You might expect to see wildcats or bearcats at the zoo, and that’s exactly what Sue Parish, co-founder of the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, thought of when she came up with a much simpler and iconic name for the Portage, Michigan, collection of historic aircraft: Air Zoo.
When the Air Zoo opened in 1979, five of the first airplanes she and her husband, Pete Parish, owned and brought into the collection had animal-inspired names. Since then, the collection of planes, jets and spacecraft has grown to over 100 aircraft housed in 200,000 square feet of exhibit space next to the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.
“The Air Zoo is really an experience like none other,” Air Zoo President Troy Thrash said. “It’s a fun way to be educated, to be inspired and really engage with the history of aviation and space.”
About 80,000 aviation, military and space artifacts are on display for kids and adults to explore.
“At the end of the day, they’re big hunks of metal and rubber and it really is the stories of the innovators, the builders, designers, the pilots that really bring them to life here, and that’s something we want to do for our guests every day,” said Thrash.