The Kalamazoo Air Zoo
In addition, the Air Zoo is home to a rich and diverse aircraft engine collection, which volunteer Kevin Kenz has photographed and made available on the AEHS website.
The Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Experience
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Images from Kevin Kenz
Published 3 Jul 2025; Revised 3 Jul 2025
The Kalamazoo Air Zoo |
The Air Zoo has a highly charged, multi-sensory atmosphere that is like no place else on Earth! Voted the "Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners" and "Best Place to Spend a Day with Your Family" three years in a row, the Kalamazoo Air Zoo features more than 100 rare and historic air and space artifacts, amusement park-style rides, full-motion flight simulators, newly renovated Quonset hut-style Missions Theater, as well as historical exhibits and educational activities. Its mission is to ignite curiosity, celebrate innovation, and connect history and science through past, present, and future dreams of flight. In addition, the Air Zoo is home to a rich and diverse aircraft engine collection, which volunteer Kevin Kenz has photographed and made available on the AEHS website. |
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| Allison J33-A-35 | Allison V-1710-111 | American Cirrus MkIII. Made in Marysville, Michigan. | ||
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| American Cirrus MkIII | Buick (Wright (Armstrong Siddeley)) J65-B-3 | Bending-Stromberg PR100-28-A Direct Injection Carburetor | ||
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| Bending-Stromberg PR100-28-A | Continental (Wright) R-975-46A. Used in Piasecki HUP-3 Helicopter | Continental A-50-3 | Continental E185-9 | |
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| Continental (Packard (Rolls-Royce)) V-1650-7. Built in Muskegon, Michigan – a rare engine. | Ford (P &W) R-2800-21. Unrestored | |||
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| Ford (P&W) R-2800-21 | Ford Model A. Adapted for aircraft use. Has a Heath Aircraft Corp propeller adapter from the 1930s. | Franklin 4AC-150 | ||
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| General Electric J31 | General Electric T58-GE-5 | |||
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| General Electric T58-GE-5 | German V-2 Model 39 Thrust Chamber | Heath Clipper. A one-of-a-kind engine, built for the Heath Aircraft Skippy racer. The Air Zoo is restoring it, but one of the heads was missing so a replica is being made. Hence the photos currently show two missing cylinder heads. Quite a unique power plant to say the least! Hans Rasmussen worked for Heath and lived in Niles, Michigan. He modified a 4-cylinder inline Henderson motorcycle engine first, but Hans did not like its performance, so he hand built the Clipper engine for the 1934 races. The attachment explains what we know of this engine-it was 190 in³. Hans entered Skippy with this power plant in the 1934 Cleveland National Air Races, 200 in³ class. It took a second and third in its two races, Willis "Bill" Kysor was the pilot. | ||
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| Heath Clipper | Hirth Motoren HM 504A-2 | |||
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| Kiekhaefer O-45-1 | LeRhone 9C. Built by the Union Switch and Signal Company, October 1918 | Lockheed SR-71 Start Cart Two Buick 401 in³ Wildcat V-8s |
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| Lockheed SR-71 Start Cart | Lycoming O-145-B2 | McCulloch O-100-1 | P & W J58 | |
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| P & W J58 | P & W R-2800-34 | |||
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| P & W R-2800-34 | P & W R-4360-35. A QEC unit from a Boeing B-50 | |||
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| P & W R-4360 Cutaway | P & W TF30 | Ranger 6-440C-5g | ||
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| Ranger V-770-11 | Righter O-15-3 | Top: Righter O-15-3 Bottom: Kiekhaefer O-45-1 |
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| Righter O-15-1 | Rocketdyne (NAA) 75-110A-7 | |||
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| Rocketdyne(NAA)75-110A-7 | Rocketdyne F-1 | |||
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| Rocketdyne J-2 | Rocketdyne LR105 Atlas Missile Sustainer Engine |
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| Wright R-1820. Model unknown – data plate missing. | Wright R-1820-32. Unrestored, from Douglas SBD-1. |
Wright R-2600 Cutaway | Wright R-3350 TurboCompound | Wright R-3350 TurboCompound | |
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