Kermit's Boeing factory

Located in a small town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains near Minden, Nevada, a force of six classic Boeing, F4B/P-12 biplane fighters is being created-the majority of which will be going to Kermit Weeks. Readers will remember that when Kermit purchased the assets of the Tallamantz collection, one of the flyable aircraft was the ultra-rare Boeing Model 100. Wearing the civil registration N873H, the aircraft had appeared in many films during its long ownership with Paul Mantz and Frank Tallman (it was even used as a camera platform for USAAF training films when Mantz was a lieutenant colonel at "Ft. Roach" producing films for the military). Also, who can forget the aerobatic displays that Tallman put on with the aircraft at airshows during the 1960s and 1970s?

When the biplane was transferred to Kermit's base at Tamiami, Florida, it was flown regularly and was one of Kermit's favorites. However, the aircraft received heavy damage in Hurricane Andrew. Kermit and a Nevada craftsman struck a deal to completely restore the Boeing 100 (which was a civil version of the Army/Navy fighter available for purchase by wealthy owners) and to create five other Boeings which will include two variants of P-12s and two variants of the navalized F4B. Along with these military aircraft will be another Model 100 - the highly modified speedster owned by Howard Hughes. The Hughes aircraft was operated in several different configurations and it was originally built as a Model 100A with a second seat (minus controls).

The majority of parts for these classics have been made and assembly of major components has begun. Needless to say, these aircraft will be a very significant addition to the limited number of golden age survivors from the 1930s. Stay tuned for a complete report from Kermit's Boeing factory.

Copyright Challenge Publications Inc. Jan 2002
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