Kermit Weeks

Kermit learned to fly as a teenager and began construction of his first homebuilt at age 17, finishing and flying the plane four years later.  He began flying in aerobatic competitions in 1973 at age 20 while pursuing an aeronautical engineering degree at Miami-Dade Junior College, the University of Florida, and Purdue University.

After building the Weeks Special, an aerobatic aircraft of his own design, he qualified for the U.S. Aerobatic Team and was runner-up among 61 competitors worldwide.  Over the next dozen years, he placed in the top three in the world five times and won 20 medals in World Aerobatic Championships; he won the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship twice and won several Invitational Masters Championships in worldwide competitions.

In 1985, Kermit began operating the Weeks Air Museum, a non-profit facility that houses much of his private collection and other antique aircraft.  He also developed an aviation-themed attraction called Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.