W8USR - Special Events

Yankee Air Museum (Willow Run) Open House

The Original Historic Hangar

The Yankee Air Museum operated out of a massive, historic wooden hangar on the northeast side of the Willow Run Airport. It was filled with original WWII artifacts, uniforms, a comprehensive aviation library, and several aircraft undergoing active restoration by volunteers. The crown jewels of the fleet—the B-17G "Yankee Lady", the B-25 "Yankee Warrior", and the C-47 Skytrain—were all parked inside or just outside this hangar. The museum also housed rare pieces for visitors to see including a prototype North American YOV-10A Bronco, a Waco CG-4A Glider, and a former Thunderbirds Republic F-105.

Memorial Day Operations: W8YAF

On May 31, 2004, the museum hosted a special open house. The Memorial Day event was a bustling open house meant to honor the "Rosie the Riveter" and B-24 Liberator bomber legacy of Willow Run. Using W8YAF to get the museum "on the air" was a major way the volunteers kept the local history connected to the global community. The amateur radio operations that day were conducted under the museum's official club callsign, W8YAF, broadcasting from 1200Z to 2000Z on the 7.270 MHz frequency.

That sadly, turned out to be the final summer for the original museum. Just over four months later, on October 9, 2004, a catastrophic fire completely destroyed the historic hangar.

Station Log: Contact History

Date / Year	Special Event Call	My Callsign Used	Time (UTC)	Band	Mode
May 31, 2004	W8YAF	W8USR	12:10 UTC	40 Meters	SSB