Keys can be quite mundane. Everyone uses them, opening doors to offices, houses, cars and sheds; all the while jingling in pockets and hanging from belt loops.
For Independence Township resident Jon Stevens, the keys on his chain open the door to a World War II era B-17 aircraft. They allow him to show people a glimpse of a fading, but beloved World War II generation.
Stevens, a technical writer between projects, is vice president of the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run Airport. As vice president, he works from 10 to 25 hours a week attending meetings and helping with museum programs. Stevens, a museum member since 1992, also served a three year stint as president from 2002-2005.
The museum, started in 1981, is run by volunteers with a member base of approximately 4,200 World War II and aviation enthusiasts. Members are concentrated mostly in Michigan, but reside in all 50 states and countries around the world.
Although originally from New York, Stevens grew up with a fascination for Detroit’s number one export; cars.
‘I love old cars. I love old airplanes. As a kid growing up, my grandpa Ayres Stevens was friends with Glenn Curtiss who was the Wright Brothers? rival,? Stevens said, explaining his interest in the Yankee Air Museum.
‘My folks were in their preteens when Lindbergh made his trans-Atlantic flight. Those things in preteen years tend to stick in the head,? Stevens added. ‘I was one of those kids who stopped and looked up when a plane flies over and I still do.?
In addition to his grandfather’s interest in aviation, his mother Ruth taught celestial navigation for the Navy during World War II adding to his intrigue. Her proteges include Scott Crossfield, the first person to fly at Mach II, Stevens said.
In addition to his mother’s experience, he grew into his father Houghton’s interests in cars and airplanes, including building and flying old radio controlled airplanes.
An appreciation for his family’s history partnered with a deep fascination with United States and world history motivate Stevens and the other 150-200 regular volunteers to preserve the Willow Run Airport’s contribution to World War II and aviation’s role in that war alive.
‘From our perspective, (the planes) are important artifacts. Sixty-some years ago they were in larger numbers; now there are only a handful of them. Our concern is to preserve the aircraft and fly them as long as they can and tell their story,? Stevens said.
The museum is key to keeping the memory of World War II and its significant impact throughout the world, which experienced the war for about 14 years in certain locations, said Stevens. He believes the old saying ‘You don’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been,? still rings true today.
Currently, museum volunteers are working on a plan for new facilities including a visitor center and museum building while the aircraft are housed temporarily in hangers.
‘We’re a museum, for now we don’t have much display space,? Stevens said, explaining the museum has 17 aircraft, four of which are flyable.
The lack of space and a permanent building stems from a fire which destroyed the museum’s historic hanger on Oct. 9, 2004.
Stevens? was driving to his wife’s class reunion at a restaurant near Great Lakes Crossing when he received the call. Dropping off his wife, he drove directly to the museum with a little dark plume of smoke visible in the sky, giving him the only hint of what he might find.
‘By the time I got out? it was already dark at that point. It was just horrifying’The three larger planes were pushed out as the hanger went up in smoke. We were given space (in this hanger) the next morning,? said Stevens, guessing the fire was caused by faulty wiring.
Although the museum’s three best known restored aircraft ? the B-17, C-47 and B-25 ? were saved, the historic hanger and most of the tooling, equipment and spare parts for the aircraft were lost with an estimated replacement value of over $1,000,000. Only a small number of non-flyable aircraft in restoration inside the hanger were lost, according to the museum’s Web site, www.yankeeairmuseum.org.
As explained on the museum’s Web site, the Ford Motor Company built the Willow Run Airport in 1941 to serve as an airfield for their B-24 Bomber plant. The airport stood as the first aircraft manufacturing plant to use Ford’s mass production techniques. From 1942 to the end of World War II, the Ford Motor Company build 8,685 B-24’s and employed over 42,000 people at its peak, where a B-24 was produced every 59 minutes.
While the museum continues to grow following the fire, the group continues with one of its early goals of attaining a B-24 built at Willow Run.
‘To have a Ford here on the field where it was built is still a goal,? Stevens said.
As stated on the Web site, only 18,000 ‘Liberators? were built with only 11 known to exist today. Of those 11, only four were built at Willow Run. Despite efforts to find a B-24 built there, the museum hosts some other well known aircraft including: a Douglas C-47 World War II transport called the ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy,? the B-17 ‘Flying Fortress? used in the movie ‘Tora!Tora!Tora? and the B-25 medium-duty bomber similar to the type used in Jimmy Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo.
As the museum looks to grow, Stevens said he hopes to attract more youth to aviation and history as the World War II generation ages and passes on.
‘Kids today think airplanes, they tend to think jets. They see what we have out here and say ‘Wow, what’s that,?? Stevens said.
He hopes a focus on computer graphics and a flight simulator will foster an increased education for the newest generation.
‘It’s fun to see the jolt of discovery in a young kid’s eyes. You spark something new,? Stevens said. ‘When a kid get’s excited you know they are excited.?
With the excitement of a new complex in the works, the museum continues to host one of its staple events, the ‘Thunder Over Michigan.? At the event last year, eight of the 13 remaining World War II B-17’s flew in the air simultaneously for the first time since 1947, Stevens explained. This year’s August event has a ‘Battle over Britain? theme.
In addition to ‘Thunder Over Michigan,? the museum offers plane rides that support much of the group’s funding. The museum sold approximately 1,000 rides in the World War II era planes last year, according to Stevens. Other funding comes from fund-raising events and membership dues.
For more information on the Yankee Air Museum, call 734-483-4030.