These things are ultimately emotional. I have a soft spot for the Kingfisher, a result of being a child taken by my parents to visit the battleship Alabama in Mobile, and even as a child, I could understand they were proud of their Kingfisher sitting on the catapult, and may have helped launch my 20 year career in the Air Force. Thank you.

These guys are more like the re-encarnation of the latest manufacturer of these warbirds. God bless them for the job they do

Never realised that extant Kingfishers were like hens teeth,this will be worth the wait to see it to completion but that is obviously a long way off,meanwhile no doubt other parts will surface even a missing wing ? the standard of workmanship in Pioneer Aero is very evident in that equally historic hangar,love those big blisters ! thank you for securing this Kingfisher Kermit,you are doing a really great job in preserving our aviation heritage.

I was one of the crew that recently restored the OS2U-3 Kingfisher (static display) that is currently onboard the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, NC USA... What a great plane the Kingfisher is.

That Kingfisher would be sweet! Ive never seen one in person before. One day I would also like to see a Buffalo or TBD Devastator.

That was great Kermit, thanks for sharing! It’s amazing to see how far Jerry’s P-39 has come since then. My favourite moment has to be: “Whats the value of that, Kermit?” “It’s frickin awesome!”

I love the OS2U and I’ve been looking for a flying one everywhere, good to see that somebody’s putting them back in the air

glad to see Im not the only one who finds the OS2U strangely interesting. Definitely one of the underrated planes of the war, just because its not big or fast or powerful. But it did good service, and was a good plane.

Thank you for sharing this feast of classic machinery with us aeronuts!

Wow Kermit! 2.5 mill? Your a committed enthusiast. Thank you! Good luck Mate.

The Kingfisher has been one of my favorite airplanes since I built a model of one 50 years ago.

Just fascinating! Love these workshop tours. There are some great aircraft being built. Shame it's so expensive and at such a slow pace. Keep the updates coming please.

Excellent, those kiwi's have got it together.

Great to see some of these workshops in action.

NZ dude is very cool on the Kingfisher but I think it is very unique and applaud Kermit for loving it and valuing it.

There was a Kingfisher at whaling station at Albany. Western Australia

Awesome. Can’t get enough of these updates

My dad flew the OS2U in AvCad training in 1941, and later in 1943 with VS-55 and VS-58. One squadron was In Espiritu Santo and the other in Noumea. He was a displaced aviator after the USS New Orleans lost her bow at Tassafaronga. One BuNo he flew is the one the the Smithsonian currently has. The mission of the squadrons he flew with was inshore patrol and he’d escort inbound ships into port. They’d look for submarines. It’s cool to see that there will be another one flying soon.

Pretty neat project. Look forward to it becoming a front burner project. Thanks for sharing.

Airplanes... Aluminum.....Clecos.... nice green Zinc Chromate.....Airplane talk... LOVE IT KERMIT ! ,.... Thanks for the awesome video......or should I say ...... cool ?

What a great historical plane it will be, thx Kermit. I saw that look in your eye when talking about the P-36... oh yeah!

very interesting. but it makes sense that the kingfisher is a lightly built plane, they were flying them off of cruisers and whatnot, so it had to be small and light. they were also launching them from catapults, they only landed into the water and were hoisted back aboard.

Whats it worth? Are you kidding me? This airplane is priceless. Once rebuilt, it will be one of a kind, the only King Fisher to be flying and that is truly priceless.

I can see that Kermit is going to have to live to at least 200 and be active just top finish all the projects underway.

I just did a quick wikipedia search. Evidently there are only 8 known kingfishers out of the 1,500 manufactured. This one in New Zealand was originally built for Netherlands Navy in Dutch East Indies, it was transferred to the RAAF in 1942, serving with Seaplane Training Flight (later 3 OTU) and 107 Sqn before being sold as war surplus in 1945.

They weigh 4500 lbs. I found out something the other day about the hanger on the ships . The hanger access door and opening are too narrow to pass a plane. I'm sure to take a replacement plane out of the hanger , they lifted out a fuselage/ float ass'y and wings and assembled them on the catapult. The wings came off for shipping , from the factory, I read .

..this Kingfisher has got to be one of the most significant projects Kermit has going..will be GREAT to see when it is finished!...It has been my wish to see a restored, flying Ki-61 Tony since I was a kid...I remember following Ki-61 recoveries and projects in Air Classics and Warbirds International magazines in the early-mid 1980's when I was in my teens...now I'm 55, and still, none are restored...well, maybe I'll get to see it still?...we've seen Zeros rebuilt, significant Me-109's rebuilt, new-build and restored Fw-190's, even some Ki-43 Oscar(mostly replica) built...but still, no Ki-61's are on anyone's front burner..if only I could afford it, I would find some bits and remains and have them restored myself..but alas, that's never going to happen...I always figured, if I were a wealthy warbird collector/restorer, I would probably be one of the most accentric out there...I would go for the rare and HARD stuff...Ki-61, F2A Buffalo, D3A Val, G4M Betty...P-40B/C, P-36, B-24, B-26, JU-87 Stuka, F4U-1 "Birdcage" Corsair,...you get the idea...something that nobody else pretty much has..forget "common" stuff like A-26's, DC-3's, Avengers, even P-51D's, etc....and the holy grail (to me)..reconstruct a B-32 Dominator and a P-43 Lancer(got to be some bits out there somewhere)...well, at least I can still dream at 55!.. :) ..and MUCH thanks to Kermit for ALL he does to preserve these beautiful and historic aircraft!.. :)

What a bloody quandary Kermit. It is an iconic aircraft, Cessna tiny judging by the example I saw on display in Havana. Then, further, you have an amphibious museum . Thanks from this old guy for including us in your tour. Check out the Werribee liberator rebuild.

Very nice. Thank you for sharing!

The Kingfisher looks big enough in shape and proportion, but I guess it really is a super light plane. I heard stories of the war where they couldn't take off when rescuing sometimes had to become a powerboat and motor along the surface, such was the light weight and low power. The Japanese Aichi E13A 'Jake' or E16? 'Paul' were much stronger. Would love to see a restored 'Jake' but I guess they are no more.

Please give Paul and the lads our best. It will be a lovely little beast when it's finished. I look forward to the 30 minute drive to Fantasy of Flight (Anyone jealous yet?) ;) to see it when it goes on display.

My dad crashed one of the "Butt ugly" wheeled versions whilst under training at Pensacola - apparently they stall easy and without warning, under low-speed, slight nose up conditions. In his case, after following the instructors guidance, under protest, it dropped 50 feet onto the concrete runway. No more wheels. Despite this bitter sweet memory, may I urge you to get the restoration done for the "Old Navy" flyboys.

Thanks for the vid Kermit, an interesting build.

Love these long term projects...I’m doing the same with a 1934 ford roadster

No worries mates, keep up the good works, Jolly Good! 🇳🇿🇺🇸 Would love to see a Vultee Vengeance restoration and to hear her dive once again. Nashville Tennessee U.S.A. The DC 3 tail was light as that as well. Such craftsmanship, and so knowledgeable!

I've used the screw on clecos. I used them for 1/4" holes and larger. They really clamp things in place. Useful in putting together heavy stuff like structure.

Glad ya had fun here .

I love all your videos! Keep them coming!!!!!

Learned another thing we have in common: we both owned E-types. I sold mine in the '80s for $6500... been kicking myself ever since.

Great to see this Kermit....come on get the sunderland in the air and have a flying boat air display. That would be worth a trip from the uk

Great stuff! Really enjoy these videos

I've wondered about the Kingfisher and the existence of any in private hands, such a notable airplane that served well in the war but seems to have such spotty interest in the restoration community. I was an active r.c. scale modeler until a few years ago and wondered why the foam model factories in China hadn't worked up a version of this on floats to further fill out the selection of WW2 types to commemorate their historical significance. I can sense a kind of conundrum in the full scale community, like what's it's ultimate worth being a float plane, a glorified trainer..? Keep up the good work, Kermit..!

Fascinating! The technical details of the Kingfisher construction are very interesting to me. The idea that the OS2 is so lightly made that it can be compared with a Cessna is intriguing and a bit scary for a War Bird. Think of one of these being catapult launched from a Cruiser at sea ... hmm. Imagine having not only an OS2 but a Navy cruiser catapult as well at your Seaplane base (when you build it). Some dramatic flight demos possible there.

Love the hangers

I can just visualize the chance vought engineers putting the the kingfisher together at the bar after work.

Love it 🥰

kingfishers were based in Casco Bay in Maine. Many planes were filled with cement and dropped near islands. More cement was poured over them.

Yeah, start on a P36! Those P40's look great.

Kermit, Awhile back I commented, "I would love to see you guys do a Kingfisher..." You were way ahead of me! I'm working with the staff at the battleship USS Alabama to help put their 1940's darkroom back in service. I hope I can bring my Speed Graphic (camera) to FOF one day and get some pix of your flying OS2U. I did not know that the ship's catapult used the gas from a 40mm shell blank to launch the plane. Thanks for the videos! Mike F.

Two Civil Air Patrol Kingfishers crashed in Sebago Lake Maine in 1944. There are many aircraft on the bottom and bits around the shore.

Awesome, thanks

Bristol Freighter. I love it.

There is a Kingfisher wing float for sale at the Australian National Aviation Museum in Melbourne (Moorabbin Airport). It looks to be in good condition.

Chance Vought made some cool stuff. Wish I could party with those guys...

Kermit, we had those threaded Clecos at Mickey D. I worked on the MD-11, a LONG while ago. steve

BTW, I understand the Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk replaced the Kingfisher during the war...I had never heard of one. Very rare bird!

"That there? That's just a rocket tube" - Best Comment

YAAYY A kermit Weeks video! :)

Τhank you!!

I built a lot of seaplanes models when I was younger but don't have them anymore, really miss having them 😥😥😥😥😥

A Kingfisher squadron ,VS-60 , use to be based in Jamaica in 1943. one disappeared during a training mission and was never found.

20:30 pacific aviation museum sends out free P-40 magnets, i have one on my fridge like on the tool box haha

I had no idea Kermit was restoring a Kingfisher. Neat aircraft. The only one I’ve ever seen was on the cat of the USS North Carolina in Wilmington NC. That may have been a fiberglass replica,I’m not sure. I imagine leaving it out in the weather for all these years on the water would corrode the hell out of the real thing. I hope I live long enough to see this project finished,Kermit and I are about the same age so hopefully he lasts long enough too.

Very nice buddy"......

I had a much older cousin who flew the P39 air cobra during ww2 . I saw a photo of him by his plane , we would be twins if our ages where the same.

Fuck yes the best Plane is being restored

Love this stuff! The P-39 is particularly interesting to me, because my mother worked in the Bell factory building them during the war. Maybe she worked on this one?

I dig the jigs.

I think the cleco's you are talking about are called "draw" cleco's which are used for heavy structures

Hello Mr. Weeks! Have you seen the video of a fellow that made a 1/15th scale all-aluminum scratch-built Kingfisher. Beautiful! Merry Christmas!

Imagine these fairly light constructed aircraft strapped onto a ship, and catapulted into crazy pacific weather or If the ship suddenly found itself in a night action with a Japanese patrol. I bet the plane would almost always get wrecked. No wonder not many survived the war.

Thanks for another great upload Kermit. I’m trying to make scale models of all the aircraft in your collection. Superb interior views here. If anyone could point me in the right direction for photographs of this aircraft in original KNEIL markings it would be much appreciated. I would love to see this flying soon; beautiful aircraft. Best regards from Canberra 🇦🇺 ✈️ 👍

I just saw this P-39 in a recent publication. It looks great. If my memory isn't blowing me smoke rings, one of the few Kingfishers on public display was on a USN battleship's fantail. When it was static restored they had to build a wing from scratch. Two KFs Kermit?

C-type Jaguar? That's as cool as the planes...

There is a full center float for a Kingfisher in a truck yard in Rhode Island.

Hawaii still has some P36 wrecks in the mountains

How many lost in combat/war? RIP Freedom Fighters and thanks you guys for the cool project.

I would love to see that kingfisher finished and flying or landing on the water. l.o.l.

I used to work with Stu at PAC in hamilton nz , what a character! Hey stu howd the dummy hand grenade go at stopping burglars?

any chance to see an update on this project?!

I am pretty sure that I found one of the wind tunnel models for the Lockheed Constellation.

Hi Kermit Thanks for another grate film as it’s coming up to Christmas one question. If you could pick one of all your projects for Santa to bring finished on Christmas Day which would it be?

Even though these planes were mass produced during the war, I don't think many people understand how involved the construction really was.

Power pins , with a pin gun or thumb wheel.

A 3mm oversize hole in aircraft structure is a big deal, thats over 0.10 inches. I hope you did some stress calcs on this.

glad to see they are in good hands...i hope at least one of them ends up in it's original RAAF scheme

How many P-40's are they breathing new life back into? Amazing

My dream seaplane for central Florida lake hoping

With all due respect for the life of me I do not understand why mr. Weeks does not operate the B-24 Liberator on a regular basis personally I could not imagine a better public relations campaign for not only fantasy of flight butt naked in Jamaica rum with that gigantic billboard like no section of the B-24. I am also disheartened that the B-26 Marauder is not operated on a regular basis as myself personally I have never seen one in the skies........ in my opinion mr. Weeks has one of if not the finest collection I've aircraft on the face of the Earth and does not get the respect that he deserves the man should have a national holiday named in his honor thank you sir for your hard work and dedication to the preservation of aviation history

What I heard you say Kermit, is what you need to restore a warbird is a number plate. Is that so? Like, essentially those P-40's aren't a restoration as much as a homebuilt/experimental aircraft...yes?

New Zealand p39 was the Canadian Air Force

Is the um other float plane the zebra print still running?

二戰的飛機！（ 我都愛！）

My 2 favorite American acft the P39 and the P40. When talking about Jerry, is that Jerry Yagin?

Those clecos are used by Boeing they don't damage metal like wing nut draw clecos can

Are you restoring a 109 G-6?

Bloody Hell!

Kermit.. you mentioned Jerry? Is that Jerry Yagan you refer too?

I would have such an objection to flying with something spinning like that prop-shaft so close to my nuts.

Noice!