Recently, one of the restoration staff members, assisted by a dozen or more volunteers, rebuilt a Laister Kauffmann TG-4A glider trainer. Another group is involved in restoring one of the most important aircraft in WWII history, a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber, on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation. This airplane had been on the bottom of Lake Michigan for 50 years. This vintage complex has been completely renovated and holds more aircraft. It also has a large art gallery.
Visitors can see restoration and maintenance work in progress.
The Air Zoo took possession of an F-14A Tomcat on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation on May 18, 1995. It is thought to be only the fourth museum in the world to have that fighter in its collection. Other than the Pensacola museum, the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum is the only known museum to have all of the Grumman cats when Art Wolk's Panther is in residence. The Kalamazoo Air Zoo, like most nonprofit institutions, could not survive without its dedicated volunteers. They do everything from maintenance and gift shop sales to tour escort and security.