Pima last week

[p51]

I'd gone past Pima a few times over the years, but always when it was closed or when I was doing something with Uncle Sam and didn't have the time. I finally got out there with my wife's brother in law during a trip to see the in-laws on Phoenix last week.
Sadly, the space pavilion was closed at the time, and I didn't have the time to hit the Titan museum or do the tour of AMARC, but it was still good. I hadn't been in a desert in a few years and forgotten how it sucks the life out of you. I was melting as it was over 110 that day...

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Their B-29 had a neat story. It flew out of Guam during the war and was part of the formation to fly over the surrender fleet in Tokyo harbor on VJ Day. Accordingly, it carries a “V for victory” Morse code marking among its mission markings, which was only allowed for a plane which went over that ceremony aboard the USS Missouri on that day. I’d never even heard of that before, let alone seen another plane with that marking. You really do learn something new every day. Now I wonder if there are any other planes out there which can claim the same marking?

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

When the volunteer was pointing out the "V" marking, I noted the milk run markings near the nose gear well door pivot. The volunteer smiled, and said it was cool to encounter visitors who knew such things (and didn't come off as 'know it alls'), to which I replied I was thankful the volunteer gave only info I wouldn't have known if I wasn't already familiar with this specific airplane (of which, I had almost no prior knowledge).

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

I was surprised to see this East German-marked Hind D. The last time I was one was many years ago, when I was still active duty, at JRTC at Fort Polk...

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

Pima Air Museum by willysmb44, on Flickr

They claimed this was the uniform worn by Martin Sheen in "Apocalypse Now" but I have my doubts:

Last edited by p51 on Mon Sep 09, 2019 4:42 pm, edited 5 times in total.

[Pat Carry]

Thanks for the photos!!

[Chris Brame]

Thanks for posting all these goodies! Checked out your photostream and got a kick out of seeing the C-97 restaurant, too.

Is Pima's B-18B still outside?

[p51]

Is Pima's B-18B still outside?

No, it was inside, jacked up where you walk underneath it. It looked in decent shape from what I could see anyway.
I need to download all the shots I took that day, these are from the 'heavy hitter' list I uploaded to my cell from my camera, and I need to download all the rest.
Here's a shot from someone else, showing how it's displayed now:
http://ourtravelingtribe.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/_EnA8eqo7mQQ/SwbCE0zXp1I/AAAAAAAAAx4/BETpE5XtsyA/s1600/pima%2Bair%2Bmuseum%2B011.JPG

[JohnB]

One of my favorite places.
Luckily, I can go almost every year since my business takes me to the Phoenix area every January.

A few years ago I found the name of a former neighbor on a Rf-101, we was a 101 pilot in Vietnam where he won the Silver Star. After retiring, he spent winters in Tucson and volunteered at the museum.

This year I noted a new museum book which gives the unit history of their airframes. It turns out their H-19 was at a base where my dad was stationed. He knew the local helicopter commander who took him up several times giving my dad some helicopter time in his records. Thus, there is a very good chance that my dad flew that airframe. If so, it may be the sole surviving airframe he flew.

At any rate it's fun to sit in the deck, have lunch and look out over the collection.

[p51]

I downloaded the rest of my shots last night, here are some others, including the B-18:
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr
A few had a family connection...
My brother was a GLCM launch officer in Europe in the 80s and I visited him at the Woensdrecht base before they closed it down, so I had to get this shot for him, as he did his training for that weapons system there:
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr
Mt Dad worked on these radar nose F-86s in the USAF in the late 50s:
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr
Russian...
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr
NEAT line up of Harriers, must be the only place in the US with anything like this:
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr
Others:
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr
I don't think this was the screen-used stuff from the movie, but it was still cool to see:
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr
Chris, here's the B-18:
Pima Air Museum, AZ by willysmb44, on Flickr

[blurrkup]

Think that shot of the Harriers is the only place in the world you will likely see that line up.

[Chris Brame]

Chris, here's the B-18:

Thanks much!
ETA: Aw, c'mon, guys - put the name on it!

b-18b roving cock.jpg (58.39 KiB) Viewed 2660 times

[cco23i]

Pima has done a lot of work over that last few years. The 390th redid their museum a few years ago and it's a great visit too.

[p51]

Pima has done a lot of work over that last few years. The 390th redid their museum a few years ago and it's a great visit too.

Agreed. The B-17 is very well displayed, as is the nice scale model of the entire base, the control tower mockup and some very impressive painted A-2 jackets there!
I meant to go back and buy a cap from their 'PX' but the heat fried my brain and I didn't even think of it until after I'd gotten back home...

[cco23i]

We set up a display in November so it's a lot cooler

[JohnB]

The scale model of the base is new, I saw it on my most recent visit.
Very well done.

When I lived in the UK, I visited their old base and toured the UK 390th museum based in their old tower. Very nice too.The

I wish more groups had a museum like the 390th. It must have cost a fortune and a lot of work by former members.
Visiting the 390th is worth the cost of admission to Pima by itself. You get to see the other aircraft for free.

[Elwyn]

What does the tail belong to that's behind the two-seat BAKA trainer?

[JohnB]

Looks like a Nakajima Ki-115 Tsurugi, a purpose-designed "Special attack", i.e. Kamikaze...aircraft.

[jamesintucson]

Yes, that is the back end of the Ki-115.