The museum site is part of the original Willow Run complex where Henry Ford perfected mass production techniques for the B-24 Liberator.
The 'Yankee Lady' B-17G Flying Fortress was one of the aircraft used in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!
The Willow Run airport was designed by Albert Kahn, a notable industrial architect who transformed the landscape of mid-century manufacturing.
The museum maintains an active restoration department where volunteers work on vintage aircraft components in full view of visitors.
The facility honors the 'Rosies,' the women who took manufacturing jobs at the Willow Run plant during WWII to support the war effort.
The museum houses a rare C-47 Skytrain that participated in the D-Day operations in Normandy.
The Michigan Flight Museum, formerly known as the Yankee Air Museum, is housed within a historic hangar at the Willow Run Airport in Belleville, Michigan. It is renowned for its collection of airworthy WWII-era aircraft, including the B-17 Flying Fortress 'Yankee Lady' and the B-25 Mitchell 'Yankee Warrior'. The museum focuses on the history of the Willow Run Bomber Plant, which famously produced B-24 Liberators during the war. Exhibits detail the role of Michigan aviation in defense, space exploration, and commercial flight. Visitors can tour the hangar floor to see ongoing restoration projects and static displays of various military and civilian planes. The site serves as a working hangar, meaning maintenance activity is often visible to the public. Educational galleries showcase the 'Rosie the Riveter' legacy and the industrial transformation of the region during the 1940s. Its location at the site of the former Ford Motor Company bomber plant links the museum directly to the history of mass-producing heavy bombers.
Directly in front of the nose art on the B-17 Flying Fortress during hangar open-floor periods.
Check the website for 'flying days' if you want to see the historic aircraft in operation.
Wear comfortable, closed-toe walking shoes as the museum floor is a large, industrial hangar space.
Bring a jacket, as the large hangar doors can create drafts or significant temperature drops compared to the outdoors.
Do not expect a climate-controlled environment, as the facility functions as an active hangar.
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Do not touch aircraft surfaces or restoration equipment unless explicitly invited by staff.
