Pima Air and Space Museum

 

Another airplane museum with some unusual things to see is the PIMA Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ.  This museum costs money but that’s because it’s not government funded like many of the others.

My favorite part of this museum was the 309^th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) tour on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.  Also known as the “Boneyard,” this site houses over 4,400 aircraft and 13 aerospace vehicles from all of the different military services as well as NASA.  Military units throughout the world use parts and pieces of the aircraft stored here.  By selling some aircraft or parts to the US allies, the government can earn additional income.

The reason why all these vehicles are stored here is because of Tucson’s low humidity, hard soil (like concrete) and low rainfall. These conditions store the aircraft with less threat of deterioration and corrosion than other sites in the US.  Today the AMARG stores, preserves, restores, and disposes of aircraft. 

When I went on the bus tour I was amazing at the rows and rows of planes that are parked here.  I thought it was great how the US government recycles and even makes money on these plane parts.

The tour guides were retired military and you could tell they really enjoyed their job.  They stopped the bus at different spots and shared stories and information.  The tour costs $7 in addition to the museum entrance fee but it was definitely a neat experience.



Some of the rows and rows of airplanes.  The openings have been sealed with a white film to preserve the planes.  Aren't the mountains beautiful in the distance!



Air Force One

When going to an airplane museum I can only look at so many planes before my eyes glaze over.  It helps when the museum lets you climb inside the planes. I think because then I can pretend in my mind what it would be like to fly in it or imagine the kind of people that flew in it. 

I've lived near some large airplane museums in the past and even worked at one for several years in high-school.  So for the most part I’m probably a little jaded when it comes to the “cool factor” of looking at rows and rows of planes.

The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the biggest in the country (I think also the world) and has several exhibits that I don’t mind returning multiple times.  One of those is the Presidential Hanger.  This airplane hangar houses 4 former Presidential Air Force One planes that you can walk through from the front to the back.  The hangar also contains multiple helicopters and smaller jets that presidents have also used.

The historic events that have happened in some of these planes used by Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, FDR, JFK, and Johnson are amazing. You get the chance to walk where they walked and see where they ate and slept.  Visiting the museum is completely free and it’s open every day of the year except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.