New arrivals at Pima

[jamesintucson]

Here's a Pima update for those who don't keep up with the museum's Facebook page.

Newest arrivals:
CH-46 Sea Knight
P3149387 by James, on Flickr

RC-12 Guardrail
P3149385 by James, on Flickr

F-16A
P3149386 by James, on Flickr

Harrier GR.5
P3149384 by James, on Flickr

And opening today's box:
P3319414 by James, on Flickr

P3319418 by James, on Flickr

P3319435 by James, on Flickr

P3319445 by James, on Flickr

P3319452 by James, on Flickr
Spitfire FR. XIVe, MT847

[JohnB]

Great stuff.

The CH-46 arrival reminded me that during my visit a couple of months ago I noticed they didn't have a Chinook. Probably because the airframe s are continually rebuilt with new serials.

The HR 5 makes something like 5 Harriets, plus the P.1127 Kestrel POC.

[Spectre_I]

Very nice. We just finished our F-16A. That was a fun project.

[Lynn Allen]

Which Spit is that?

TIA, Lynn

[Warbirdnerd]

Which Spit is that?

TIA, Lynn

Spitfire FR. XIVe, MT847

[JohnB]

On loan from the RAF Museum. A feather in their cap to be trusted by a national collection.

Some of the guys at the Key Publishing forum griped about letting one of the Spitfires leave their island. It's apparently not enough to have 150+ in a country the size of Idaho. Which means the average Brit has to travel about as far to see a Sitfire as the average American has to travel to a CVS/Walgreens.
When I mentioned that, I was told by several people that there were enough private Spitfires in America, oblivious to the fact most private aircraft aren't on public view...or the pertinent fact that the aircraft in question was on storage and currently not being seen by anyone.

Rant over...gee, that felt good.

Glad to see it at Pima, a great addition to their growing WWII fleet and huge UK collection.

[Lon Moer]

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Rant over...gee, that felt good.

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Should have told them "Its not a flyer, so nobody is going to crash it."

[quemerford]

We can all be a bit protective with the family silver, but the love affair with Spitfires (many of which are replicas these days) borders on the obsessive.

Luckily most Brits are not so irrational or unreasonable. Either way it's great to see Pima's efforts recognized in this way. World-class museum.

[MilitaryAttractions]

Awesome, would love to go back! The RAF museum in London is re-doing their "Battle of Britain Hall". I was there last January and they were just beginning disassembly of the aircraft inside. How about the F-16? Was that at the boneyard before you acquired it?

[PeterA]

Now, into the workshop and refresh the paint and sort out the unit markings.

PeterA

[DH82EH]

On loan from the RAF Museum. A feather in their cap to be trusted by a national collection.

Some of the guys at the Key Publishing forum griped about letting one of the Spitfires leave their island. It's apparently not enough to have 150+ in a country the size of Idaho. Which means the average Brit has to travel about as far to see a Sitfire as the average American has to travel to a CVS/Walgreens.
When I mentioned that, I was told by several people that there were enough private Spitfires in America, oblivious to the fact most private aircraft aren't on public view...or the pertinent fact that the aircraft in question was on storage and currently not being seen by anyone.

Rant over...gee, that felt good.

Glad to see it at Pima, a great addition to their growing WWII fleet and huge UK collection.

That was awesome! Thanks for that John.

Andy

[JohnB]

Andy...
Thank you for your kind reply.
And please accept my apology for failing to include your country in my message, I should have written North American.
After all Spitfires are important to Canadians.

[Scott Rose]

Great to hear!

What are the Serial numbers of the new arrivals?

[jamesintucson]

Great to hear!

What are the Serial numbers of the new arrivals?

Harrier GR.5 ZD353

RC-12K 85-0148

CH-46E 156469

F-16A 80-0527

Spitfire MT847

[k5083]

Great news, especially the Spitfire.

If you tally Pima's World War II holdings, it sure has come a long way from the semi-boneyard of US jets that it was 30 years ago. With the number, international diversity, and rarity of its WWII assets, it is more than worth a visit for even the strict WWII buff. I should say periodic visits, considering its aggressive program of acquisitions.

As an observer, Pima seems to me to be one of the most successful static air museums in the country over the past couple of decades. I can't help thinking the rest of the museum community would be interested in a "behind the music" feature on how it does it.

August