Topic: Fire destroys vintage planes in Michigan

[The Postman]

Fire destroys vintage planes in Michigan
10/9/2004, 11:06 p.m. ET
The Associated Press   

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) ? Fire swept through an aviation museum hangar that housed vintage aircraft, destroying the building and the planes inside.

No injures were reported in the fire Saturday at the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run Airport, officials said. Several historic planes that were parked outside the hangar were unscathed.

The cause of the fire at the airport 25 miles west of Detroit was not known.

A spokesman for the Wayne County Airport Authority, which owns and operates the airport, did not immediately return a telephone message.

The Yankee Air Museum includes functioning historic aircraft, fixed displays and historic artifacts, according to the its Web site. Its centerpiece was the 1941 hangar that burned Saturday night, which was part of a plant built by Henry Ford to produce World War II bombers on assembly lines like those used at his automotive factories.

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On the Net:


Yankee Air Museum: http://www.yankeeairmuseum.org/

[IndyShark]

Do you have any idea what was lost?

[The Postman]

PRESS RELEASE
October 10,2004



The Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run Airport suffered a disastrous fire last night that destroyed the historic hangar that housed the museum. The museum staff was able to move the historic B-17, C-47 and B-25 aircraft out of the building, thus saving the heart of the collection. In addition, all the historic aircraft on display outside of the main building were untouched by the fire. While many irreplaceable artifacts, photos and books were lost in the fire, the Volunteers at the museum are thankful that the aircraft collection remains largely intact. Only a small number of non-flyable aircraft that were in restoration inside the hangar were lost.

The Yankee Air Museum members, staff and volunteers are determined to rebuild the museum facilities and continue the great work that was begun in 1981 by a small group of visionaries who were dedicated to preserving this important piece of aviation and Southeastern Michigan history.

The Michigan Aerospace Foundation, the sister organization of the museum which was formed to plan and fund future expansion of the museum facilities, will now be working hard to raise the necessary funds to re-build the museum as soon as possible. Working with Willow Run Airport and the Yankee Air Museum, the Foundation will be seeking funding and other help from Foundations, Corporations and Individuals as it works to replace what has been lost.

[Don Karnage]

the never heard of sprinkler? its a good 300 Years old and verry usefull during a fire.