shape for the rudder too. Interesting, I didnt know the Soviets also used cast engine mounts. That made me think Luftwaffe inline engine at first. But then I saw the canopy. Yep, and steel-tube truss fuselage framing, its a Yak. A 3-gun Yak, judging from the bulges in the cowling (2 x 12.7mm, 1 x 20mm in engine). Many were made with only the port side 12.7 and the 20, to save weight. The Soviets seemed to consider it perfectly sufficient. And they were probably right, since they didn't have to shoot down 4 engined bombers, but mostly Luftwaffe 2 engine and single engine tactical bombers, and fighters. And their 20mm was excellent, very fast firing.
Bolt cutters Mr. Weeks. A good idea to keep'em around, if you're going to be opening many of these up. They don't cost much for a good pair, and they pay for themselves in aggravation. They let you cut shipping seals, with no goggles needed.
Just as well that box didn't go through any heavy weather. It's an extraordinarily sloppy piece of packing. On the positive side, any time Kermit's feeling down, he can make it Christmas morning just by wandering around his yard and opening a box or two. :-)*
The Yak9 is a great looking craft. One of Russia's best looking IMO. Never was much of a fan of Russian aircraft...but this is an exception. Hope she becomes airworthy and we all get to see her fly again. Good luck guys.
Funny how things may appear to other people. To Kermit, Its a long awaited 40 feet of awesomeness and parts! To the workers, It's job security! To me it looks like 40 foot sea CAN of WORMS! lol Thank You Kermit for sharing your love for planes of the past and breathing new life in to them!
I got to Kermit's facility in Miami just before the roof fell in. Much later I visited the F of F . I could have used another day there. Stay well Mr. Weeks. Dad was a ball turret gunner.
I don't think that Kermit considers restoring and flying warbirds as 'work', I know I certainly wouldn't. If I could afford to spend my life buying, restoring and flying rare vintage aircraft instead of dragging my ever wearying carcass into a job I hate for ten hours a day, five or six days a week, I would jump at the chance.
You can imagine how in the 2nd world war, the Russians who were trying their best to make as many planes as they could, somehow I didn’t think that they would be so particular about any tiny marks etc. Well done Kermit on your new purchase, it’s in the best place possible. We’d love to come back over again and see what has changed changed since 2006.
Kermit, if you haven't flown one of these (I'm guessing you have), you are in for a pleasant surprise. These pretty much outfly and outclimb almost all of the Allied or Axis fighters. Beautifully harmonized controls, really just a hot rod. I assume you'll use Allison power as the Klimov is virtually out of the question if you want to stay reliably airborne. Any impartial pilot who has flown the common types of WWII fighters will tell you that these are something special. Next order of business; Buy the DH Sea Hornet when it's finished please. I want to see one of those go before I'm tango uniform.
Anyone else see how close the latch box/cover came to hitting his employee in his head as he opened the shipping container door?!?! Uses a cutting wheel to cut the lock off but grabs it with bare hands to steady it while he cuts? And starts the clip off saying “you need to error on the side of caution!” Haha brilliantly hilarious. Love the videos.
From here it looks like it was THROWN in........ but......... I see some good lookin' aluminum stuff ! It is a joy to know somebody is saving History ............ If I were close I'd volunteer my time to help put this back in order. THANK YOU for the video.... see ya at OSHKOSH ?
I sure am glad that people like you and your organization think differently today. If we had the same thinking as that of people in 1946 where the big melt down was happening we'd only have some photos and a few spare parts laying around. I'm glad that they weren't as thorough as they had liked. Thanks for doing what you're doing to preserve history and it's innovative progress. You'll have mastered the Russian language by the time you finish up with this one. Good luck with all of your projects, a new subscriber you've earned.
I had originally thought Airacobra when you mentioned the "shoot-thru" hub, then when you said the tubing was metric I was thinking ME-109. NEVER would have guessed a YAK though :D :D
The yak 9d was the very first airfix model kit bought for me as a child, were the decales and instructions in the box , good look with your kit i'm sure she will fly again.
Man, vintage airplane parts piled in there like junk. Real shame. But still cool. The engine cowl with the blisters on the top for the guns is what gave it away for me. Its a Yak. :-D (Or it will be somday)
No, you mean you hope it's an Il-2. Whart part of that looks anything like an Il-2? The wings and fuselage are way, way too small, and it has a hollow prop shaft and spinner. The Il-2 has a Hucks starter on the spinner.
Thanks, Mikey! Great show! The Wife and I are traveling to the east coast by motorcycle and will be going through Thunder Bay. Hopefully it will still be there. That would be awesome to see it in the “flesh”.
So, you and I have the same issue just on different scales. I accumulate RC airplanes, kits, old neglected birds, parts and plans. I am certain that they are breeding in my basement workshop because there's no way I purchased/scrounged as many as are down there. I wonder where they came from. Hmm....
Yakolev! What an inspiring project! My guess is it's a -U variant, judging by the size of the hole in the prop shaft, possibly a -T. The -K's 37mm cannon would have required a larger hole and the type altogether was far less profuse. Again, judging very loosely by your video. Whatever it is, it's magnificent. I hope in time to see what other treasures you have there.
The ATF 6 is a casual import form, for dealers that are not importers/exporters...I used that form to get a few Beretta shotguns directly from the factory in Italy, and yes, I have a FFL,
I had to fill in one as a service member when i returned from Germany in 1989 with firearms i had purchased. Another person i had heard of had a handmade chainmail hauberk that was confiscated because he didnt know he was supposed to have one.
Yak-9 was the most produced WW2 fighter of USSR. There were a lot of things on it made out of wood and fabric covered wings and tail. It's probably will be very hard to reconstruct it all. There was a shortage of aluminium and it was mostly used on bombers. And there was a cannon that shoots through the propeller hub, like on all Yak fighters.
You are correct, although at 5:30 it appears that we are looking at the all metal wing of the postwar -9P. It would also appear that the carb air scoop (what Kermit picks the upper cowling up by) was mistakenly riveted on backwards. Oops.
I have been a licensed A&P for over thirty years. I have dope and fabric experience and sheet metal experience. And i would love to get involved in a ww2 aircraft restoration project. To bring a piece of history back to life.
Kinda foaming at the mouth a bit because I dealt with a similar station, but the boxes were full of T-34C's. The worst part was that as were pulling them apart to fully inspect and asses what was needed. Well we were finding some of the creative repair choices the previous operators had been using, these were overseas aircraft. My favorite being one of the landing gear control wires was being sliced together with masking tape. I took pictures, wish I could put them up here.
Kermit I was accidentally standing in front of you at sun and fun while we were both trying to get some pics of the xp-82 my dad was like hey Ethan Kermit’s trying to take pics and I turn around and saw you not gonna lie got a little star struck 😂 my family owns the lowest hour t-34 b model in the US and we think maybe the world it was built by Scott yoke’s (the pilot of quicksilver) father before he passed. We also have a 182 and are in the process of acquiring an L-39. We were standing at the tempest booth talking to mrs. Clark and you were behind me promoting your books I wanted to talk to you so bad but got nervous and couldn’t form a conversation starter so I wrote it off as I’ll catch him next time. It was years ago when I was still in single digits age wise (I’m now 24) at FOF last and I am extremely excited about act 3👍🏻 I really really look forward to officially meeting you one day instead of being a nervous Nancy 😂
I love your story but at least you didn't embarrass yourself, like I did quite a few years ago! Back in 2001, at the Dayton International Air Show, I was so enthralled with the Tuskegee P-51C Mustang that I didn't notice who had just given me permission to climb up on her wing and snap a few pictures. After getting the best photos ever, I climbed down off and started talking to the man that was getting her ready for a tow. Mind you, this was the same man that had given me permission to be on her wing. I started off with the usual questions, all the while listening to the mans answers and admiring the aircraft, snapping more pictures. I mentioned the superior attention to detail of the restoration and how it reminded me of the meticulousness of Kermit Weeks restorations... Well....... I then asked the most embarrassing question, up to that point in my life, "you do know who Kermit Weeks is, don't you?" Kermit, in his gracious manner replied, "I do. That's me!" Ugh! I cannot remember the Naval Aviators name that was standing there amongst us but I thought he was going to burst a lung laughing so hard! Thank God, there was only my wife, children, as well as the Naval Aviator and Kermit standing there! I'll never forget that embarrassing but hilarious moment! We met Scott Yoak's dad, Bill, when he was rebuilding QuickSilver in Lewisburg, WV. I was working for a helicopter service, Agrotors Inc. which, unfortunately, is no longer in business. When I first met Bill Yoak, he gave me a mini tour of the rebuild while QuickSilver was without a motor, wingless and skinless. On one of the many occasions while I was working in the area, my wife was with me and we got to witness Bill fire and run up the engine on QuickSilver! This was only the third start since being bolted into the frame. Scott has since told me, that engine is long gone and the replacement engine is the best! Sadly, the last time my wife and I got to see Bill was at Rickenbacker Airport at the 2007 Gathering of Mustangs and Legends. Bill passed before we were able to see him again.
Thanks a bunch Phil, for producing this video. Kermit and Paul, I really enjoy your "behind the scenes" adventures. LOL that long, bleeped out comment about the Tempest ailerons!! So did you pay freight based on the 12,000 lb weight?
Kermit, not sure if you'll see this but chances are your local heavy tow company can help unload containers for you. I do it all the time with my 40 ton wrecker for a few guys local to me. Hell find the right guy and he might do it for a few plane rides ;-)
You said someone told you the weight was 12,000 lbs., that's 5.4 MT, the tare alone is 4 MT. I think they may have been talking about the cargo weight. The customs broker or Hanjin should know the real cargo weight since in order to load it on the ship they have to know that. The trucker could also run it over a scale. You should be able to leave it on the chassis for a few days for a nominal rental fee and have the trucker come back and pick it up. Loading the empty container on the chassis with a fork lift is going to be tricky, so you may have to rent the crane again. The best plan would have been to discharge the container while it's still on the chassis even if he has to wait a couple of hours.
I know unexpected problems often raise their ugly heads but do you have any ballpark figure as to when you might have it done and airworthy? That would be really cool to see that happen!
Spinner looks like it was from a Bf 109 F or G . Yeah the Yak 9 used a Klimov engine. Kermit Weeks has plenty of experience with Yakovlev aircraft from the new builds he built back in the 1980s.
A friend who passed in 1999 built a Yak 9 through the 80s into the 90s finishing it in 1997. He powered it with an Allison 1710, reconfigured the fuselage into a razorback and fabricated wing root skin without the air intakes. The pneumatic landing gear was converted to hydraulic. It was a beautiful plane. I have no way of knowing where it is now.
Tons of the build, @@CloudEscolar. All my pictures are in a storage unit in Arizona. I'm in Michigan. No pics of it in paint. It had the blue and white cloud camoflage with a horizontal lightning bolt the length of the fuselage through the red star.
Always Christmas! Love it and Love what you all are doing to keep these vintage aircraft alive and how you explain everything about them!! As I said before I hope to visit Fantasy of Flight some day (soon I hope)! Great video!!!!!
So thoughtful of Kermit to put on the gopro and let us see things as he sees them and let us hear this thoughts and comments, amazing ambassador of aviation restoration and history. Got to love a guy who gets his hands dirty, lifts and lugs heavy stuff around, like me, probably had his back go out from time to time, LOL
Decades ago, when they first started importing Migs from the former Warsaw Pact and China, someone (can't remember who, possibly Kermmie) got a shipment of Mig-17's (or Chinese equivalent) into Long Beach, CA. The excrement hit the rotating cooling device when they arrived because the Chinese basically pulled the planes off the ramp, pulled the wings and tail surfaces, crated them up and shipped them...guns, ammunition and all! ATF went nuts!
clearly you meant "more nuts"
I would have given a thumb to see that video.
Anti Terrific Fun committee hates all those wild mig-17’s being used in street crime!
A friend who passed in 1999 built a Yak he had found in Egypt. He powered it with an Allison 1710 and a shortened DC-3 prop, reconfigured the fuselage to a razor back and eleminated the air intakes at the wing roots. It was a very nice looking plane although I didn't get to see it fly, I have tons of detailed photos I shot during construction from the late 80s and through the 90s. The pneumatically actuated landing gear was redone with more reliable hydraulics. The radiator and oil cooling were done P-51 style.
Mr Weeks is a very lucky man. A family fortune to spend, and thankfully for the world, he spends it on preserving aircraft. Wonderful.
There's an old saying; the guy with the best toys wins....I'd say that would be Kermit Weeks hands down....
I hope I live long enough to see Kermit fly his own S.E.5 or 5a. A magnificent plane to see in flight. The sound from the Hispano-Suiza defines flight in that era.
Max Lever Do you know of / where to find an audio recording?
Kermit Weeks...cool enough to actually make me ok with rocking those white Dad-style New Balance shoes.
I'm a fan of planes and, at 48, took my first flying lesson. Eventually, I want to learn more. For the time being, I enjoy your videos and stories (you have a good voice for story telling). What I love about you (and Jay Leno with his cars and motorcycles) is that you are TRUE ENTHUSIASTS who are preserving history. There are many people who are envious of people with wealth, but our country is better because of visionaries who invest their time & treasure, enabling the rest of us to enjoy these amazing machines.
Paul Allen ditto
Boy it's a job saving History,, Thanks Kermit and crew for all you guys do
Yak fighter. Motor cannon and plexiglass canopy. Right shape for the rudder too. Interesting, I didnt know the Soviets also used cast engine mounts. That made me think Luftwaffe inline engine at first. But then I saw the canopy. Yep, and steel-tube truss fuselage framing, its a Yak. A 3-gun Yak, judging from the bulges in the cowling (2 x 12.7mm, 1 x 20mm in engine). Many were made with only the port side 12.7 and the 20, to save weight. The Soviets seemed to consider it perfectly sufficient. And they were probably right, since they didn't have to shoot down 4 engined bombers, but mostly Luftwaffe 2 engine and single engine tactical bombers, and fighters. And their 20mm was excellent, very fast firing.
Bolt cutters Mr. Weeks. A good idea to keep'em around, if you're going to be opening many of these up. They don't cost much for a good pair, and they pay for themselves in aggravation. They let you cut shipping seals, with no goggles needed.
Kermit that is a hot rod! Wow can’t wait for you to rebuild it!!!
Just as well that box didn't go through any heavy weather. It's an extraordinarily sloppy piece of packing.
On the positive side, any time Kermit's feeling down, he can make it Christmas morning just by wandering around his yard and opening a box or two. :-)*
The Yak9 is a great looking craft. One of Russia's best looking IMO. Never was much of a fan of Russian aircraft...but this is an exception. Hope she becomes airworthy and we all get to see her fly again. Good luck guys.
You know that the MiG 25 is twice as fast as the F-35, don't you, and can fly 2,5 times highter if necessary?
Funny how things may appear to other people.
To Kermit, Its a long awaited 40 feet of awesomeness and parts!
To the workers, It's job security!
To me it looks like 40 foot sea CAN of WORMS! lol
Thank You Kermit for sharing your love for planes of the past and breathing new life in to them!
hell, a couple weeks and a coat of paint. he will be ready to rock.
Please notify shipper of any damage before signing for your package.😝 What a packing job!
Thanks for your fantastic videos 👍🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Kermit taking unboxing videos to a whole new level.
So many projects Kermit. Good for a couple of lifetime. Hope to see a number of them getting finished and in the air.
Now what we all want to know is what is in the REST of the containers! Some flying gold I am sure.
BLACKMONGOOSE13 There is a complete Lancaster at least!
I’m happy to see that the multitude of plans appear to be dry and in good overall shape. That is a great project to take on!
Very Cool 👍 Good Deal Kermit
I got to Kermit's facility in Miami just before the roof fell in. Much later I visited the F of F . I could have used another day there. Stay well Mr. Weeks. Dad was a ball turret gunner.
Dear Kermit, You are going to have to live until 130 to get all your projects done!!!
i love this guys commitment, he could just retire ang play golf in a nice part of the earth. Real passion thanks.
I don't think that Kermit considers restoring and flying warbirds as 'work', I know I certainly wouldn't. If I could afford to spend my life buying, restoring and flying rare vintage aircraft instead of dragging my ever wearying carcass into a job I hate for ten hours a day, five or six days a week, I would jump at the chance.
Outstanding
You can imagine how in the 2nd world war, the Russians who were trying their best to make as many planes as they could, somehow I didn’t think that they would be so particular about any tiny marks etc. Well done Kermit on your new purchase, it’s in the best place possible. We’d love to come back over again and see what has changed changed since 2006.
Kermit, if you haven't flown one of these (I'm guessing you have), you are in for a pleasant surprise. These pretty much outfly and outclimb almost all of the Allied or Axis fighters. Beautifully harmonized controls, really just a hot rod. I assume you'll use Allison power as the Klimov is virtually out of the question if you want to stay reliably airborne. Any impartial pilot who has flown the common types of WWII fighters will tell you that these are something special.
Next order of business; Buy the DH Sea Hornet when it's finished please. I want to see one of those go before I'm tango uniform.
Seeing all the parts thrown in the container like that makes me want to YAK.... Very cool aircraft
YAK-9 Sweet! that explains the hole in the spinner.....Hope i live long enough to see it fly. lol
Anyone else see how close the latch box/cover came to hitting his employee in his head as he opened the shipping container door?!?! Uses a cutting wheel to cut the lock off but grabs it with bare hands to steady it while he cuts? And starts the clip off saying “you need to error on the side of caution!” Haha brilliantly hilarious. Love the videos.
From here it looks like it was THROWN in........ but......... I see some good lookin' aluminum stuff ! It is a joy to know somebody is saving History ............ If I were close I'd volunteer my time to help put this back in order. THANK YOU for the video.... see ya at OSHKOSH ?
I sure am glad that people like you and your organization think differently today. If we had the same thinking as that of people in 1946 where the big melt down was happening we'd only have some photos and a few spare parts laying around. I'm glad that they weren't as thorough as they had liked. Thanks for doing what you're doing to preserve history and it's innovative progress. You'll have mastered the Russian language by the time you finish up with this one. Good luck with all of your projects, a new subscriber you've earned.
Thanks for the comments, and the sub. Welcome aboard!
And I thought I was having a good day when the Postman delivered some long awaited tig welding rods...great vid Kermie, thanks for sharing.
I had originally thought Airacobra when you mentioned the "shoot-thru" hub, then when you said the tubing was metric I was thinking ME-109. NEVER would have guessed a YAK though :D :D
The yak 9d was the very first airfix model kit bought for me as a child, were the decales and instructions in the box , good look with your kit i'm sure she will fly again.
Very interesting....looking ahead to coming back.
Thanks for keep this beautys in flying conditions.
Thanks. for all you folks do. I believe this one is going to be a fun puzzle. I have no doubt it will be a awesome plane soon.
Kermit, I love your world. Talk about toys to play with.
Man, vintage airplane parts piled in there like junk. Real shame. But still cool. The engine cowl with the blisters on the top for the guns is what gave it away for me.
Its a Yak. :-D
(Or it will be somday)
Seeing all those containers I think you need a much bigger team of restorers 😁😁
It would be funny to have vinyl wrap images of what is in the containers. Like make them look like model airplane kit boxes.
I don’t know a whole lot about planes, but my guess is the IL-2
No, you mean you hope it's an Il-2. Whart part of that looks anything like an Il-2? The wings and fuselage are way, way too small, and it has a hollow prop shaft and spinner. The Il-2 has a Hucks starter on the spinner.
@@justforever96 I was guessing before I saw it. My bad
Interesting change but all part of Kermit world
packing job held up pretty good, even though the container was flipped over 5 times and bounced off the Ship.
That would be an awesome addition to your collection! Can’t wait to see it fly someday.
The ATF was worried that Kermit was fencing Jamaican rum when really it's a lot of Russian Yak parts. My question is where's the vodka comrade?!
Sweet. Project
regular RUclipsr: 1000$ mystery box!
Kermit: MYSTERY WW2 PLANE UNBOXING!
Very cool plane. Hope to see it in November.
I seen that smile when yoh said welcome to my world. I think you are goona enjoy this project. So rare an aircraft, to make flyable.
First time I've seen a container unloaded from front to rear!
Good luck putting that together. I hope to live long enough to see you fly the plane on youtube.
Thanks, Mikey! Great show! The Wife and I are traveling to the east coast by motorcycle and will be going through Thunder Bay. Hopefully it will still be there. That would be awesome to see it in the “flesh”.
So, some assembly required...cool
Looks like you need Mikey MCBryan from Plane Savers to get this plane up and running !!
thesawch63 Im in. When the start date and where do we show up.
Ha Ha , I would love to see it . good one Bobby !!!
Good work! Safety third!! In Harley parlance, they call it a "basket case."
It's a Yak-9!
Love your videos. I hope you never retire
So, you and I have the same issue just on different scales. I accumulate RC airplanes, kits, old neglected birds, parts and plans. I am certain that they are breeding in my basement workshop because there's no way I purchased/scrounged as many as are down there. I wonder where they came from. Hmm....
That's a lot better than an Amazon delivery.Thanks for sharing.
Yakolev! What an inspiring project! My guess is it's a -U variant, judging by the size of the hole in the prop shaft, possibly a -T. The -K's 37mm cannon would have required a larger hole and the type altogether was far less profuse. Again, judging very loosely by your video. Whatever it is, it's magnificent. I hope in time to see what other treasures you have there.
What a good man is that Kermit ! God bless !
The ATF 6 is a casual import form, for dealers that are not importers/exporters...I used that form to get a few Beretta shotguns directly from the factory in Italy, and yes, I have a FFL,
I had to fill in one as a service member when i returned from Germany in 1989 with firearms i had purchased. Another person i had heard of had a handmade chainmail hauberk that was confiscated because he didnt know he was supposed to have one.
You have a pretty cool job Kermit.
What a good project
Hello Mr. Weeks., just wanted to let you know I give your videos 'likes' before I've even watched them. Many thanks and happy landings from Ireland
I love this channel
Thanks!
Very Nice Kermit, But REAAAAALY wanna see the Fokker D7 Fly Please :D
Great project for sure, like the unboxing. Thanks for uploading, special thanks to Phil for his help. Thumbs up!
Yak-9 was the most produced WW2 fighter of USSR. There were a lot of things on it made out of wood and fabric covered wings and tail. It's probably will be very hard to reconstruct it all. There was a shortage of aluminium and it was mostly used on bombers. And there was a cannon that shoots through the propeller hub, like on all Yak fighters.
You are correct, although at 5:30 it appears that we are looking at the all metal wing of the postwar -9P. It would also appear that the carb air scoop (what Kermit picks the upper cowling up by) was mistakenly riveted on backwards. Oops.
Excellent film footage and sound. Great commentary.
they did a 1/4 price packing job too
I have been a licensed A&P for over thirty years. I have dope and fabric experience and sheet metal experience. And i would love to get involved in a ww2 aircraft restoration project. To bring a piece of history back to life.
This project is so cool
very cool!
That's going to be a great build when it's finished
Most epic unboxing video ever!
Very cool
Have fun with your Meccano set... ;-)
Hopefully the restoration will be a total success. I’d love to see you put your B-29 back into the air someday/somehow.
The _entire_ aircraft is inside? These people are good at playing Tetris.
Kinda foaming at the mouth a bit because I dealt with a similar station, but the boxes were full of T-34C's. The worst part was that as were pulling them apart to fully inspect and asses what was needed. Well we were finding some of the creative repair choices the previous operators had been using, these were overseas aircraft. My favorite being one of the landing gear control wires was being sliced together with masking tape. I took pictures, wish I could put them up here.
It would be really cool if you could go back and do this video again when the lake refills.
Kermit I was accidentally standing in front of you at sun and fun while we were both trying to get some pics of the xp-82 my dad was like hey Ethan Kermit’s trying to take pics and I turn around and saw you not gonna lie got a little star struck 😂 my family owns the lowest hour t-34 b model in the US and we think maybe the world it was built by Scott yoke’s (the pilot of quicksilver) father before he passed. We also have a 182 and are in the process of acquiring an L-39. We were standing at the tempest booth talking to mrs. Clark and you were behind me promoting your books I wanted to talk to you so bad but got nervous and couldn’t form a conversation starter so I wrote it off as I’ll catch him next time. It was years ago when I was still in single digits age wise (I’m now 24) at FOF last and I am extremely excited about act 3👍🏻 I really really look forward to officially meeting you one day instead of being a nervous Nancy 😂
Single digits--great story!
Thanks m8
I love your story but at least you didn't embarrass yourself, like I did quite a few years ago!
Back in 2001, at the Dayton International Air Show, I was so enthralled with the Tuskegee P-51C Mustang that I didn't notice who had just given me permission to climb up on her wing and snap a few pictures. After getting the best photos ever, I climbed down off and started talking to the man that was getting her ready for a tow. Mind you, this was the same man that had given me permission to be on her wing. I started off with the usual questions, all the while listening to the mans answers and admiring the aircraft, snapping more pictures.
I mentioned the superior attention to detail of the restoration and how it reminded me of the meticulousness of Kermit Weeks restorations...
Well....... I then asked the most embarrassing question, up to that point in my life, "you do know who Kermit Weeks is, don't you?"
Kermit, in his gracious manner replied, "I do. That's me!"
Ugh! I cannot remember the Naval Aviators name that was standing there amongst us but I thought he was going to burst a lung laughing so hard!
Thank God, there was only my wife, children, as well as the Naval Aviator and Kermit standing there!
I'll never forget that embarrassing but hilarious moment!
We met Scott Yoak's dad, Bill, when he was rebuilding QuickSilver in Lewisburg, WV. I was working for a helicopter service, Agrotors Inc. which, unfortunately, is no longer in business.
When I first met Bill Yoak, he gave me a mini tour of the rebuild while QuickSilver was without a motor, wingless and skinless.
On one of the many occasions while I was working in the area, my wife was with me and we got to witness Bill fire and run up the engine on QuickSilver!
This was only the third start since being bolted into the frame. Scott has since told me, that engine is long gone and the replacement engine is the best!
Sadly, the last time my wife and I got to see Bill was at Rickenbacker Airport at the 2007 Gathering of Mustangs and Legends. Bill passed before we were able to see him again.
Snoopy that’s funny you may have seen our plane sitting around there back in the day 😮
@@ehizzle617 Which aircraft was it?
Thanks a bunch Phil, for producing this video. Kermit and Paul, I really enjoy your "behind the scenes" adventures. LOL that long, bleeped out comment about the Tempest ailerons!! So did you pay freight based on the 12,000 lb weight?
Never heard Kermit swear before.
@@cf6282 there was a video where an engine cowling came off and ripped up fabric wings. I don't remember exactly what was said but it was tense
RickBaconsAdventures, that was his Sopwith Pup. Definitely a pants-changing moment. The video is here:
ruclips.net/video/PWsca10FuUw/видео.html
All I ever wanted was a GB-R2 .... you get shipping containers full of neat stuff ... always fun Kermit!
Kermit, not sure if you'll see this but chances are your local heavy tow company can help unload containers for you. I do it all the time with my 40 ton wrecker for a few guys local to me. Hell find the right guy and he might do it for a few plane rides ;-)
You said someone told you the weight was 12,000 lbs., that's 5.4 MT, the tare alone is 4 MT. I think they may have been talking about the cargo weight. The customs broker or Hanjin should know the real cargo weight since in order to load it on the ship they have to know that. The trucker could also run it over a scale. You should be able to leave it on the chassis for a few days for a nominal rental fee and have the trucker come back and pick it up. Loading the empty container on the chassis with a fork lift is going to be tricky, so you may have to rent the crane again. The best plan would have been to discharge the container while it's still on the chassis even if he has to wait a couple of hours.
Now THAT'S what I call an unboxing.
Fantastic
I know unexpected problems often raise their ugly heads but do you have any ballpark figure as to when you might have it done and airworthy? That would be really cool to see that happen!
Not a clue. Have so many projects in the works or waiting.
Spinner looks like it was from a Bf 109 F or G . Yeah the Yak 9 used a Klimov engine. Kermit Weeks has plenty of experience with Yakovlev aircraft from the new builds he built back in the 1980s.
A friend who passed in 1999 built a Yak 9 through the 80s into the 90s finishing it in 1997. He powered it with an Allison 1710, reconfigured the fuselage into a razorback and fabricated wing root skin without the air intakes. The pneumatic landing gear was converted to hydraulic. It was a beautiful plane. I have no way of knowing where it is now.
Jim Burig you have a picture of it anywhere?
Tons of the build, @@CloudEscolar. All my pictures are in a storage unit in Arizona. I'm in Michigan. No pics of it in paint. It had the blue and white cloud camoflage with a horizontal lightning bolt the length of the fuselage through the red star.
Awesome Kermit....she will be beautiful when your done with her my friend. Hope to see ya soon
Your aviation world is AMAZin
Wow! God speed on your new endeavor.
Always Christmas! Love it and Love what you all are doing to keep these vintage aircraft alive and how you explain everything about them!! As I said before I hope to visit Fantasy of Flight some day (soon I hope)! Great video!!!!!