Air Zoo acquires new plane
October 4, 2012, 02:31 pm
Air Zoo in Michigan has been impacting the general aviation community with announcements and events through the year.
The most recent announcement from the museum and amusement park is that it added a new plane, a 1928 Curtiss Robin, to its fleet of aircraft. The plane is a high-wing monoplane and was one of the first to feature an enclosed cabin. It was primarily used as a mail plane, passenger carrier and air ambulance during the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Bob Ellis, Air Zoo president and CEO, said the plane is a great addition to the collection of aircraft featured at Air Zoo, particularly because it is from the era of early aviation. The plane is on loan from Leon Andrews, 80, from Memphis, Tennessee. The Robin was originally used by the air service in Sacramento, California, but is now on display at the East Campus at Air Zoo.
Air Zoo celebrated Women Airforce Service Pilots last month with reunion and presentation. The WASP were the first female pilots to fly U.S. military aircraft. Event attendees learned about these women, their history and the role they played in World War II.
"The Air Force comes out and says that they are going to admit women to their flying program," Katherine Sharp Landdeck, associate professor of history at Texas Woman's University, told National Public Radio last month. "It's the first time that the Air Force has allowed women to fly their aircraft."
A question and answer session was held after the event, letting attendees meet and have conversations with members of the WASP. One of the members Doris, Nathan, 95, told Michigan Live that flying bombers throughout the 1940s was fun. She is just one WASPs at the reunion, which honored the 38 members who lost their lives while in the program.
The National Association of Flight Instructors recently moved their headquarters to Air Zoo. The group believes the new location and partnership will increase event attendance, services and seminars to the aviation.
“Over the past few years, the Air Zoo has undergone significant expansion, growth, and revitalization,” said Ellis. “We see partnerships with aviation organizations such as NAFI as ways our organization can promote aviation to visitors from around the country and continue our growth of participation in the overall aviation community.”
The Air Zoo announcement should serve as a reminder for any pilots in the aviation industry to consider pilot life insurance to ensure the financial stability of their family.
Are you covered? Are you overpaying? Find out! Get a Quote Now!
| 
