Sometimes speedy workmanship is good ....

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/1...ame/bomber_plant.wmv

slightly more than one hour East from where I now live. There is still a lot of defense contract work in Michigan, but no longer at Willow Run.

I used to service IBM machines in the Willow Run Assembly plant (early 80's) Some of the old airplane stuff remained. That plant shows what a determined US middle class with good manufacturing infrastructure is capable of. When Hermann Goering saw 1000 bombers over Europe, shot down 200 and got 1000 more the next day, he knew Germany was cooked.

I think you can still go out on the old ramp behind the plant and find the huge tiedown rings where they chained down the B-17's, fresh off the line, for full power runups. If nothing leaked or broke the ferry pilots flew them to Canada, Greenland, Iceland and northern UK.

Sadly, the Yankee Air Force hangar at the NE corner of the field burned down a few years ago. A few project planes were lost, most aircraft were OK. Tons of history was lost though.

quote:

slightly more than one hour East from where I now live.

Wow.... It's about 40/45 minutes west from me...

I know your area a little bit too. We go up to Detroit Tuned on 15 Mile for holiday parties and for mod's to the MINI.