We have been to the Pima Air & Space Museum just about a year ago however with our relative being really in love with airplanes we revisit it today. After our 2:30h drive we arrive at the parking lot and it is time to enter into the first and largest hangar. Our relative is in the seventh heaven and we enjoy our repeat visit too of course.
We read a bit more info about each plane as we are passing, the Rutan Model is especially interesting as well as the Bede Bond Plane, both being a build your own plane design.
Outside we take in the huge number of planes as we plan our next steps to ensure our relative can view as much as possible.
Next is hangar 7 which is the only one that is really focused on space. There is a shuttle simulator and some shuttle parts as well as drones.
A section has a focus on how technology progressed in trying to save pilots from ejector seats to ejector capsules and everything in between. We also enjoy looking at the space food section, everything has to take into acount that the astronauts will eat in zero G so no crumbs allowed.
Then it is time to visit the helicopters, we really like the large ones like the Skycrane, they are quite impressive.
The art planes are where they were also last time and this time we spend more time exploring and admiring them before moving on.
There are of course also smaller helicopters and we enjoy them too, especially the colors which can be quite vivid.
And then we enter into the area hosting the larger planes with inspiring names like Stratofortress and Peacemaker, but they are really just instruments to deliver nuclear and other bombs so we are happy they weren’t used at least for the nuclear part.
There are also the smaller airplanes used for early warning, happily they weren’t really needed either. From the point of view of really detecting missiles, of course they tried to detect them for decades.
On we go through the older planes, they are always quite interesting to explore and see even though it is getting warmer outside by each passing hour.
Next is a hangar with many WWII airplanes. It includes a rare Ilyushin Il-2M Shturmovik that crashed near Saint Petersburg in a lake and was recovered relatively recently. And a V2 of course.
We continue exploring the hangar that has even some Nazi planes, fun to see, now.
One of the things we really wanted to check out was the bird repeller. One of us never saw it last time and didn’t believe it existed but there it is, in all its glory above the entrance.
Next hangar is again full of planes, this one is a bit more focused on the war with Japan versus the previous one.
The most interesting exhibits here are related to the various kamikaze aircraft that were used towards the end of the war, with very limited success.
We then pass by the large purpose-built aircraft stationed here, Sofia and Orbis. One is dedicated to astronomy while the second one is dedicated to teaching ophthalmology doctors.
The last hangar we visit is the B-17 one. Here the hangar has just one plane, the B-17, which is a really huge. And piloted by a teddy bear, cute.
Next we pass by some exciting airplanes like the Lockheed Constellation with its iconic shape and of course the Super Guppy, clearly recognizable everywhere.
We then make our way back to the main hangar, there is still half hour left and we still have to explore half of that hangar.
And on we go with our relative stopping at the most interesting planes and as the time winds down we are also getting closer to the exit, it seems we are going to make it in time.
In fact we even have some time left to explore the gift shop before returning to the car. And then we explore a few more shops before ending the trip with a dinner at a Mexican restaurant we really like and then driving back home to Phoenix after a nice day out.
