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Category: Pearl Harbor

Monday, Nov 1, 2021

A Long Farewell to the SBD-2P

A few weekends ago we completed the 5+-year restoration of the world’s only SBD-2p Douglas Dauntless Dive Bomber on Friday, hosted a wonderful and emotional Aloha party to say goodbye to the aircraft on Saturday, and began taking it apart for transport on Monday.  Bittersweet to say the least, as we are preparing to send the SBD back home to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (PHAM) in Honolulu, HI after our team spent over 40,000 hours restoring her to her former glory.  With a... Read More
Posted by Nikki Statler at Monday, Nov 1, 2021
Aloha 2173 Douglas Dauntless Flight Discovery Center John Lendo Pearl Harbor restoration SBD-2P

Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021

Celebrating the end of an exciting chapter at the Air Zoo’s Restoration Center

The time has come to celebrate the hard work and dedication the volunteers and staff at the Air Zoo have put into the restoration of the Douglas Dauntless SBD-2P Dive Bomber, a historic WWII Navy aircraft once thought lost forever in Lake Michigan.   The SBD-2P (Bureau Number 2173) currently housed at the Air Zoo’s Flight Discovery Center is the last of its kind. It was thought to have sunk to ... Read More
Posted by Nikki Statler at Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021
A and T Recovery Aloha 2173 Collection dedication Events Family Friendly Flight Discovery Center Honolulu Hawaii John Lendo Lake Michigan Military Aircraft National Treasure Pearl Harbor restoration SBD-2P

Wednesday, Sep 15, 2021

Inspiration and celebration take on new form at Air Zoo Events this fall!

The team at the Air Zoo is busily preparing for an exciting assortment of inspiring, educational, and in-person events that will take place from September 23rd through October 17th.   Discovery Series  Kicking off, not only the fall events calendar, but also a new Speaker Series at the Air Zoo, is Mr. Norman Haynes with his first-person account – Launching NASA across the solar system, one “failure” at a time. Haynes, a Kalamazoo Native, and Kalamazoo Central gra... Read More
Posted by Nikki Statler at Wednesday, Sep 15, 2021
Aloha 2173 dedication Discovery Series Family Friendly Lecture MAHOF Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame Pearl Harbor SBD-2P Science Innovation Hall of Fame SIHOF Special Event

Monday, Mar 1, 2021

SBD-2P Recovery and Restoration

Taken from original 2016 Press Release: The Douglas Dauntless Dive-Bomber Bureau Number SBD-2P 2173, an historic World War II Navy aircraft built by Douglas Aircraft Company1 and once thought lost forever in Lake Michigan, will soon begin a very important phase of her long history. This aircraft will soon be transferred to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum2 to undergo a full expert restoration over the next several years. This rescue effort that was begun by Mr. Fred Turner3, the former ... Read More
Posted by Nikki Statler at Monday, Mar 1, 2021
A & T Recovery Aircraft airplane Fred Turner John Lendo Naval Aviation Museum Foundation navy Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor restoration SBD-2P

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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!

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