Wings & Strings 2000 was a success for both flying enthusiasts and Americana music fans.
The Sunderland seaplane sits on the grass at Florida’s Fantasy of Flight tourist attraction, which is not far from Disney World.
Wings & Strings proudly mixes flying and music at the main stage.
An authentic German Storch like the one that rescued Mussolini from a mountaintop during WW-II sits on the ramp at Fantasy of Flight. A gun faces rearward for protection.
The Storch photo plane returns to land on one of two long turf runways. Richard Johnson is at the controls. (Above Left)
The Storch has been carefully restored to original condition. Even the panel placards are hand-lettered in German. (Below Right)
Admirers of aviation and music convene at this annual Florida event.
Naturally, pilots have interests besides airplanes. I’d bet all fliers enjoy one kind or another of music. Hang glider pilots occasionally fly with a portable CD player at sites such as Torrey Pines near San Diego. The California glider port shared jointly by sailplanes, hang gliders, paragliders, and RC models offers butter-smooth ridge lift. The gentle sea breezes make for such mellow conditions that some say music complements the flying.
Yet most pilots are too busy with controls and instruments, are concentrating too hard on navigation, or are simply too engrossed in the joy of flying to want music aloft. CD players in homebuilts or factory aircraft are hardly commonplace. But another way to indulge your musical and aviation interests is to visit Florida’s Fantasy of Flight tourist attraction on the occasion of the annual Wings & Strings Americana Music Festival. I went in the fall of 2000, and it was a wonderful experience for my wife and me.
The Planes, The Planes
While it may be true that the music is the main attraction on this one weekend a year, the planes are still omnipresent. You might expect this from collector Kermit Weeks, the owner and developer of Fantasy of Flight. Weeks’ collection consists of more than 300 machines, most of them flying and many of them quite rare.
Sitting in the middle of the field was the signature aircraft of Fantasy of Flight-the Short Sunderland-aviation’s last airworthy civilian four-engine flying boat. Set upon a massive wheeled dolly, the non-amphibious Sunderland was surrounded during this event with craft booths.
Scattered around the massive concrete ramp or inside the park’s art deco hangars were such memorable machines as the B-24 Liberator, the British Spitfire, the Wright Flyer and too many more to name here.
Along with the throngs of music lovers, I admired the Antonov AN-2, the world’s largest single-engine airplane seating up to 12 passengers. Unlike the others, I was lucky enough to go aloft, camera in hand, in the authentic German Storch. Other countries made variations of this aircraft, but the original German one is thought to be the finest. Weeks’ example was scrupulously restored to factory original. Even the hand-lettered instrument panel labels and placards were carefully replicated.
Flying the real Storch is much like flying the ultralight Storch. This is amazing when you remember that the real McCoy is a big aircraft that you climb into with several steps. Yet the Storch can fly at the absurdly slow speed of 40 mph and launch from an unimproved strip in a couple hundred feet.
My photo flight in the Storch served another purpose: spectator demonstrations. Although Wings & Strings toned down the low level airplane flying in deference to the musicians performing below, Weeks did several flybys in his P-51. The Mustang and other machines please the crowds, whether they be pilots or fiddlers.
Music lovers seemed to enjoy frequent flights by several hang gliders and a SuperFloater modern primary glider, all towed aloft by a Dragonfly ultralight tug. These silent fliers came from nearby Wallaby Ranch, a popular hang gliding tow park just up Interstate 4 toward Orlando.
Sweet Strumming
The music was top notch, nonstop, and served up something for everyone. Wings & String’s main stage featured the top musicians in the field. The Aviation Depot stage offered continuous performances throughout the weekend that sometimes drew the audience into the act. The Flying Solo stage let musicians jam with one another in a setting that allowed those watching to have interact close-up with the artists. The Florida Pavilion featured local talent from around the state.
As is the case at most airshows or outdoor events, food vendors served up interesting fare in the best Sunshine State cooking traditions. Huge operations such as Sun ‘n Fun tend not to offer the diverse food choices that smaller venues do. So many mouths to feed demands common items that can be prepared quickly. In sharp contrast, my wife and I enjoyed soft-shell crab and stir-fried rice and vegetables washed down with fresh-squeezed Florida lemonade. You could also consider alligator steaks, and everyone seemed to be carrying a bag of the made-on-site caramel corn.
As we nibbled your way from stage to stage, we passed numerous craft tents where artisans plied their creative works. While my wife examined every item with great care, I gave the many aircraft dotting the festival a closer review. We were both happy.
Kids enjoyed various crafts, comedy and games organized for them. Those youngsters not getting their faces painted could hop into airplane cockpits, ride airplane-like tricycles or watch the flight demonstrations. Most pilots want to see kids enjoy airplanes, and Wings & Strings gave them a personal opportunity to do so that’s often missing these days.
A partial list of the artists performing included The John Cowan Band, IIIrd Time Out, Austin Lounge Lizards, Jimmy Lafave, Reckless Kelly, Donna The Buffalo, Freg Eaglesmith, Robin and Linda Williams, Still On The Hill, Kathy Chiavola, The Crabgrass Cowboys, Charivari, Mark Johnson, Sam Pacetti, Dave Hardin, Bob Rafkin, Clyde Walker, Liz Meyer and Mark Cosgrove, Steve Blackwell and Friends, and Upsala. Numerous guests brought their own instruments in the hope of strumming a few tunes with their favorite entertainers.
Many visitors camped on Fantasy of Flight’s property. Only a few hookups were available, so most went without them. Hot showers, ice, drinking water, hand-wash stations and the usual lines of porta-potties were provided.
Mark Your Calendar
Wings & Strings 2001 will be held November 9-11. Central Florida is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, and there’s a lot to do there. Disney World is only 30 minutes north, and Fantasy of Flight’s vintage aerodrome is about halfway between Tampa and Orlando. It’s only a few miles from Lakeland, home of Sun ‘n Fun.
Pilots who want to spend more time for a longer back-lot tour of the park can stay the day while the family goes to Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens or Sea World. But if you and your family enjoy American music in many forms, Wing & Strings provides a great way to spend the day-or weekend- together.
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