Yankee Air Museum's B-25D, C-47 First Planes To Arrive At DTW's New Terminal

Celebrating Southeast Michigan's newest airport facility, as well as the region's enormous contribution to aviation history, the first aircraft to land at Detroit Metro Airport's new north terminal were two World War II-era warbirds.

The Yankee Doodle Dandy, a Douglas C-47 transport and the Yankee Warrior, a rare B-25 D "Mitchell" flew in for the terminal's public open house September 5-6.

The planes, owned and operated by the Yankee Air Museum, participated in the two-day event held prior to the terminal's September 17 opening.

Established in 1981, the non-profit Yankee Air Museum, located just west of Metro at Willow Run Airport, honors and preserves the history of Aviation through a living, flying museum.

The Museum's location at Willow Run is no coincidence. Between 1942 and the end of World War II, Ford Motor Company built 8,685 B-24 Liberator Bombers at the Willow Run facility. During the height of World War II, the plant assembled one B-24 every 59 minutes and employed over 42,000 people.

The hangar at Willow Run, which served as the home of the Yankee Air Museum, was destroyed by fire on October 9, 2004.

Although the Museum's collection of historic, flyable aircraft was saved, the hangar and its contents -- including irreplaceable photographs and memorabilia -- was a total loss. Since the fire, the Museum has undertaken an ongoing effort to rebuild the facility into a world-class museum to keep history flying for generations to come.

For membership or more information about the Yankee Air Museum, including a schedule of upcoming events, visit online at the FMI link below. Tax-deductible donations are also accepted through Michigan Aerospace Foundation.

FMI: www.yankeeairmuseum.org, www.michiganaerospace.org