Visit Michigan Flight Museum

Our writeup of the museum is from a January 2018 visit. At the time the museum was called the Yankee Air Museum. On May 6, 2024, they rebranded as Michigan Flight Museum and Air Adventures.

(Article Updated May 7, 2024 with the new museum name and updated 2024 information)

About the Michigan Flight Museum

The museum originally opened at Willow Run Airport in 1981 as the Yankee Air Museum. After a damaging fire in 2004, it reopened in it’s current building in 2010.

The Museum is currently fundraising to Save the Bomber Plant. They have acquired a portion of the historic Bomber Plant at Willow Run. During World War II, the Ford Motor Company made over 8000 B-24 bombers at Willow Run.

In the summer of 2022, the Museum completed building its own Roush Aeronautics Center, which is now a permanent home for its flying Aircraft.

On May 6, 2024 they announced a new name for the museum – Michigan Flight Museum and Air Adventures.

Exhibits at Michigan Flight Museum

The Michigan Flight Museum features historic military aircraft and artifacts. They also feature an exhibit on the Bomber Plant/Rosie the Riveter. For the kids, there are stations on five simple machines used in aircraft, an exploration station, and toy planes. Check out our Facebook Live museum tour:

Visiting the Yankee Air Museum today.
Posted by Ann Arbor with Kids on Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Military Aircraft & Memorabilia

There are some aircraft outside the museum. Since we visited on a 15 degree (without windchill) and snow on the ground, we settled for viewing them from our car. Inside the museum, there are a number of planes available spanning from World War I through the Vietnam era.

Yankee Air Museum - World War I Bi-plane

Rosie the Riveter

Since the museum is located at the Willow Run Airport, there is a section of the museum dedicated to the Bomber Plant and Rosie the Riveter. We had a chance to test out a (non-working) riveter – it was pretty heavy.

Five Simple Machines

Recently the museum added displays showing Five Simple Machines and their role in aircraft. This was one of my daughter’s favorite parts of the museum. I like how they are injecting both a hands-on activity and a STEM aspect to the museum.

Exploration Station

The kids won’t be bored at the museum! They will love the activities in the Exploration Station. At first glance, I thought my daughter and her friend would be too old. But they both loved it. I think they spent at least 45 minutes there.

There are large blocks for building, Magformers, and white board easels.

Yankee Air Museum - Exploration Station - Blocks, Magformers, and Drawing

My daughter’s friend built a ramp with the blocks and then started building Magformers cars to race on it. His mom and I also started building cars to test.

Yankee Air Museum - Exploration Station - Magformers

My daughter’s favorite part of the Exploration Station was the Xbox Kinect 360 with flying activities. She loved trying to race the flying squirrel through the course.

Yankee Air Museum - Exploration Station - Kinect 360

Climb In

Their are several pedal planes for the kids to climb in. They are the perfect size for toddlers and preschoolers. But my 12 year old and her friend both had to give it a shot. Basically her feet fit through the plane.

In addition, there is a Junior Flight Academy. This exhibit was formerly at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.

Location

The Michigan Flight Museum is on the east side of Willow Run Airport. Their address is 47884 D St, Belleville, MI 48111. Plentiful parking is available on the north side of the building.

Hours & Cost

Michigan Flight Museum’s hours are 10a-4p Tuesdays through Fridays and 11a-4p on Saturdays and Sundays. They are closed on Mondays. Be sure to check their calendar as they sometimes close for private events or maintenance.

Purchased in advance admission is $13/Adults (ages 18+). Children, Military (past and present), seniors (60+), and students with ID receive discounted admission of $10. Children under 2 are free. At the door admission is an additional $2.

Michigan Flight Museum Discounts

The good news is that there are Michigan Flight Museum Discounts – Michigan Activity Pass and Reciprocal ASTC Membership.

Have you heard about the Michigan Activity Pass? Participating libraries throughout Michigan offer free or discounted admissions to a number of parks, museums, and other venues throughout the state. The Michigan Activity Pass provides you with one free adult ticket and one free child’s ticket to Michigan Flight Museum. Limited tickets are available. It appears that each of the Ann Arbor branches has 5 tickets per day available. There is a limit of one ticket per library card, but you can check out options under multiple library cards to cover your whole family.

Michigan Flight Museum is a member of the Association of the Science & Technology Centers and offer free admission to members of museums more than 90 miles away. Since we have an Ann Arbor Hands-On Membership, we aren’t eligible for free admission, but they do offer 1/2 price admission to members.

Make a Day of It

We spent about 2 hours at the Yankee Air Museum (now Michigan Flight Museum) which was plenty of time for my daughter (age 12) and her friend. With the Exploration Station and pedal cars, even toddlers and preschoolers will have fun at the museum.

We extended the theme of our trip with lunch at The Bomber Restaurant nearby in Ypsilanti. It was the first time we’ve been there for lunch. I enjoyed a Turkey Reuben while my daughter went for her standby of Chocolate Hazelnut French Toast. Their breakfasts are great, so they would also be a great choice before heading to the museum.