Yankee Air Museum Heritage Night

Jacket worn by some of the Bomber plant employees

Close to our home, there is a small airport with mostly corporate jets and specialty charters that flying in and out.  However, the airport has a long history and the area surrounding it played a critical role during World War II.

Rosie the Riveter hard at work

Willow Run Plant was built by Ford Motor Company from 1941 - 1942 and, during the war years, focused solely on building the B-24 bomber.  Over 8,600 bombers were built and peak production saw one bomber being built every hour - something many thought was impossible. 

It was during this time that the famous "Rosie the Riveter" was born.  As men were being called upon to enter the armed services, a dearth of employees needed to perform manufacturing jobs was created.  It was at this time that women and minorities stepped to fill that need.

While Aaron and I have never been to the museum before, we were really there to attend a presentation from pilot who flew the A-10 warthog during Desert Storm.  It was so interesting to hear about the conflict from a person who flew during that time.  

The A-10 was manufactured by Fairchild-Republic in the Early 70's and was just recently announced that it will be phased out from active duty in the near future.  Lt. Col. Joe Rutkowski gave a great presentation telling stories, and sharing memories from his deployment in Iraq, and many other bits of information that only a veteran can share.  Much more information about the A-10 see the Wikipedia article here.

If you're ever in the area, and have a penchant for World War II or aviation history, stop by the Yankee Air Museum.  And, if you're there in August, you may even catch the "Thunder Over Michigan" Air Show!