Kalamazoo Air Zoo

[tom roberts]

This may have been asked before but here goes. Are the planes at Kalamazoo still kept in flying condition or are they just sitting static.
I appreciate their decision not to fly because they are the only ones who know the true facts but when ever I think of that beautiful Tigercat sitting on the ground and not flying I get a little upset

[kzollitsch]

I know how you feel. I really miss seeing some of the birds at airshows. In particular the displays with the Tigercat.

And just think, there could have easily been 6 Thunderbolts scheduled for Thunder Over Michigan this year had they still been flying the planes.

[cg51]

After sitting for a few years i am sure they would need new batteries, oil, fuel tanks flushed out and other maintance, annual inspections etc. before they fly again.
The last few years they were flying i don't think they went to far from home to shows
Here are pictures i post a while back!
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11399&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[kalamazookid]

Currently, they are sitting static. The Trimotor is under restoration to fly again after corrosion was found in the wing spar, but to my knowledge no work has been carried out on any of the fighters since 2000. I was told that the Tigercat would need a new engine if it were to fly again, and the P-47 is in the new building, which does not have runway access. Another thing to keep in mind is that these restorations are fairly old ( mostly from the early to mid 80s with the exception of the Bearcat) and would probably require an extensive IRAN if they were to fly again. And these airplanes were flow a LOT at airshows in their day.

Unfortunately I don't think we will see any of the aircraft in the air anytime soon. There was an article in the local paper recently that they arenot meeting attendance expectations and I was told by a docent that they don't have the money$ to finish the Trimotor at this time. Probably because they're busy keeping their amusement park rides open. Right now the near future doesn't look good for the Air Zoo fighters being back in the air.

[Steve Nelson]

The last time any of the fighters flew was Halloween Day 2000, when Barry Smith took the Hellcat up for a final spin (a bunch of us piled into the Tri-Motor and he did some flybys for us.) The Cats have been hangared since then, with the engines "pickled." As KK mentioned, I'm sure they'd need considerable maintenance to get back into the air.

I was told that one of the wings on the P-47 was very worn structurally..also, when they moved it to the new building, EPA regs required draining all fluids, which required them to drill holes through the landing gear struts and bolting the shocks in place..effectively rendering the plane non-airworthy.

I really miss the sound of round engines around here...


SN

[Eric Friedebach]

I was told that one of the wings on the P-47 was very worn structurally..also, when they moved it to the new building, EPA regs required draining all fluids, which required them to drill holes through the landing gear struts and bolting the shocks in place..effectively rendering the plane non-airworthy.

Steve, not that the EPA has done some silly things, but that seems a bit extreme.

Could you provide some background, please?

[Tim Adams]

I used to enjoy going to the Kalamazoo show every year. They just ought to sell the planes to somebody who will put them back in the air.

[mustangdriver]

While I wish that they were able to keep the aircraft in the air, I think that they have a great museum. I for one love the new facility. Plans are to down the road move the entire collection over there and expand the building. I think it is a great place, and hope that they do well.

[k5083]

The foundation of the Oshkosh warbird turnout in the 1980s used to be the Air Zoo and Pond (POF East) collections. Those two used to make a max effort and between the two of them you could count on having one of most, and two of many, of the major fighter types on the field. Anything else that came (which was a lot, of course) mostly just ratcheted up the multiples. Since the Zoo called it quits and POF East became POF Not-So-Far-East, the OSH warbird field has done fine of course, but the mainstays are missed and often you get gaps (e.g. most years no Hellcat turns up).

I would never wish financial ill-fortune on anyone, but if attendance is down, perhaps that is a signal that the airplanes' pickled status is hurting interest in them and it is time either to get some of them active or sell them to someone who will.

August

[mustangdriver]

It would be a shame to sell and break up that awsome collection.

[k5083]

I agree but, you know, things change. If it were a choice between 10 scattered warbirds returning to the airshow circuit again versus having them sit together in that building, I'd prefer to see #1. The individual aircraft might even join one of the other, equally nice collections that are always coalescing and breaking up like blobs in a lava lamp. The Air Zoo had a great run and played an important role in raising the bar for warbird restorations in the 70 and 80s, but maybe its time is past.

August

[Steve Nelson]

I was told by the that the main reason for taking the musuem in the new direction was to keep the collection together. The main thing that kept the aircraft flying over the years was a large infusion of private cash from the Parishes and others, which was drying up. That coupled with exponentially increasing insurance and operational costs led to the decision to ground aircraft.

As for draining the fluids, that requirement may have come from OSHA or the fire department or some other "official" agency. Since the new building is not a considered a hangar, having aircraft with fuel or hydraulic fluid in them would be unsafe from an environmental or fire standpoint. Plus, the new building has this "high tech" floor with some kind of expensive polymer coating..I'm sure they don't want potentially corrosive fluids dripping all over it.

I still hope they get the Tri-Motor back in the air. I've flown in her over a dozen times over the years, and really miss the old girl. AFAIK, her last passenger flight was in the fall of 2001. She was in the midst of her spring '02 "shakedown" flights when the corrosion in the spars and center section was discovered.


SN

[mustangdriver]

I am for keeping the collection together, and if they are a static museum, than so be it. We need them as well. It would be nice to see them at least have the trimotor in the air though.