Wurtsmith Air Museum

Oscoda used to be a much bigger town than it is today, and our tiny branch was once a ward. Why? There used to be an air base here--Wurtsmith Air Force Base. The base opened in 1929, was used for training during WWII and then switched to a nuclear training ground during the Cold War. The base was closed by President Clinton during the mid-90's and the town and the branch shrunk accordingly.

 

The town purchased the base housing from the government and turned it into the "lovely" HOA where we live today. The airfield was purchased by a company called Kalitta Air, which services HUGE transport planes, both for the government and for carriers like DHL, UPS and FedEx. Lots of other small companies, mostly manufacturing car parts, purchased other buildings, and Air Force veterans who retired here used some of the space to establish the Wurtsmith Air Museum. Last Saturday we finally checked it out.

 When we pulled up, I was a little skeptical. It looked a little Spartan and I was worried that Jed might be really bored. I was really glad to be wrong!

 There were SO many models and Jed had a blast looking at all of them. We were met by a really nice guy who had served on the base during part of his USAF career and he happily answered all of our questions, even the dumb ones, and walked us through all the displays. Dave and I would have liked to spend more time poring over things, but we walked through at Jed's pace.

 Then--the best part--we went out into the hangars and saw the big planes! The first hangar had planes that were all self-built; meaning someone built them from a kit and then when they got done with them, gave them to the museum. They all actually flew.

 This was Dave's favorite. It is called the Osprey and it can land either on land or water. It was so beautiful and Dave and our guide were both really sad that part of the agreement when the planes are given to the museum stipulates that they'll never be flown again.

 Jed liked this one because it looks like Dusty, the hero plane in the new Disney movie, Planes.

 This little guy was so much fun! Hard to believe a person could actually sit inside and fly it, but it is so! The machine directly behind Jed's head was an ultralite helicopter--built by a guy who flew medevac copters in the Korean War--it was seriously a chair, a tiny stick to put your feet on with a few levers for controls and a propeller. Oh, and a seatbelt. Our guide said that the guy's wife made him donate it. I would too!

 This big plane sits out on the tarmac. It was the former president of Kalitta Air's "company car" complete with meeting rooms and lounge inside. We didn't get to go in--I would have loved to see the interior. It's supposed to be very swanky.

 The next hangar we went in had a huge WWII training plane in it--just like a regular bomber but with two seats, one for the student and one for the teacher. Dave and Hank climbed up to look inside. I thought Jed would want to as well, but he wasn't a fan of the ladder.

There was also a big transport helicopter--a Hugey--from the Vietnam War but I forgot to take a picture of it. And the craziest contraption from WWII--a wooden glider that could transport troops or jeeps. The planes would tow the glider, then cut them loose over the same area where parachuters were dropped (like in Band of Brothers). The gliders, if not carrying troops, would hold equipment or a jeep, and would in theory glide down and support. They weren't very reliable, though, and if they nosed in incorrectly, the crash would kill everyone on board. I am really kicking myself for not getting a picture--it was cool and sad all at the same time. 

 Dave loved this huge motor from one of the planes. I can't remember what plane it was supposed to go in.

 Hank had enough of the tour and wanted to get down on the floor and crawl around. We decided it was time to go home.

Jed with one of the WWII bombers out front before we left. He started the day in kind of a grumpy mood, but seeing all the awesome planes, large and small, really improved his attitude. We had so much fun!

After we left, we took all of our cans and bottles that we've been collecting to the recycling center and cashed them in. The machines were pretty picky and wouldn't take any smashed ones, so we missed out on about two dollars, but we still ended up with $12.80. We used the cash to go and get some ice cream--the perfect ending to our fun adventure!