Air Zoo Blog
Friday, May 26, 2023
DC SUPERHEROES™: Discover Your Superpowers
Drape yourself in a cape and join forces with DC’s Justice League members in a super travelling exhibit, DC SUPERHEROES™: Discover Your Superpowers. Batman™, Superman™, and Wonder Woman™ need your help to solve problems in a crime-ridden city and catch Super-Villains in a hands-on experience filled with fun, fast-paced challenges for the whole family to enjoy.
Find out which DC Super Hero you most resemble. Join Wonder Woman™ as she saves Museum of An...
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Friday, Apr 28, 2023
Don't wing it this summer - nab your camper's spot while spots remain!
Launch into explorations with the Air Zoo’s Summer Camps! From flight to space; from robots to chemistry – there's something for everyone at the Air Zoo this summer. Work together to defy gravity, solve mysteries, and explore the cosmos! Full- and half-day camp programs run weekly from June 12 through August 21. Camps available for PreK-12th grade.
Register your camper today while spots remain. Don't forget, Air Zoo members get 10% off. Just sign into your online account pr...
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Thursday, Apr 27, 2023
Calling All Air & Space Toy Fans!
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Growing up, did you play with air and space toys or build model airplanes or rockets? Do your dearest little ones launch foam gliders and Barbie astronauts into the sky? The Air Zoo’s Exhibits team seeks your toy and model memories, photos, and stories!
What were (and are) some of your favorite aviation and space-related toys, games, and model kits? What aerospace toys did/do your kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews enjoy? Contact April, Exhibits & Interpretation Manager at ...
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Wednesday, Mar 29, 2023
The First of the First: A WASP Anniversary Tale
During World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) became the first women to fly America’s military aircraft. But these air-minded pilots didn’t take to the sky all at once. Some paved the way as the first of the first.
Mary Lou Colbert Neale became the first pilot that WASP Director Jackie Cochran selected for class 43-W-1—the new program’s first official class. Of special note, Mary Lou made a significant impact on the ability for women to access pi...
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Friday, Mar 10, 2023
Air Zoo Fandom is a Family Affair
Eric Dougal’s family loves the Air Zoo. The planes, rides, exhibits, programs and people all make this place special to Eric, his wife, Kelly, and their 3 young sons. Ten years ago, Eric and Kelly moved to Michigan from where they grew up in southern Wisconsin. They quickly discovered all the amazing things the Kalamazoo area offers. One of the first places they discovered was the Air Zoo.
Over the past 10 years they’ve spent countless hours at the Air Zoo with thei...
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Friday, Feb 24, 2023
Women’s History at the Air Zoo: Cool!
Recently, a fourth grader on an Air Zoo fieldtrip admired our P-40 Warhawk with his friends on the mezzanine. After examining the historic pink plane hanging in our atrium, he turned to see that same plane flying in a nearby video. He looked back at the airplane, then back at the video screen, and anyone lucky enough to be near saw (and heard) when he made the connection. “Hey!” he shouted, “That’s the same plane! That’s that lady’s plane!” He sprang ...
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Thursday, Jan 26, 2023
(Almost) the First Black Astronaut
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In 1958, the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) chose the first astronaut recruits from among U.S. military test pilots. President John F. Kennedy wanted one of those recruits to be a black male pilot.
Enter test pilot Edward “Ed” J. Dwight Jr., who became the first black candidate to compete for the astronaut corps in 1962. The U.S. Air Force captain arrived with two-thousand logged miles and impressive credentials. Many supported Ed, including the preside...
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at Thursday, Jan 26, 2023
Wednesday, Dec 28, 2022
New Interactive Touchscreen Brings Space Imagery into Focus
The team at the Air Zoo is constantly looking for ways to provide our guests with new, original exhibit content. Some of the newest content brings our stunning images from Earth to Deep Field into focus! Our Picturing the Observable Universe digital kiosk welcomes you to enjoy an interpretive touchscreen experience as you discover more about each of these massive and vivid images and learn how we take pictures of space.
Explore ...
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Friday, Dec 16, 2022
Childhood visits lay groundwork for lifelong appreciation - Donor Spotlight
Having grown up in Three Rivers, Michigan it was around 30 years ago when Heather Oestrike-Schripsema discovered the Air Zoo. Her many visits as a child and young adult had a profound impact on Heather, sparking her interest in aviation and giving her a different trajectory in life than anyone anticipated. Her interest and determination led to a nomination to the United States Air Force Academy in her senior year of high school.
At age 15, Heather couldn’t wait to get in the Cors...
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Tuesday, Nov 29, 2022
Meet the Fokker
Not all the Air Zoo’s cool planes can be found on the ground. Look up and you’ll find some super suspended aircraft, such as our Fokker Dr. 1. Our 3/4 scale reproduction represents World War I aerial combat history and early twentieth century aircraft design.
Inspired by the sight of the Sopwith Triplane, Fokker-Flugzeugwerke built the Dr.1 as a WWI fighter. The Dr stands for Dreidecker—German for triplane. Pilots flew this single seat fighter mostly during the spring of 19...
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Wednesday, Nov 16, 2022
Flight is in the Family - Donor Spotlight
As a parent, Autumn Zank found her son, Tyler, was far more engaged with his schoolwork when it was centered around something he was passionate about. When he discovered his interest in aviation, Tyler translated that into a career in aircraft mechanics.
The Air Zoo’s STEAM education programs offer students the chance to discover and engage interests in aviation and other STEAM studies. Autumn’s niece, Gabby, joined the Air Zoo’s High School Aviation Educa...
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Tuesday, Nov 1, 2022
New Label Series Will Interpret Outdoor Aircraft
As the chilly November breeze drops colorful leaves from the trees, your Air Zoo Exhibits department actively researches and writes stories about some cool planes!
We’re interpreting aircraft including a French flying machine, a Fortune magazine favorite, and the U.S. Air Force’s first operational jet! The Broussard, Learjet 23, and P-80 Shooting Star, respectively, comprise just three of the 10 historic airplanes exhibited on the Air Zoo grounds. We’re excited to create a ...
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Come visit us.
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Great place! Very interesting educational and informational! Great place to take the whole family as there is something for young children up to adults!
blackeyedsusan2018
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We took our grown daughters and young grandsons to the Air Zoo. It was very entertaining for all of us. There is so much to see and do. Rides for the whole family!
Rick C