Yankee Air Museum was founded in 1981 and is located in Southeastern Michigan.  The Museum quickly grew when it acquired its flyable aircraft, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell Bomber, and C-47 Skytrain, offering the public the chance to fly in some of America’s most iconic aircraft. In 2004, the Museum experienced a fire that destroyed the original World War II building that the Museum was housed in, along with most artifacts and aircraft. The efforts to rebuild began immediately, which allowed the Museum to reopen in 2010 in its current location. Following the success of the Save the Bomber Plant campaign, the Museum purchased a portion of the Willow Run Bomber Plant that produced B-24 Liberators during World War II. In 2013, the Museum was able to purchase 144,000 square feet of the Plant. The building is currently being used to house and protect of the Museum’s large aircraft acquisitions. Since the reopening in 2010, the Museum has experienced rapid growth both in their collections as well as in their public programing. The Museum has acquired a dozen static aircraft, five historic flying aircraft, and continues to open exhibits annually. In 2017, the Museum became a part of Unity in Learning, a partnership that brings together the Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum, Leslie Science and Nature Center as well as the Yankee Air Museum in educational programming with a STEAM background. The Museum continues to build upon their mission to educate individuals through the history of American aeronautics, aerospace industries and their associated technologies while inspiring generations through personal experiences to instill pride in their national accomplishments. CEO Kevin Walsh talks about the museum, its flying aircraft, Thunder Over Michigan, its volunters and its educational mission with host Jim Fausone.