The Desert Odyssey in Photos – All Good Things...

[mrhenniger]

This was really meant to be my last stop before leaving San Diego and California. I hadn’t heard much had changed at the main museum since my last visit but it appeared there was some activity at the annex...
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - San Diego Air and Space Museum, Gillespie Field Annex - 30 airframes
...and since this location houses their restoration facility I decided to check it out.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - KC-97L Stratotanker, s/n 53-0200 USAF, c/n 16982, c/r N79797


Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - CM-170 Magister, s/n 61 ALA, c/n 061, c/r NX28JV



Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - A-6 Intruder

IF ANYONE HAS AN AIRFRAME ID FOR THIS ARTEFACT PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-14A-85-GR Tomcat, s/n 159631 USN, c/n 178


Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star, s/n TC1349 MASDC, c/n 580-7917


Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - J-2, s/n 70201 Chinese AF, c/n 137085, c/r N7064M


Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - MiG-21, s/n 9099 ML, c/n N75049099


There is no point in duplicating a previously uploaded photo, so...
Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-86F-35-NA Sabre [NA-191], s/n 55-5014 USAF, c/n 227-247



Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - RQ-8A Fire Scout


Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - 44, c/r N74058



Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F4U-7 Corsair, s/n 704 ALA




Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - A-7B-4-CV Corsair II, s/n 154554 USN, c/n B-194


Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-8E Crusader, s/n 150297 USN


Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - YKS-7, c/n 4625, c/r N17713

[mrhenniger]

I planned on look around a bit a Gillespie Field. I was looking for the Warbirds West Air Museum...
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Warbirds West Air Museum - AD-1H, L-17, L-29C, MiG-21, O-2A, T-28C, T-34A
...but I couldn’t find the place, and I suspect this collection may just be a tax shelter of some kind. But while looking I came across a place called High Performance Aircraft...
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - High Performane Aircraft - H-54
...with something interesting parked in the hangar.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - CH-54B Tarhe [S-64], s/n 69-18483 US Army, c/n 64-091, c/r N179AC

[mrhenniger]

So I left San Diego on I-8 heading east. The drive through the mountains was impressive, then down into the desert. I was headed for Arizona. I had an audio book playing to pass the time. I was very impressed with the change in scenery into the desert. When I started driving by sand dunes I felt like I had made a wrong turn some place! Sand dunes! No kidding. Anyway, I made my way to Yuma. Now you might remember from my other thread I was looking for tips of places to visit. This was the turning point. I mentioned if I had enough time this day I would make an effort to visit Quartizite. I made some changes to my planned route and turned north from Yuma on Route 95 on a new mission. The first stop along my altered route was the Yuma Proving Grounds on the South Side of the main base...

Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Yuma Proving Grounds (South Side) - AH-1
Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - AH-1F Cobra [209], s/n 66-15350 US Army, c/n 20106


...and then on the north side of the base...

Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Yuma Proving Grounds (North Side) - UH-1
Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - JUH-1H Iroquois [205], s/n 69-15836 US Army, c/n 12124


It was also record temperatures for me. When I took the pictures the temperature was 109 F, and at one point on the road the thermometer on the dash read 111 F!

Last edited by mrhenniger on Sun Nov 13, 2011 12:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[mrhenniger]

I found may way north to Quartzsite. I was looking for the WASP Museum...
URL=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/LocationDossier.php?Serial=1665]Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - WASP Museum - AT-11, F-9, H-25, U-8[/URL]
...I couldn’t find anything that looked like a museum, but I did manage to find some planes, including the main objective, the F9F.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - RU-8D Seminole, s/n 58-3086 US Army, c/n RLH.87, c/r N130AZ


Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F9F-5P Panther, s/n 125316 USN

[mrhenniger]

On the east side of town is a ball park, where displayed at the entrance are two F-4s...
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Freedom Garden - F-4 x2

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - NRF-4C Phantom II, s/n FP746 AMARC, c/n 1763



Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - NRF-4C Phantom II, s/n FP824 AMARC, c/n 1809

[mrhenniger]

Every stop from this point on in the day was a bonus. If I could pickup stops it would save me time later in the trip. So I headed east on the I-10 to Buckeye. The bonus objective was to find the A-26 at the Buckeye airport...
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Buckeye Municipal Airport, Buckeye, Arizona, United States - A-26
...and I had no problems finding it.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - B-26B Invader, s/n 44-34609 USAAF, c/n 27888, c/r N4819E

[mrhenniger]

No far away at the same airport a large portion of the Lauridsen collection is parked...
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Lauridsen Aviation Museum - 10 airframes
...it was getting to be late in the day and the light was excellent, so I quickly snapped some photos.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-45H Expeditor [D18S], s/n 52-10687 USAF, c/n AF-617, c/r N6365T



Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-1A Trader, s/n 7C0005 MASDC, c/n G-96-05, c/r NX71456



Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-47A-15-DL [DC-3], s/n 42-23385 USAAF, c/n 9247, c/r N243DC



Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - HU-16C Albatross [G-111], s/n 1U0052 MASDC, c/n G-333, c/r NR216HU



Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - A-26B-61-DL Invader, s/n 44-34520 USAAF, c/n 27799, c/r NL126HP






Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - TB-25J Mitchell, s/n 44-86797 USAAF, c/n 108-47551, c/r NL3438G



Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-119G Flying Boxcar, s/n 22130 RCAF, c/n 10955, c/r NX15501

[mrhenniger]

There was only one more stop for the day. I continued east on the I-10 for Goodyear to find the airport...
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Goodyear Field / Litchfield Airport, Phoenix, Arizona, United States - DC-7
...and in the last light of the day I was able to get a photo of the DC-7 parked there from a distance.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - DC-7C Seven Seas, c/n 45549, c/r N777EA


I nearly missed my chance to get the photo. I stopped for a dinner afterwards nearby and when I left the Subway it was dark. I doubled back to Buckeye to find my hotel. That was convenient so I could easily head south the next morning to Gila Bend, which would have been my first objective anyway, but this day I took many more pictures than I had planned.

I am working on my Day 5 photos now. I am well into the task. Day 5 included my trip south into Tucson. This day was my most favourite part of the trip with many cool old transports to see. Stay tuned!

[Fouga23]

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - CM-170 Magister, s/n 61 ALA, c/n 061, c/r NX28JV

Oldest flying Fouga! Love it

[peter]

Talk about a sad looking F4..! Man she is sinking into the ground to hide her shame!

[krlang]

Wow,
Nice work Mike.

Thanks

[viking73]

Nice photos as always Mike.

That F9F-5P Panther used to be on the USS Hornet in Alameda, I saw it on board during my 2005 visit to the Hornet...

-Derek

[old iron]

[quote][/quote]

Is that an original or repro Bleriot behnd the WACO? In San Diego?

[mrhenniger]

Talk about a sad looking F4..! Man she is sinking into the ground to hide her shame!

No kidding! Actually I think you are referring to the nose section at the Aviation Warehouse. I think it was a movie prop. This place is not a museum, and the props here (not artefacts) only get TLC when they are needed for something.

Wow, Nice work Mike. Thanks

Thanks Ken!

Nice photos as always Mike.
That F9F-5P Panther used to be on the USS Hornet in Alameda, I saw it on board during my 2005 visit to the Hornet...
-Derek

Are you referring to the F9F in Quartzsite?

Is that an original or repro Bleriot behnd the WACO? In San Diego?

I will defer to an expert. Despite the number of photos I didn’t spend much time there, and I didn’t take the time to ask any questions.

[mrhenniger]

Sorry for the huge delay in posting photos. I had a crisis to deal with and it is behind me now. So now... The review of my journey continues! To view my route for this day go to...
Aerial Visuals – Trip Tool – Desert Odyssey, Buckeye to Tucson

If you would just like to kick back and relax you can watch a slideshow of the pictures I took that day here...
Aerial Visuals - Airframe Gallery Slide Show - Desert Odyssey, Buckeye to Tucson