Welcome again to Everything Airplanes.
I took a day trip with my aviation buddies Allan and Dan to Kalamazoo, MI to visit the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. We have visited this museum in the past, but this trip was for a purpose, to sit in a couple classic warbirds.
Allan called me early last week and reminded me that the Air Zoo opens the cockpits for review each weekend in February. This past weekend the two airplanes on the schedule were the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and the Douglas AH-1 Skyraider.
We arrived just as the museum was open and proceeded to the P-47 line. Fortunately there was only one person in front of us. We all took our turn and were amazed at how large the cockpit was in the P-47. As a private pilot as well as A&P IA I have seen a lot of cockpit configurations. This had to be a dream for the fighter pilots of the day. I was able to take some video while in the cockpit that I have posted on my YouTube channel (Everythingairplanes_dotcom). See the link below: https://youtu.be/8dC-AI9Q6ng
We proceed to the next building to get in line for the Skyraider, however the airplane was not open as scheduled. Apparently there was a mix up and the stand required to access the airplane was not available so they couldn’t open the airplane. We were all a bit disappointed , but what a great program and what and awesome opportunity to get the chance to be in the cockpit of these classic airplanes.
I took the opportunity to take some more pictures of the Curtiss XP55 Ascender on display. This forward thinking airplane design was built in the mid 1940’s and included canard technology for elevator control and a pusher engine / propeller system, swept wings and twin vertical tails. The airplane used the Allison V1710-95 liquid-cooled V12 cylinder engine for power. There were three airframes produced, however two of them were destroyed in crashes, so the airframe at the Air Zoo is the only example available in the world. It’s pretty amazing to know that you’re standing in front of the only one of its kind in the world. There are a few other airframes that hold that distinction that I have been fortunate to see; Hughes H-1 Racer, Hughes H-4 Hercules, Bell X-1 and X-1B and the North American XB-70. I have to say, and I hope some of the museum staff will read this and respond – this one of a kind airplane has experienced some hangar rash damage since my last visit. I understand the museum has its own restoration facility, but to see the left wing tip damaged on such a unique airplane was disturbing. I hope this gets resolved before my next visit.
We stopped for a quick lunch at the museum grill. Food was typical museum fair, but was good. We then drove to the East hangar. This is a must to visit when coming to the Air Zoo. There are so many different types of airplanes here. The restoration area is working on a Douglas Dauntlas that will be shipped to the Pearl Harbor Museum when completed. There is also a Grumman Wildcat that was pulled from Lake Michigan that is being restored. We also found out from Dan the maintenance manager the Air Zoo will be adding a F117 Nighthawk to their collection in the coming months. Would be a great addition to an already great museum.
Several other aircraft in the East hangar are a McDonnel F4, a Lockheed F104, a Grumman Cougar, a North American P80, and a couple of Russian Migs. There are also several large engine cutaways and a very impressive F1 rocket engine hanging from the ceiling. You can actually walk under this nozzle. Very impressive
We made our way back to the main building and made another quick walk around the SR-71B (only one in existence) and then visited the museum store before leaving. The museum store was lacking from years past. There just didn’t seem to be much merchandise, and there were many old items that were being sold at discounted prices. Plenty of Air Zoo tees and SR-71 shirts. If they would have had a XP55 shirt I would have purchased one. Oh well, nature abhors a vacuum. Look for a XP55 shirt design on this website in the near future.
We arrived back in Milwaukee a bit after 6 p.m. Considering the unique aircraft we saw and some of the volunteers we met, as well as being able to sit in the P-47 it was a great day trip for a cold rainy February day
I encourage anyone within a few hours of Kalamazoo to take advantage of this wonderful museum. The space displays are excellent and must be seen to be appreciated.
Thanks again for visiting Everythingairplanes.com. We’re working on additional tee shirt designs and hope to have several new designs listed by the middle of the month. Stop back often to check out our new merchandise. I have a couple of museum visits that I will post on when I return. Stop back and check out my posts. Hope to start on my Pioneer Aviator and Movie Review posts in the coming weeks.
Clear skies,
Everything Airplanes
Proverbs 3:5