Hangar View: A view of one of the hangars shows how the aircraft are displayed. Every hangar has planes displayed on the floor as well as suspended from the rafters of the hanger. One can imagine the size of these hangars as each hangar has several aircraft displayed. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
B-17: A B-17 Bomber is displayed in the 390th Memorial Museum at Pima Air & Space Museum. The plane was restored to ‘combat ready’ condition by members of the 390th and given the name ‘I’ll Be Around’. The B-17 Bombers were used extensively in World War II. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
We have traveled in southern Arizona many times but there is always something else that we wanted to see or do, which keeps us returning time after time. In January, we visited the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson. This was our first venture to the aerospace museum and it did not disappoint.
The Pima Air & Space Museum became an idea in the 1960s when it was noted that many of the historic and noteworthy aircraft from World War II and the 1950s were being retired and many were destroyed and lost forever.
The museum opened to the public in1976 and was basically a fenced space in the desert with about 50 aircraft and a small ticket booth. The museum proved to be popular and began growing and expanding soon after. Aircraft hangars were constructed and expanded over time. Today the museum has more than 250,000 square feet of indoor display space in multiple hangars and 80 acres of outdoor display. There are more than 400 aircraft and thousands of aerospace artifacts on display throughout the museum.
While many of the aircraft in the Pima Air & Space Museum are from World War II, there are aircraft from the Viet Nam era as well as some Desert Storm aircraft. There also are presidential planes, commercial planes and several foreign aircraft and private planes included in the massive collection.
The Pima Air & Space Museum is operated by The Arizona Aerospace Foundation, a not-for-profit organization. The museum is one of the largest non-government funded aerospace museums in the world.
This fabulous museum is a must see for anyone who has interests in aircraft and air travel. Visitors cannot board the planes on display but are free to touch, examine, photograph and enjoy the planes as they wish. A few of the aircraft indoors are to be seen and not touched but that is the exception. All planes outdoors are free to walk under, around and viewed from various angles and viewpoints. To be up close to this massive collection of aircraft in one location is like a dream to aircraft enthusiasts.
In addition to the aircraft displays, the museum is home to the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame and 390th Memorial Museum, a tribute and stories of the 390th Bomb Group personnel.
The Pima Air & Space Museum is an extensive, well organized museum space. Visitors should be prepared to do a lot of walking as a display of 400 aircraft covers a lot of ground. There is a tram tour of the outside exhibits for an additional charge but tram riders do not get the up close experience that walkers enjoy. We chose to do both. We walked the lot for a few hours and then took the tram to get the overall view of the aircraft. Visitors should allow a few hours when touring the museum because it does cover a large area both indoors as well as the 80 acres of outdoor space.
There also is a restaurant on site, “The Flight Grill” and a museum store for visitor convenience.
There is something for everyone at Pima Air & Space Museum. Even if planes and aircraft are not your thing, there is a lot of history and educational opportunities to gain as you tour the museum.
We attended the museum in January and weather was not an issue. If visiting the museum in the summer, the Arizona desert heat would definitely become a factor and visitors should plan accordingly.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Flying Eye Hospital: A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft is on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum. The plane was a ‘Flying Eye Hospital’ owned by Orbis Corporation. The plane is outfitted with eye exam and treatment rooms, an operating center and classrooms. The plane flew worldwide treating patients. This DC-10 was retired in 2016. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Dream Liner: A Boeing 787 Dream Liner plane sits on display outdoors at Pima Air & Space Museum. The 787 is still used today by airlines around the world. This is the second Dream Liner produced and was recently donated to the museum by Boeing. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Big Aircraft: A closer view of the Boeing 787 Dream Liner shows a size perspective as several visitors view the plane. The aircraft is 206 feet long and can carry 296 passengers. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Flying-Boat: A Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina flying-boat was used by the U.S. Navy in World War II. The plane was very successful and is the most produced flying-boat in the world with more than 3,000 units being built. The plane is 63’10” long but has a wide wingspan of 104 feet. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Bumble Bee: The Bumble Bee was designed and built for the sole purpose of taking the record for the world’s smallest aircraft. The first flight was in 1984 and it held that record for a short time and was credited with being the smallest biplane after a smaller monoplane was built later in 1984. The tiny aircraft is 9’4″ long with a wingspan of 6’6″ and weighed 725 pounds loaded. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com