Are you an "airhead?" Is your head always in the clouds? I don't mean that in a derogatory way; I mean do you love airplanes? Are you fascinated with flight? For all things aircraft, come to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo.
For almost two decades, my husband and I and our children satisfied our quest for flight with the Muskegon County Air Fair. We saw the Blue Angels, the Harrier jet (that lifts straight off the ground), and flybys from Russian MiGs. The B-2 Spirit Bomber (aka the "Stealth Bomber") made a ritual flyby, too. It would sneak up from nowhere and scream by, breaking the sound barrier.
My daughter loved Robosaurus, a huge fire-breathing, car-crushing robotic creature. Then there was Les Shockley's Shockwave, a semi truck cab with triple jet engines. It can drive 2,000 mph.
We watched the "meatballs" (Japanese Zeros) attack in "Tora, Tora, Tora" a recreation of the bombing on Pearl Harbor.
The Heritage flight featured World War II Mustangs flying cheek to jowl with an F-16 Fighting Falcon. We've watched races between German, Canadian and American fighter jets. We've enjoyed concerts from the back of a Hercules C-4 cargo carrier. We've climbed around in a B-17 Flying Fortress (like the "Memphis Belle) and talked with pilots from around the globe.
Muskegon's 23-year venue closed after the 2006 show. We've enjoyed happy memories, but long lines, extreme heat and water available for purchase only dimmed some of the charm. So had the drinking bashes in VIP seating. It's hard to explain to your child why a man touring a M.A.S.H. unit is stumbling over her, reeking of alcohol at 10:30 a.m.
The Kalamazoo Air Zoo is an ideal substitute. It's family-friendly. It's cheaper, only $8 admission or $15 for admission plus unlimited ride pass. There's also a $29 annual unlimited ride pass available. With the cost of fuel, utilities and upkeep, I'm surprised that they can afford to keep admission prices so low.
Unlike air shows and air fairs, where you had to buy only over-priced vendor food (no coolers allowed), visitors have a much wider selection at the Air Zoo. They can also come and go. At some air fairs, you have to park miles away and ride a shuttle bus in. You wait in line for hours to leave.
The Air Zoo is all about children. It's very interactive. Instead of sitting in a lawn chair, saying "ooh-ah", families get to touch, experience and do. There's a huge airplane museum, educational events, Mission to Mars and Corsair Challenge flight simulations, bi-plane rides, Montgolfier balloon races, a Ferris wheel, a paratrooper bungee jump and several 3-D movie events.
There are Air Zoo day and overnight camp opportunities, educational activities, field trips, birthday party events, Super Science Saturdays, SkySpace Club and dozens of seasonal events throughout the year. There are all kinds of hands-on make-it-take-it flight science crafts and activities. When you leave, kids will be given handouts and extension activities to try at home.
The Air Zoo is located at 6151 Portage Rd., in Portage, Michigan (a Kalamazoo suburb), in the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport complex. It's open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The Air Zoo is a great place to get your fill of air show thrill.
A life-long resident of "Pure Michigan", Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about people, places, events and issues in the Great Lakes State.
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