By Jamie Banas
Journal Register News Service

Former astronaut Jack Lousma aided the call for support of fund-raising efforts to rebuild the Yankee Air Force Museum.

Ambitious plans are taking off to rebuild the historic Yankee Air Museum, which was destroyed by fire in October.

The Michigan Aerospace Foundation, a sister organization of the air museum, held a press conference in late April to discuss plans.

“Today was the unveiling of what the new complex will look like,” said Shelly Smyth, a member of both groups.

Since an Oct. 9 blaze at the landmark, the museum has been operating out of a temporary facility at Willow Run Airport.

A press release from members of the museum said the aerospace foundation has pushed ahead, not only with earlier plans to greatly expand the museum, but also to rebuild the main buildings as quickly as possible so the museum can move back into its own facility.

The foundation has set a goal of raising $55 million over 15 years to rebuild the aircraft museum, which would be made up of 11 buildings.

“Basically, we’re starting the large donor capital campaign now,” said Jon Stevens, president of the museum.

The concept for the new museum includes a flight operations hangar, operations and restoration support, exhibits, an innovation center, the Willow Run schoolhouse and future library, orientation and administration, static display, an aviation theme restaurant, a charter aviation high school, a hotel and conference center and a theater.

“They will be putting up a facade on the outside of the building to make it look like a 1940s airfield,” said Bill Hanney, a board member and past president. “The inside would be modern, of course.”

Stevens said the first building erected would have multiple uses until other sites are completed.

“It would be used for restoration, artifact display, education programs and special events,” he said.

“Realistically, I think it’ll be about two years before we start flinging dirt,” he said. “We’re planning to move the Willow Run schoolhouse sometime this year. Initially, it'll be our administrative center, but eventually it’ll be our library.”

He said the school is the only original structure left from the Willow Run farm days. He said the school is structurally sound and in good shape, and needs only minor cosmetic repair.

“It would be a shame to let it go,” he added.

Stevens, museum president since 2002, takes pride in knowing that most museum members are volunteers.

“We do this as a labor of love,” he said. “A lot of sweat equity went up last October. We love aviation, we love history and desperately want to see the museum up and running again.”

For more information, visit www.yankeeairmuseum.org or call (734) 971-2750.

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