Every year the Yankee Air Museum hosts a fantastic airshow at the Willow Run Airport, originally built in 1941 by the Ford Motor Company. The airport and factory were built for the production of the B-24 Liberator. More than 8600 of the big 4-engine bombers were built at Willow Run though, sadly, the museum does not currently have an example within their inventory.

However, some of the flying aircraft that YAM currently have include the B-17 "Yankee Lady," B-25 "Yankee Warrior," C-47 Skytrain "Yankee Doodle Dandy," and their newest edition, Waco YMF-5C. You can usually see these fabulous aircraft at airshows in the U.S. and Canada, or at the YAM in Yspilanti, MI at the Willow Run Airport.

The best opportunity to see YAM's aircraft, as well as numerous other vintage and aerobatic aeroplanes, is at the annual Thunder Over Michigan Airshow at Willow Run Airport. The number and type of historic aircraft in past years has been fantastic and it proves to be no different for the upcoming 2015 airshow, August 29 & 30!

There is a great line up of aircraft that will attend the show including the Commemorative Air Force B-29 Superfortress, "FiFi," currently the only flying B-29 anywhere in the world. First built in 1942, the B-29 was designed as a replacement for both the B-17 and the B-24. It could carry a greater payload and had a longer range and was used in the Pacific Theatre of World War II as well as in Korea.

The highly sought after de Havilland Mosquito from the collection of the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, VA will grace the skies above Willow Run!. This British designed & built aircraft served in many roles during World War II including fighter, bomber, photo-reconnaissance, night fighter, intruder and path finder. The "Mossie," also affectionately known as "The Wooden Wonder," was constructed almost entirely of wood. It was exceedingly fast, maneuverable and surprisingly strong.

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum will have their stunning example of the Canadian built Avro Lancaster. This is one of only two currently flying examples of the Lancaster in the world, with the other operating with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) in the United Kingdom. The Lancaster could carry a huge payload including the massive Tallboy bomb, 12,000lbs, and the even larger Grand Slam, 22,000lbs. More than 7300 Lancasters were built with 430 built in Canada.

Rick Volker will fly his fabulous Canadian built Harvard Mk IV in a beautiful aerobatic display. Harvard aircraft, which is the Canadian version of the T-6 Texan, were built by Noorduyn Aviation during World War II and by Canadian Car & Foundry post-war. Rick's Mk IV was completely restored by Bill Muszala in Chino, CA and won Grand Champion in Oshkosh in 1989.

The United States Navy Blue Angels will grace the skies performing their eye-popping and ear-piercing aerobatic display. The Blue Angels have flown 10 different aircraft types over the 65 year history of the team and currently fly the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet, along with their support aircraft, the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules. All BA aircraft come from the US Navy fleet of F/A-18's, though they undergo an assortment of modifications in order to perform as part of the team.

Other aircraft that will perform at Thunder Over Michigan include a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon, Michael Goulian in his Extra 330SC, an FG-1D Corsair, a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer and a rare aircraft in North American skies, a Focke-Wolf FW-190 Wurger. Other flying aircraft will include some listed in the static line up of aircraft. This list of flying aircraft are sure to attract big crowds but there's still time for you to buy your ticket for the show!

The static line up of aircraft include an A-26B Invader, several B-25's, the Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon, Grumman TBM-3E Avenger, two P-51D Mustangs, NA SNJ-4Vultee SNV-1 Valiant, an assortment of former military training aircraft and an Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatross. Arrive early and take the time to wander around and have a look at these beautiful and historic aircraft.

Gates open at 8:00am with airshow grounds admission at 9:00am both Saturday and Sunday. At 10:30am there will be a World War II Air & Ground battle, featuring the largest gathering of World War II American Half-Tracks in the world and will include the de Havilland Mosquito. The flying portion of the show will run from approximately 12:15pm until 4:15pm. Of course, all acts are subject to change due to weather, maintenance, pilot availability, etc.

Join the Yankee Air Museum and come spend the weekend at the old Willow Run Airport in Yspilanti, Michigan at the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow. Spend the day browsing static displays, chatting with pilots and re-enactors, taking in the sights and sounds. Keep your eyes looking skyward and your ears tuned for Thunder!

Thunder Over Michigan Airshow: http://yankeeairmuseum.org/airshow/

Yankee Air Museum: http://yankeeairmuseum.org

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