A 2004 addition merged museum with theme park, making the history of flight come alive. And the museum isn't stopping there. More changes are planned this year.

By Joe Bower.

Fighter Jet Craze

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: MAY/JUNE 2006)

A SMOOTH FLIGHT IT ISN’T. The fighter jet spins, inverts, then dives straight down, with 8-year-old Angela LaPenna behind the controls. The simulator seems real to this young pilot. "I’m like a bird, " Angela squeals, as the cockpit view shows fast-approaching ground. "This is sooo fun. "

Like most of the attractions at the Air Zoo just south of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the simulator borrows from Hollywood special effects, amusement rides and art galleries to emphasize entertainment as much as education. "We want to let visitors experience and get excited about the aviation history it portrays, " says Renee Newman, Air Zoo marketing and public relations director.

The museum’s name reflects aircraft animal monikers: Tiger. Mustang. The original 100,000-square-foot wing is for aviation buffs, full of historic aircraft, artifacts and engaging docents, many of whom were military pilots.

Opened in 2004, the other wing is about the same size but has an amusement park feel. Brightly colored kid rides occupy one corner; in another, flight simulators spin and bob wildly. In between, visitors cluster around video kiosks. A 900-foot mural tracks the history of flight, beginning in 1783, when Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier launched the first hot-air balloon.

The Air Zoo also offers a 4-D theater. Its large, half-circle screens, vibrating seats, 3-D film and special effects make you feel you’re accompanying a World War II bomber mission. Shrapnel flies at you. The stench of burning oil fills the air. Your seat lurches as bullets destroy the engine.

The space-shuttle attraction uses hydraulic lifts and a narrated 3-D film to depict a blastoff, tour of the International Space Station and landing. Looking through the shuttle window, one boy whispers, "Grandpa, is that how it looks to the astronauts? "

Overall, it’s enough to wow even those who can’t tell a Hellcat fighter from a Skyhawk bomber, and attendance is booming. Last year, nearly 130,000 visited, a 264 percent increase over 2004.

In 2006, new additions will offer zero-gravity rides and a wing dedicated to World War II aviation.

Open daily. Admission charged. 6151 Portage Road, Portage (866/524-7966; www.airzoo.org).

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