Willow Run Airport
Encyclopedia
Willow Run Airport is an airport located in Van Buren Charter Township
and in Ypsilanti Township
, near Ypsilanti
, Michigan
, that serves freight, corporate, and general aviation clients. No commercial passenger services are available at the airport.
Opened in 1942, Willow Run Airport was synonymous with the American industrial effort that contributed so much to the Allied victory in World War II
. Operated by the Ford Motor Company
, the Ford Willow Run manufacturing plant produced 8,685 B-24 Liberator
heavy bombers upon its closure in April 1945, the largest number at any B-24 facility in the country.
Today, the Yankee Air Museum
has a large collection of vintage aircraft.
control tower, and US Customs operations. Willow Run Airport is one of two facilities operated by Wayne County Airport Authority
, the other being Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
, which replaced Willow Run as the major commercial airport for the region during the late 1950s and 1960s. Major worldwide cargo airlines Kalitta Air
and National Airlines are based at Willow Run Airport.
bought the property that became the airport, and used it as farmland for a “social engineering” experiment that brought inner-city boys to Willow Run Farm to learn about nature, farming tasks, and the rural way of life. The residents at Willow Run Farm planted, tended, and harvested crops as well as running a maple syrup operation, and sold their products at the farm market on the property. In the process, the boys learned self-discipline and the values of hard work, and benefited from the fresh air that they had not been able to experience while growing up in congested cities.
to Europe
and the Fall of France in 1940 alarmed many in the United States. In spite of official American neutrality, a number of government officials began preparing for what they feared was United States involvement in the growing global conflict.
Henry Ford, himself an "isolationist" (opposed to entering the war), was prevailed upon in the Spring of 1941 to accept a Federal contract to build B-24 Liberator
heavy bombers to help prepare the Army Air Forces. He chose as the site of this activity his Willow Run Farm, and commenced building a massive industrial plant that became the Willow Run manufacturing complex. Architect Albert Kahn designed the main structure, which had 3500000 square feet (325,160.6 m²) of factory space, and an aircraft assembly line over a mile long. It was thought to be the largest factory under one roof anywhere in the world.
In order to meet the projected demand for the B-24, in early 1941 the Federal Government established the Liberator Production Pool Program. Shortly thereafter, the Ford Motor Company joined the Pool Program. Initially, Ford was assigned the task of providing components for final assembly of B-24s by Consolidated Aircraft
at its Fort Worth, Texas
plant and Douglas Aircraft at its Tulsa, Oklahoma
plant. However, in October of 1941 Ford received permission from Consolidated and the Army to assemble complete Liberators on its own at its new Willow Run facility.
The Willow Run plant was truly gigantic. It consisted of 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) and was almost a quarter of a mile wide and a half-mile long. It had a 90-degree bend in the middle of its length. This bend had supposedly been put there at the insistence of Henry Ford himself. According to local legend, the length of the plant had been miscalculated by the architects during the initial design work, and the bend had to be introduced in order to prevent the plant from extending into the next county where the taxes were higher. This bend came to be known as the "tax turn", and Liberators had to take a rather awkward 90-degree turn as they progressed down the assembly line. The Army Air Forces maintained a support unit there with personnel to coordinate with Ford Motor Company production managers, the 484th Base Headquarters and Base Squadron.
The first Ford-built Liberator rolled off the Willow Run line in September 1942. The Ford-built Liberator was designated B-24E. The Willow Run Plant had many initial startup problems, due primarily to the fact that Ford employees were used to automobile mass production and found it difficult to adapt these techniques to aircraft production. The plant at Willow Run was also beset with labor difficulties, high absentee rates, and rapid employee turnover. The factory was nearly an hour's drive from Detroit, and the imposition of wartime gasoline and tire rationing had made the daily commute difficult. In only one month, Ford had hired 2900 workers but had lost 3100.
Also, Henry Ford was cantankerous and rigid in his ways. He was violently anti-union and there were serious labor difficulties, including a massive strike. In addition, Henry Ford refused on principle to hire women. However, he finally relented and did employ "Rosie the Riveter
s" on his assembly lines, probably more because so many of his potential male workers had been drafted into the military than due to any sudden development of a social conscience on his part.
At the request of the government, Ford began to decentralize operations and many parts were assembled at other Ford plants as well as by the company's sub-contractors, with the Willow Run plant concentrating on final aircraft assembly. The bugs were eventually worked out of the manufacturing processes, and by 1944, Ford was rolling a Liberator off the Willow Run production line every 63 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A total of 6,972 Liberators were built at Ford, and 1,893 knock-down parts were provided for other manufacturers.
After their manufacture, the next step in the process was the delivery of the aircraft to the operational squadrons. This was done at Willow Run by 1st Concentration Command (1st CC). The 1st CC was responsible for completing the organization and equipment of tactical and combat bombardment squadrons prior to their deployment to the overseas combat theaters. It also provided a final inspection of the aircraft and make any appropriate final changes; i.e., install long-range fuel tanks, remove unnecessary equipment, and give it a final flight safety test.
While the planes were being serviced and made ready for overseas movement, personnel for these planes were also being processed. Pilots, co-pilots, navigators and crew chiefs were assigned as a crew for each aircraft. Paperwork was handled, necessary specific B-24 life support equipment was issued and some technical training for supporting the aircraft accomplished.
Once production began, it became difficult to introduce changes dictated by field experience in the various overseas theaters onto the production line in a timely fashion. Consequently, newly constructed Liberators needed modifications for the specific geographic areas they were to be flown in combat. For this reason, a series of Air Technical Service Command modification centers were established for the incorporation of these required theater changes into new Liberators following their manufacture and assignments. There were seven known modification centers: Consolidated/Fort Worth; Oklahoma City Air Materiel Center at Tinker Field
, Tucson Modification Center at Davis-Monthan Field; the Birmingham Depot in Alabama; the Northwest Airlines Depot in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the, Martin-Omaha manufacturing plant, and the Hawaiian Air Depot at Hickam Field.
The B-24E was the first version of the B-24 that underwent primary manufacture by Ford at Willow Run. Not only did Ford build complete planes, but it also supplied components of B-24Es for final assembly at the Tulsa and Fort Worth plants.
B-24Es built and fully assembled at Ford were designated B-24E-FO, but those assembled at Tulsa and Fort Worth out of parts supplied by Ford were designated B-24E-DT and B-24E-CF respectively. Because of production delays encountered at Willow Run as a result of the inevitable difficulties and snags involved in the adaptation of automobile manufacturing techniques to aircraft, the B-24Es produced at Willow Run was largely obsolescent by the time that it began to roll off the production lines, and most were relegated to training roles in the United States and few ever saw combat.
The B-24H was the first model produced by Ford at Willow Run in large numbers that went into combat. The B-24H differed from earlier models by having a second rear turret planed in the nose of the aircraft to increase defensive firepower. Because of the many structural changes required to accommodate the nose turret, the first B-24Hs were delivered slightly behind schedule, with the first machines rolling off the production lines at Ford in late June of 1943. Production for the B-24H was 1,780 at Willow Run.
With the introduction of the B-24J, all three of the Liberator manufacturing plants converted to the production of this version. The B-24J incorporated a hydraulically-driven tail turret and other defensive armament modifications in the nose of the aircraft. Willow Run produced its first B-24J in April of 1944. 1587 were built at Willow Run.
During June 1944, the Army determined that San Diego and Willow Run plants would be capable of meeting all future requirements for Liberator production. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress
was taking over the long-range bombing mission in the Pacific Theater and no new B-24 units were programmed for deployment in the other combat theaters in Europe
, the Mediterranean
or in the CBI
.
The B-24L was the first product of the new, downsized Liberator Production Pool. It was an attempt to reverse the trend toward ever-increasing weight of the Liberator as more and more armament, equipment, and armor had been added, with no corresponding increase in engine power. With the weight reduction and more powerful engines, it also had a much longer range than earlier models. A total of 1250 aircraft were built at Willow Run.
The B-24M was the last large-scale production version of the Liberator. Apart from a new tail turret, the B-24M differed little from the earlier version. The first B-24Ms were delivered in October of 1944, and Willow Run built 1677.
The end of the war in Europe in May 1945 brought a rapid end to Liberator production. The Liberator contract with Ford was officially terminated on 31 May 1945. Ford had switched over to the single-tailed B-24N in May 1945. with 124 Ford-built B-24Ms being cancelled before delivery. At this time, orders for 5168 Ford-built B-24N-FO bombers were also cancelled. The delivery of seven YB-24Ns by Ford brought the production of the Liberators at Willow Run to an end.
founded Avis Airlines Rent a Car Systems
at Willow Run Airport. It was the first rental car operation at an airport location.
The federal government sold the airport to the University of Michigan
in 1947 for $1.00. Terms of the sale required that the university operate the airport as a research facility, and the Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (later renamed Willow Run Research Center) was founded. For a time, the university housed part of its student population in the apartments previously used by plant workers. Many of the buildings at the airport were used by University of Michigan physicists and engineers engaged in research for national defense, including advanced remote sensing capabilities, at a facility which would become The Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM).
The bomber plant was sold to the Kaiser-Frazer
automobile company which, combined with the Graham-Paige
Motor Company, used it to produce 739,000 cars from 1947 through 1953. Kaiser-Fraser also built the C-119 Flying Boxcar
at Willow Run under license from Fairchild Aircraft. An estimated 88 C-119s were built there between 1951 and 1953. Kaiser-Fraser also built C-123 Provider
s, the last aircraft built at Willow Run.
When Kaiser-Frazier moved its manufacturing operations to Ohio and Argentina (in 1953), the General Motors
Corporation bought the former bomber plant and began producing automobile transmissions there, under the division name of “Hydramatic.” The entire facility was finally shuttered, and the few remaining personnel re-assigned, in 2010.
In 2011 Michigan State University
planted 3 acres of canola and mustard seed on airport property to genreate biofeuls for aircraft use. The airport has 1700 acres available to future crop production.
In 1956 there were seven commercial passenger carriers operating out of Willow Run. Airlines began to shift to the nearby Detroit Metro Airport
in 1958, and by 1967 all passenger airlines had moved. The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 68 weekday departures on Capitol, 45 American, 23 Eastern, 17 Northwest, 14 United, 13 North Central, 13 TWA, 8 Delta, 5 Allegheny and 3 Mohawk. American's only westward non-stops were to Chicago; United had a nonstop DC-7 to Los Angeles; come summer TWA would resume its weekly Constellation flight to Paris via Gander and Shannon (BOAC and Pan American flew out of DTW).
In 1977, the University of Michigan sold the airport to Wayne County
for $1.00
The Yankee Air Museum
opened on the airport grounds in 1981. A fire in October 2004 destroyed the museum's building and most of its artifacts. The static display aircraft like the B-52 and other aircraft that were too large to be on display inside the hangar were undamaged. In 2005 the museum moved to the other side of the airport where they are rebuilding their displays and gathering more World War II memorabilia.
Van Buren Township, Michigan
Van Buren Charter Township is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 28,821 at the 2010 census. It is home to Willow Run Airport, Metro Detroit's second busiest airport.-Geography:...
and in Ypsilanti Township
Ypsilanti Township, Michigan
Ypsilanti Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 49,182...
, near Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, that serves freight, corporate, and general aviation clients. No commercial passenger services are available at the airport.
Opened in 1942, Willow Run Airport was synonymous with the American industrial effort that contributed so much to the Allied victory in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Operated by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, the Ford Willow Run manufacturing plant produced 8,685 B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
heavy bombers upon its closure in April 1945, the largest number at any B-24 facility in the country.
Today, the Yankee Air Museum
Yankee Air Museum
The Yankee Air Museum is an aviation museum located near Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. The museum has a small fleet of flying aircraft and a collection of static display aircraft outdoors.-History:...
has a large collection of vintage aircraft.
Overview
The airport has four runways (the fifth runway, 9R/27L, was recently closed and redesignated taxiway H), a continuously staffed FAAFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
control tower, and US Customs operations. Willow Run Airport is one of two facilities operated by Wayne County Airport Authority
Wayne County Airport Authority
Wayne County Airport Authority is a governmental entity that operates airports in Metro Detroit in Michigan. The agency has its headquarters in the L.C. Smith Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus...
, the other being Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
, which replaced Willow Run as the major commercial airport for the region during the late 1950s and 1960s. Major worldwide cargo airlines Kalitta Air
Kalitta Air
Kalitta Air is an American cargo airline headquartered in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, United States. It operates international scheduled and ad-hoc cargo charter services. Its main base is Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti.-History:...
and National Airlines are based at Willow Run Airport.
History
Willow Run Airport was named for a small stream that meandered through pastureland and woods until the late-1930s. Automobile pioneer Henry FordHenry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
bought the property that became the airport, and used it as farmland for a “social engineering” experiment that brought inner-city boys to Willow Run Farm to learn about nature, farming tasks, and the rural way of life. The residents at Willow Run Farm planted, tended, and harvested crops as well as running a maple syrup operation, and sold their products at the farm market on the property. In the process, the boys learned self-discipline and the values of hard work, and benefited from the fresh air that they had not been able to experience while growing up in congested cities.
World War II
The coming of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Fall of France in 1940 alarmed many in the United States. In spite of official American neutrality, a number of government officials began preparing for what they feared was United States involvement in the growing global conflict.
Henry Ford, himself an "isolationist" (opposed to entering the war), was prevailed upon in the Spring of 1941 to accept a Federal contract to build B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
heavy bombers to help prepare the Army Air Forces. He chose as the site of this activity his Willow Run Farm, and commenced building a massive industrial plant that became the Willow Run manufacturing complex. Architect Albert Kahn designed the main structure, which had 3500000 square feet (325,160.6 m²) of factory space, and an aircraft assembly line over a mile long. It was thought to be the largest factory under one roof anywhere in the world.
In order to meet the projected demand for the B-24, in early 1941 the Federal Government established the Liberator Production Pool Program. Shortly thereafter, the Ford Motor Company joined the Pool Program. Initially, Ford was assigned the task of providing components for final assembly of B-24s by Consolidated Aircraft
Consolidated Aircraft
The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1923 by Reuben H. Fleet, the result of the Gallaudet Aircraft Company's liquidation and Fleet's purchase of designs from the Dayton-Wright Company as the subsidiary was being closed by its parent corporation, General Motors. Consolidated became...
at its Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
plant and Douglas Aircraft at its Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
plant. However, in October of 1941 Ford received permission from Consolidated and the Army to assemble complete Liberators on its own at its new Willow Run facility.
The Willow Run plant was truly gigantic. It consisted of 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) and was almost a quarter of a mile wide and a half-mile long. It had a 90-degree bend in the middle of its length. This bend had supposedly been put there at the insistence of Henry Ford himself. According to local legend, the length of the plant had been miscalculated by the architects during the initial design work, and the bend had to be introduced in order to prevent the plant from extending into the next county where the taxes were higher. This bend came to be known as the "tax turn", and Liberators had to take a rather awkward 90-degree turn as they progressed down the assembly line. The Army Air Forces maintained a support unit there with personnel to coordinate with Ford Motor Company production managers, the 484th Base Headquarters and Base Squadron.
The first Ford-built Liberator rolled off the Willow Run line in September 1942. The Ford-built Liberator was designated B-24E. The Willow Run Plant had many initial startup problems, due primarily to the fact that Ford employees were used to automobile mass production and found it difficult to adapt these techniques to aircraft production. The plant at Willow Run was also beset with labor difficulties, high absentee rates, and rapid employee turnover. The factory was nearly an hour's drive from Detroit, and the imposition of wartime gasoline and tire rationing had made the daily commute difficult. In only one month, Ford had hired 2900 workers but had lost 3100.
Also, Henry Ford was cantankerous and rigid in his ways. He was violently anti-union and there were serious labor difficulties, including a massive strike. In addition, Henry Ford refused on principle to hire women. However, he finally relented and did employ "Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military...
s" on his assembly lines, probably more because so many of his potential male workers had been drafted into the military than due to any sudden development of a social conscience on his part.
At the request of the government, Ford began to decentralize operations and many parts were assembled at other Ford plants as well as by the company's sub-contractors, with the Willow Run plant concentrating on final aircraft assembly. The bugs were eventually worked out of the manufacturing processes, and by 1944, Ford was rolling a Liberator off the Willow Run production line every 63 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A total of 6,972 Liberators were built at Ford, and 1,893 knock-down parts were provided for other manufacturers.
After their manufacture, the next step in the process was the delivery of the aircraft to the operational squadrons. This was done at Willow Run by 1st Concentration Command (1st CC). The 1st CC was responsible for completing the organization and equipment of tactical and combat bombardment squadrons prior to their deployment to the overseas combat theaters. It also provided a final inspection of the aircraft and make any appropriate final changes; i.e., install long-range fuel tanks, remove unnecessary equipment, and give it a final flight safety test.
While the planes were being serviced and made ready for overseas movement, personnel for these planes were also being processed. Pilots, co-pilots, navigators and crew chiefs were assigned as a crew for each aircraft. Paperwork was handled, necessary specific B-24 life support equipment was issued and some technical training for supporting the aircraft accomplished.
Once production began, it became difficult to introduce changes dictated by field experience in the various overseas theaters onto the production line in a timely fashion. Consequently, newly constructed Liberators needed modifications for the specific geographic areas they were to be flown in combat. For this reason, a series of Air Technical Service Command modification centers were established for the incorporation of these required theater changes into new Liberators following their manufacture and assignments. There were seven known modification centers: Consolidated/Fort Worth; Oklahoma City Air Materiel Center at Tinker Field
Tinker Field
Tinker Field is a stadium in Orlando, Florida. It is primarily used for baseball, and was the home field of the Orlando Rays minor league baseball team before they moved to Cracker Jack Stadium in 2000...
, Tucson Modification Center at Davis-Monthan Field; the Birmingham Depot in Alabama; the Northwest Airlines Depot in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the, Martin-Omaha manufacturing plant, and the Hawaiian Air Depot at Hickam Field.
Liberators produced at Willow Run
B-24Es built and fully assembled at Ford were designated B-24E-FO, but those assembled at Tulsa and Fort Worth out of parts supplied by Ford were designated B-24E-DT and B-24E-CF respectively. Because of production delays encountered at Willow Run as a result of the inevitable difficulties and snags involved in the adaptation of automobile manufacturing techniques to aircraft, the B-24Es produced at Willow Run was largely obsolescent by the time that it began to roll off the production lines, and most were relegated to training roles in the United States and few ever saw combat.
The B-24H was the first model produced by Ford at Willow Run in large numbers that went into combat. The B-24H differed from earlier models by having a second rear turret planed in the nose of the aircraft to increase defensive firepower. Because of the many structural changes required to accommodate the nose turret, the first B-24Hs were delivered slightly behind schedule, with the first machines rolling off the production lines at Ford in late June of 1943. Production for the B-24H was 1,780 at Willow Run.
With the introduction of the B-24J, all three of the Liberator manufacturing plants converted to the production of this version. The B-24J incorporated a hydraulically-driven tail turret and other defensive armament modifications in the nose of the aircraft. Willow Run produced its first B-24J in April of 1944. 1587 were built at Willow Run.
During June 1944, the Army determined that San Diego and Willow Run plants would be capable of meeting all future requirements for Liberator production. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
was taking over the long-range bombing mission in the Pacific Theater and no new B-24 units were programmed for deployment in the other combat theaters in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army was originally called North African Theater of Operations and is an American term for the conflict that took place between the Allies and Axis Powers in North Africa and Italy during World War II...
or in the CBI
China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...
.
The B-24L was the first product of the new, downsized Liberator Production Pool. It was an attempt to reverse the trend toward ever-increasing weight of the Liberator as more and more armament, equipment, and armor had been added, with no corresponding increase in engine power. With the weight reduction and more powerful engines, it also had a much longer range than earlier models. A total of 1250 aircraft were built at Willow Run.
The B-24M was the last large-scale production version of the Liberator. Apart from a new tail turret, the B-24M differed little from the earlier version. The first B-24Ms were delivered in October of 1944, and Willow Run built 1677.
The end of the war in Europe in May 1945 brought a rapid end to Liberator production. The Liberator contract with Ford was officially terminated on 31 May 1945. Ford had switched over to the single-tailed B-24N in May 1945. with 124 Ford-built B-24Ms being cancelled before delivery. At this time, orders for 5168 Ford-built B-24N-FO bombers were also cancelled. The delivery of seven YB-24Ns by Ford brought the production of the Liberators at Willow Run to an end.
Postwar history
After the war, the airfield at Willow run was converted into a passenger terminal. Commercial passenger traffic was moved from Detroit City Airport, making Willow Run Detroit's primary airport. In 1946 Warren AvisWarren Avis
Warren Edward Avis was an American entrepreneur who founded Avis Rent A Car System Inc. in 1946.Born in Bay City, Michigan, Avis graduated from Bay City Central High School in 1933, and served in the United States Army Air Force during the Second World War...
founded Avis Airlines Rent a Car Systems
Avis Rent A Car System
Avis Rent a Car System, LLC is a car rental company headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, New Jersey, United States. Avis, Budget Rent a Car and Budget Truck Rental are all units of Avis Budget Group....
at Willow Run Airport. It was the first rental car operation at an airport location.
The federal government sold the airport to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1947 for $1.00. Terms of the sale required that the university operate the airport as a research facility, and the Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (later renamed Willow Run Research Center) was founded. For a time, the university housed part of its student population in the apartments previously used by plant workers. Many of the buildings at the airport were used by University of Michigan physicists and engineers engaged in research for national defense, including advanced remote sensing capabilities, at a facility which would become The Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM).
The bomber plant was sold to the Kaiser-Frazer
Kaiser-Frazer
The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was the result of a partnership between automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer and industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. In 1947, the company acquired the automotive assets of Graham-Paige, of which Frazer had been president before the Second World War...
automobile company which, combined with the Graham-Paige
Graham-Paige
Graham-Paige was an American automobile manufacturer founded by brothers Joseph B. Graham and Robert C. Graham , and Canadian Ray Austin in 1927. Automobile production ceased in 1940, and its automotive assets were acquired by Kaiser-Frazer in 1947...
Motor Company, used it to produce 739,000 cars from 1947 through 1953. Kaiser-Fraser also built the C-119 Flying Boxcar
C-119 Flying Boxcar
The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
at Willow Run under license from Fairchild Aircraft. An estimated 88 C-119s were built there between 1951 and 1953. Kaiser-Fraser also built C-123 Provider
C-123 Provider
The C-123 Provider was an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force...
s, the last aircraft built at Willow Run.
When Kaiser-Frazier moved its manufacturing operations to Ohio and Argentina (in 1953), the General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
Corporation bought the former bomber plant and began producing automobile transmissions there, under the division name of “Hydramatic.” The entire facility was finally shuttered, and the few remaining personnel re-assigned, in 2010.
In 2011 Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
planted 3 acres of canola and mustard seed on airport property to genreate biofeuls for aircraft use. The airport has 1700 acres available to future crop production.
United States Air Force use
In 1951, the United States Air Force exercised a right of return to Willow Run and established Willow Run Air Force Station to the east of the airport runway. 42°14′31"N 083°29′57"W On 7 April 1952 the site became operational with the establishment of Headquarters, 30th Air Division at the site, which was designated P-23 by ADC. In addition to the headquarters facility, Air Defense Command established a Manual Air-Defense Control Center (ADCC) at Willow Run AFS, for the tracking and control of aircraft as part of the air defense mission in the United States. Willow Run operated until April 1959, when the 30th AD was reassigned to Truax Field, Wisconsin. The facility was then sold to the University of Michigan. Today, many of the former Air Force buildings, which still exist on the site today, are used by various organizations.Commercial airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
in 1958, and by 1967 all passenger airlines had moved. The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 68 weekday departures on Capitol, 45 American, 23 Eastern, 17 Northwest, 14 United, 13 North Central, 13 TWA, 8 Delta, 5 Allegheny and 3 Mohawk. American's only westward non-stops were to Chicago; United had a nonstop DC-7 to Los Angeles; come summer TWA would resume its weekly Constellation flight to Paris via Gander and Shannon (BOAC and Pan American flew out of DTW).
In 1977, the University of Michigan sold the airport to Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
for $1.00
The Yankee Air Museum
Yankee Air Museum
The Yankee Air Museum is an aviation museum located near Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. The museum has a small fleet of flying aircraft and a collection of static display aircraft outdoors.-History:...
opened on the airport grounds in 1981. A fire in October 2004 destroyed the museum's building and most of its artifacts. The static display aircraft like the B-52 and other aircraft that were too large to be on display inside the hangar were undamaged. In 2005 the museum moved to the other side of the airport where they are rebuilding their displays and gathering more World War II memorabilia.
See also
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
- Detroit Region AerotropolisDetroit Region AerotropolisThe Detroit Region Aerotropolis is an initiative to create an “aerotropolis” or airport-city in Southeast Michigan surrounding Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Willow Run Airport...
- Michigan World War II Army AirfieldsMichigan World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Michigan for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
- Eastern Air Defense ForceEastern Air Defense ForceThe Eastern Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960.-History:...
(Air Defense Command) - 30th Air Division (United States)30th Air Division (United States)The 30th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to Tenth Air Force, being stationed at Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa...