Kalamazoo Air Museum - 2021 - Everything Airplanes

Kalamazoo Air Museum – 2021

Troy Thrash – President and CEO of Kalamazoo Air Museum

I recently took a trip to visit one of my favorite air museums, the Kalamazoo Air Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I had contacted the museum prior to my visit to find out about any particular Covid-19 restrictions they had. I also arranged to meet and do an interview with the CEO and President Mr. Troy Thrash.

Kalamazoo Air Museum Walkaround - Interview with Troy Thrash

A friend of mine and I left the Milwaukee area around 3:00 a.m. to be sure we arrived right at opening. The drive was comfortable and not a lot of traffic around Chicago at that early hour of the morning.

We arrived and after a short introduction at the lobby ticket counter we were in the museum. I was told Troy would be joining us in a few minutes. Upon entry to main museum floor, the docents were greeting us and asking us if we had any questions. They were more than ready to guide us and help us with any questions we had.

Troy stepped in and we made our introductions. It’s hard for me to explain the excitement Troy has for the museum. He was upbeat and positive from the introduction. Troy explained that he did have a meeting to attend to a half hour after we met, but did take us on a short tour through the main museum to include the WWII area. He politely excused himself and encouraged us to look at the airplanes and interactive exhibits as well as the numerous other displays.

I was excited to see the new (new for me since my last visit) display for the Lockheed SR-71B. The museum has built a set of stair next to the airplane that allow you to see into the cockpit. You also get a unique vantage point to look at the overall size of this wonderful airplane. In the past I have had to use my extension selfie stick for my cell phone to get that perspective.

One of my other favorites at the museum is the Curtiss XP-55 Ascender. It was basically in the same location I remembered it to be in there’s enough room to completely circle the airplane to see all of the exterior. Just a great article to view.

I made my way back to the WWII area and was thrilled to see a new program the museum started in February this year. The “Panels Off” program was developed in response to the Covid-19 concerns for the museum’s regular February event known as “Open Cockpit”. In the past, weekends in February highlighted several airplanes in which visitor could actually sit in cockpit of designated airplanes while learning about the airplane from the docents. The program was replaced with the “Panels Removed” program due to safety concerns for the visitors entering and exiting the aircraft and the cleaning products that would have been used to keep people safe and the effect of those products and the aircraft interiors.

I must say, the Panels Off program is a wonderful replacement for the Open Cockpit program. This program gives visitors a chance to see the inner workings of many of the airplanes on display. The Grumman F6F, Vought FG-1D Corsair, Ford Tri-motor, and the North American T-6 are among the airplanes that are included in this presentation. As an aircraft maintenance technician it was great being able to see inside these airplanes and getting to see how some of the systems worked and how they were arranged within the aircraft fuselage. Hats off to the staff of the Air Zoo for producing these displays. As with my previous visits, there is always something new to see and experience at the Air Zoo. (NOTE): The museum has plans to restart the Open Cockpit program in Fall of 2021

I entered the Space area of the museum and was surprised at a new exhibit called Aliens and Androids. Another great exhibit experience for space enthusiasts. The exhibit starts off with a life-size model of the alien from the movie The Day The Earth Stood Still, while near by is an over 6 foot model of Robbie the Robot from the movie Forbidden Planet. There are other movie aliens and recognizable androids throughout the exhibit. I’m not going to spoil the surprise, you’ll have to visit to see them for yourself.

We made our way to the second building, the museums aircraft restoration center. Upon entering the main area I was very surprised to see the museum’s latest addition, the very first Lockheed F117 Nighthawk to be displayed at a non-government museum. The museum is working hard to complete the restoration of “SHABA” and hopes to have the F117 ready for full-time display in Fall 2021. I plan to revisit the museum when the restoration has been completed, but I would encourage anyone to go and see the restoration process happening before your eyes. It will give a new perspective to the airplane and hopefully give an appreciation of the time, effort, and passion put into making these airplanes display worthy at the Air Zoo.

Earlier Troy and I had agreed to complete the interview in this location. The interview went very well and I was able to capture the working nature of the restoration center with workers walking in the background and the sounds of active work taking place on the new F117. After completing the interview I did some additional video and photography in the restoration center before returning to the museum’s first building. I spent a few hours taking video of some of the exhibits and attractions Troy spoke of during the interview. My visit to the Air Zoo was again a blast. I have been visiting the Air Zoo every year for the past 7 years. Although the Open Cockpit program has been suspended temporarily I was very pleased with some of the changes the museum has made to their exhibits. During the interview Troy explained to me the safety procedures the museum has put in place to keep people safe during Covid-19. He explained to me they invited the Michigan Occupation Safety and Health Administration – MIOSHA – to do an audit of the museum before opening to the public July 2020 and the museum scored the highest safety marks of any organization in the state of Michigan. So you can be sure you’re visit to the Air Zoo will be safe, informative, educational, interactive, and just plane fun – pun intended. A quick shout out to all the restoration center folks who helped us and made us feel at home during our visit You folks are the best.

Additional Museum Information

Official Website : https://www.airzoo.org/

You can plan your visit or take a virtual tour and much more on the Kalamazoo website!

Summary

Thanks again to Troy Thrash for taking time to interview with Everything Airplanes. It was truly a treat to visit with you and learn more about the Air Zoo. Special thanks to Nicki Statler for her support and work to coordinate my interview with Troy. Also special thanks to docent Dick Street for walking Everything Airplanes through the museum and allowing us some special access to the exhibits. Your help was greatly appreciated.

You can find out more about the Kalamazoo Air Zoo at their website AIRZOO.ORG.

Your comments and feedback are appreciated. I hope you return often.

Blessings