Monday, March 16, 2009

Pima Air & Space Museum - March 14, 2009


Pima Air and Space Museum, Tucson, AZ. Located about 5 miles from main gate to Davis Monthan AFB. It has over 120 aircraft from different eras. WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and Iraq war of today. Walking and tram tours are available. Once inside you see a replica of the Wright Brothers airplane. You get to tour 4 large hangers containing many planes, gliders, experimental and some were built to get into the record books. This museum is supported by donations only no government money provided to support. The only part the government has is that the different branches of the military have planes on loan to the museum. This museum is the 3rd largest of the aircraft museums, 1st being the Smithsonian then Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.


A couple of experimental aircraft the smallest one man jet (the one on display has never flown, but a similar one did once) The other aircraft known as the bumble bee, this plane flew twice once for a check flight then the other was to get it into the records book.




President Eisenhower and Kennedy used this aircraft as their "AIR FORCE ONE". During President Kennedy's term they did upgrade to a jet and was used during the Johnson adminsitration.





President Eisenhower was the first president to use a helicopter to go from the White House to Andrews AFB.








At Pima Air and Space Museum has an additional museum there and is dedicated to the 390th Bomb Group. The admission to Pima includes this museum. It is supported by donations. The aircraft on display is the B-17G Flying Fortress and was restored to near original conditions. This museum contains a memorial room with all the names of those who were lost but not forgotten. The facility has many displays from a Ford Jeep, an Quonset Hut style orderly room, photo displays and stories of their missions. A very impressive exhibit.



This is probably one of the most impressive pieces of history on display. It is the SR-71 Blackbird known mostly for its use as a spy plane high speed and high altitude it could go from LA to NY in less than an hour and taking pictures all the way. It was retired in the 90's and about 2 dozen remain and are in museums around the country. The plane was made of titanium and the wings were the fuel tanks.



This is the A-10 probably one of the most uglies plane out there. It is a very dangerous aircraft as it has a cannon in the nose of the plane and was used in Desert Storm, Iraq for ground support and was capable of destroying just about any type of enemy vehicle on the ground with armor piercing armament. You see this aircraft today flying around Davis Monthan always in pairs as the instructor is in the rear aircraft. Very impressive to watch them practice some of maneuvers.

No comments: