Visit to Pima Air Museum, May 2008

While visiting mom in Arizona in May 2008, my brother Gil and I visited the Pima Air Museum, Tucson, AZ.


The Pima Air Museum is the third largest in the nation. This is a great air museum to go see.
I highly recommend going if you are in Tucson. The above picture is of a replica of the Wright Flyer airplane. It graces the entrance as you begin the guided tour through the complex.

Next topic of interest is the advancements in aviation powerplants. The museum offers a guided tour which I recommend.

Gil is standing in front of the B-17 exhibit.
Only a few B-17's are in display condition.
The nose art on this one is called "I'll Be Around".

This is a display of the B-17 Top Turret.

Curtiss Wright Cyclone Engine with 1820 cubic inch displacement. Curtiss Wright designed and manufactured with subcontract support from Studebaker. This 9 cylinder radial engine develops 1200 horse power of thrust. Fuel consumption during combat conditions averages at 50 gallons per hour (per engine). The B-17 engines were Turbo Supercharged which permitted high altitude operation.

Side view

The SR-71 "Blackbird".

This is a unique home built plane. The designer piloted this into the history books as the smallest ever flown.
The over all length is about six feet long and the wing span is under five feet wide. It measures about four feet tall.

Outside the museum offers many large aircraft to admire. I'm standing at the nose of the Globemaster 1 the grand father of the modern Globemaster 3 which I have worked on.

A group of special airlift mission planes on display include a C-140 Jetstar, a VC-137, a C-121 Convair, and a C-118 Independance. All used as VIP and presidential support aircraft.

Back inside there were a few examples of ww2 fighter aircraft.

TBM-3 Avenger

C-47 (Sky Trooper) Troop Carrier with invasion stripes on the wing.

B-25 Mitchell

B-24 Liberator.

Above is a B-29 Stratofortress and below a B-17 "Miss Angela" painted in 34 BG colors in flight.