The Spirit Of Saint Lindy Book Scheduled To Come Out By Reno Air Race Time

By Maria Morrison

While roaming the grounds at Oshkosh, I had a chance encounter with Kermit Weeks, owner of the world's largest privately, owned collection of vintage aircraft, famous pilot and now author too. His first book, All of Life is a School, featured plane characters like Gee Bee Zee, which is modeled after a Gee Bee. In his next book, the Spirit Of Lindy, Kermit Weeks adds two new characters, a DeHavilland 4 Mail Plane, and the Spirit of Saint Louis. Weeks says that he would have added more, but he said that he has a habit of getting all of the planes featured in his books, and he didn't want to go broke. One of the planes in his first book, Curtiss, is being built right now. The Spirit Of Saint Lindy was supposed to come out in time for Oshkosh, but will now be done printed in time for the Reno Air Races.

Another question that came up was what drove him to donate the Kermit Weeks hangar to the EAA. He said that it was just to support the EAA. It was the first building that wasn't a bathroom or a shack. His favorite plane in the hangar is whatever he can be flying at the time.

Outside of aviation, Kermit Weeks enjoys water and snow skiing, playing various instruments like the banjo, guitar, piano, and fiddle, and discovering inner flight. He says that he has spent a lot of time exploring within himself and having outer body experiences. He also told me that he believes in ghosts because he believes that he has been one. The Fantasy of Flight is all about people discovering their passions and staying true to themselves. “Everyone connects in different ways and we are all different, but we all have the same faults and the same perfection.” Says Weeks.

The thing that got Weeks involved in aviation was listening to the 1960’s song Snoopy and the Red Baron. He was 13 and took it as a predestined cue to go into aviation. He started building models and he finished a airplane kit before he got out of high school. At age 15, Kermit Weeks was on the EAA board of directors. He says that Oshkosh is a great place with great people and he can’t wait for next year.

FMI: www.kermitweeks.com