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  Pima Air & Space Museum  
  „Where legends live on“  
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Text:

Andy Herzog

Pictures:

Andy Herzog, Peter Gunti

Pima Air & Space Museum
6000 E Valencia Road
Tucson 85706
Täglich 9.00 - 17.00 Uhr
Eintritt frei
www.pimaair.org
Tel. +1 (520) 574 0462

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The Museum opened his doors to the public in 1976, regarding the bicentennial celebration of the Arizona Aerospace Foundation. At the beginning there was only 75 aircrafts on static display.

Today the 200-acre site of the Pima Air & Space Museum exhibits more than 300 historical aircrafts,covering all epochs of aviation history in one of the best museum’s worldwide! In five huge hangars, there are more than 125’000 artifacts. Here you will walk among many rare and one-of-a-kind aircrafts and passing through all decades of aviation history.

Many volunteer veterans guide you through the exhibition and will answer all your questions. The “Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame” with all his fantastic objects, will offer the visitor a unique opportunity to acquaint themselves  with noteworthy Arizona aviators like; former United States Senator Barry Goldwater, astronaut Frank Borman and Doolittle Raider David “Davay” Jones.

 

Sikorsky CH-37B Mojave, 90th Transportation Group, Illesheim-West Germany, 1965 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Grumman E-1B Tracer, VAW-88 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Grumman E-1B Tracer, VAW-88 (Photo courtesy Peter Gunti)

 

North American AT-6B, Texan, 3596th Pilot Training Wing, Luke Army Air Field, Arizona, 1942 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Sikorsky, S-43, Baby Clipper, before restauration, VMJ-2, San Diego, California, 1939 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

North American, RA-5C, Vigilante, RVAH-3, NAS Albany, Georgia, 1970 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

 
Grumman, F9F-5 Panther, VMF-311, Pusan-Korea, 1952 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Boeing C-97G, HB-ILY, (ex Balair and the Red Cross in service at the Biafra Conflict during 1970) (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Republic, F-105G Thunderchief, 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, George Air Force Base, California, 1979 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Douglas, WB-66D Destroyer, 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 1969 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)
 
rumman, OV-1C Mohawk, 1st Infantery Division, U.S. Army, Vietnam, 1967 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Douglas, B-26K Invader, 56th SOW, Nakhom Phanom AFB, Thailand, 1968-1969 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Grumman, HU-16A Albatross, 31st ARC, Clark Air Force Base, Philippines, ca. 1957 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)
 
Northrop, C-125A Raider (N2573B), Durango, Mexico, 1960 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Grumman, S2F1 Tracker, Naval Air Station, Grosse Ile, Michigan, 1968.  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Douglas TF-10B, SKYNIGHT, VMFT (N)-20, Cherry Point, MCAS, North Carolina, late 1956  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Kaman, OH-43D Huskie, VMO-6, Camp Pendleton, California,1965  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)
 
British Aerospace, AV-8C Harrier, VMA-513, MCAS, Yuma Arizona, 1985  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Grumman, F-11A Tiger, U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Pensacola, Florida, 1967  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Sikorsky, VH-34C Chocktaw, Exec. Flight Detachment, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 1960  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) North American, BT-14A Yale, Royal Canadian Air Force, 1943  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)
 
Sikorsky, H-5G Dragonfly, 6th Air Rescue Sq., Goose Bay AFB, Labrador, 1949  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Sikorsky, HH-52A Seaguard, Coast Guard Air Station, Houston, Texas, ca. 1985  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Cessna O-2A Skymaster, 602nd Tactical Control Wing, Davis Monthan Air Force Base, 1977  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Boeing B-29A Super Fortress, 330th Bomb Group, K-40, Quaker City Sentimental Journey  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Lockheed, L-049 Constellation N90831, TWA  "STAR OF SWITZERLAND"  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Many volunteer veterans guide you through the exhibition and will answer all your questions. The “Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame” with all his fantastic objects, will offer the visitor a unique opportunity to acquaint themselves  with noteworthy Arizona aviators like; former United States Senator Barry Goldwater, astronaut Frank Borman and Doolittle Raider David “Davay” Jones.

The exhibition provides rare items/aircrafts like the prototype of the famous Gates Learjet-family, the “Air Force One” of President John F. Kennedy, VIP aircrafts of the former President Nixon and Johnson, as well as a Lockheed SR-71A “Blackbird”.

Lockheed, VC-121A Constellation "COLOMBINE", ca. 1950. This Aircraft was Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower's AIR FORCE ONE (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Lockheed, L-049 Constellation N90831, TWA "STAR OF SWITZERLAND" (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Especially I would like to mention the personal aircrafts of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the famous Lockheed C-121A “Constallation/Colombine” he used extensively as SHAPE commander in the beginning of the 1950s and later on while he was President of United States of America.

Eisenhower had two of this legendary aircrafts and both where named “Colombine” after the state flower of Colorado State. Eisenhower also used one of the larger L-1079 (VC-121E) Connies as his third “Colombine” during his second term as President.

 
Lockheed, F-94C Starfire, 354th FIS. Oxnard AFB, Calif. 1953  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Northrop, F-89J Scorpion, 449th FIS Ladd AFB, Alaska, 1957  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Lockheed F-80B Shooting Star, 22nd FBS., 36th FBG, Fürstenfeldbruck AFB, West Germany, 1949 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Boeing, KC-97G-Stratofrieghter, 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)
   
  Teledyne-Ryan AQM-34Q Firebee "Flying Submarine"  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Teledyne-Ryan AQM-34K Firebee "Jaws" 432nd AGS at Davis-Monthan AFB  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Maybe a leftover from Hollywood - or a mock up from a helicopter  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Northtrop, MQM-57-Falconer, Drone (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)  
 
Naval Aircraft Factory, N3N-3-YELLOW PERIL, Jensen Flying Service, around 1950s  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Naval Aircraft Factory, N3N, ex Willows Flying Service, Willow-California  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Unknown plane (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Well - It's an Airplane but not in the real scale. (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)
 
Lockheed, EC-121T Warningstar, 79th AWCS, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, 1974. (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, MAC, 901st Military Airlift Group, Peterson Air Force Base (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Bell Corp., UH-1H, IROQUOIS, U.S. Army Medical Evacuation markings. A loan from Fort Rucker Museum, Alabama (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)
   
Bell UH-1M, Huey, California Air National Guard, 1990 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog) Sikorsky, CH-54A-TARHE, 1028th Transport Company, Pennsylvania National Guard, 1983 (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)  

Davis-Monthan AFB & AMARC-Boneyard

 

Author in front of a North American, T-28C Trojan, VT-6, Whiting Field-NAS, Florida, 1974  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Not far away from the Museum you will find Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the 309th AMARC “Boneyaed” Maintenance and Regeneration Center. 

Davis-Monthan AFB is home of the 355th Fighter Wing, the 12th Air Force Wing and the 563rd Rescue Group. As always there is no access by the public to the Air Base. But for aviation enthusiast like me you will find several “Spottering points” close to the runway approach area.

When you visit the Pima Air & Space Museum you should book one of the daily tours for the AMARC “Boneyard”, provided by the museum. You will see thousands of aircrafts in storage or undergoing the scrapping, in the heat of the Arizona dessert.

These guided tours start- and ending in front of the museums main entrance and will last around three hours. You won’t be disappointed!

Grumman E-1B Tracer (BuAer 145958) minus its radome (Photo courtesy Peter Gunti)

Grumman E-1B Tracer (BuAer 147214) of the Reserve Unit VAW-78 (Photo courtesy Peter Gunti)

This is the end - of some Grumman E-1B Tracer. (Photo courtesy Peter Gunti)

Vougth A-7D Corsair at DM-AMARG (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Boeing, B727-100 (CC-CFG) ex LADECO, Chile, ex BWIA-Trinidad & Tobago, since 28.04.92 at DM-AMARG  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

View to the Davis Monthan Scrapyard (309th, AMARG)  (Photo courtesy Andy Herzog)

Grumman E-1B Tracer (BuAer 148144) of VAW-111 (Photo courtesy Peter Gunti)

 

The Pima Air & Space Museum is almost 365 days open, from 9am till 5pm.

Entrance fee to the museum are approx. $16.00 per person and the fee for the guided AMARC „Boneyard“ tour will be $7.00 per Person. 

Both tickets you will get at the information desk in the museum. It’s recommendable to contact their homepage before visiting.    www.pimaair.org 

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- Last update: 22. May 2013 Written: 15. January 2010 - -
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