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Thunder

Over Michigan

T

he 16th annual ‘Thunder Over Michigan

Air Show’ was held at the Willow Run

Airport in Ypsilanti, near Detroit, rais-

ing funds for the Yankee Air Museum.

Each day started with a huge battle of Ger-

mans versus the Americans and allies with

tanks, trucks, jeeps and ground artillery and

lots of re-enactors. While the Americans lost

the first battle, they won the afternoon battle

with the help of an L-5 Sentinel spotting the

enemy positions from the air.

Next were single passes by show-theme

feature T-6s of various models, followed by

several twelve-ship formation passes. Jet

power really picked up the pace afterwards

with Paul Wood flying his N.A. F-86F Sabre

‘Smokey’. An Army Air Force Victory Flight

was led by the Yankee Air Museum’s B-17G

‘Yankee Lady’, with a P-38 Lightning, two

Mustangs and a P-47 Thunderbolt. Heavies

from the combined days included the B-17G

leading a pair of B-25 Mitchells, a Lockheed

C-60, AT-11 Kansan, C-47 and the Berlin

Airlift’s C-54. The fighters included the two

Mustangs of Mark Peterson and Anthony

Bueschler, Fagen’s P-38 ‘Ruff Stuff’, the P-

47D ‘Jacky’s Revenge’, and John Bagley’s P-

63C Kingcobra. Making individual passes

later was the Commemorative Air Force’s B-

24A Liberator ‘Diamond Lil’. Additional war-

bird aerobatic demonstrations were put on

by Mark Peterson in his Mustang HELL-ER

BUST and John Bagley in his P-63. The Yan-

kee Air Museum, directors Kevin Walsh and

Michael Luther, and its many volunteers did

an excellent job of organising this show, and

keeping everything running smoothly and

s a fely. Roger Cain

The B-25J Mitchell ‘Briefing Time’ is

part of the Mid Atlantic Air Museum

from Reading Pennsylvania.

The ‘Yankee Lady’ B-17G Flying

Fortress is the pride and joy of the

Yankee Air Museum.

[ALL images Roger Cain]

Airshows

Line up of Texans and Harvards

were on show front and centre.