December 16, 2022

PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM

6000 E Valencia Rd, Tucson, AZ 85756

“The Pima Air & Space Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres on a campus occupying 127 acres. It has also been the home to the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame since 1991.” - Wikipedia

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of air museums.  It may be that I feel a little intimidated as there always seems to be a former Air Force veteran regaling their child or grandchild with how they rode in this plane or that plane while serving our country.  It might be I don’t know the difference between a B-9 Bomber, a 747, or a Learjet, and I don’t care.  (OK, that might be a little exaggerated as I do know the basic differences between those three.)  But truly, if a plane I’m riding in gets me from point A to point B I don’t care what type of plane it is.  Or it might be that you can never get inside the planes to really get the feel of what they are like.  All that aside, I usually go to the air museums when they are highly recommended in the area.  And I generally enjoy my visit when it is over.

The Pima Air & Space Museum was the perfect example.  It was consistently listed as a good thing to do in Tucson.  I had some free time today, so I thought I’d go check it out.  My research showed that most people spend 2-3 hours at the museum, so in my planning I thought I’d be done in three hours and then could get some other things done.  I arrived at the museum a little after 1:00 p.m.  I left at 4:30, 3.5 hours later.  I would have been there longer but they were closing.

The collection consists of planes, jets, helicopters, and anything else that might be associated with flight.  There are military crafts, commercial and civil aircrafts, private and government aircraft, I think they have everything covered.  Some of the aircraft are displayed in five different hangars, but many are parked outdoors giving one a great opportunity to get a good look at them.

I did opt for the tram tour, a 40-minute narrated ride around the outdoor exhibit area.  I took the tour thinking it would shorten my stay, instead because of the wonderful information which piqued my curiosity, I ended up walking around most of the outdoor exhibit to get a closer look at some spectacular planes.  I'm glad I took the tram tour, but in hindsight I wish the museum offered a walking audio tour which could give out the same information and more but allowing for the visitor to set the pace.

Some of my favorites:  the Airforce One that Presidents Kennedy and Johnson used, one of the first commercial passenger planes, a B-something bomber used in Viet Nam, and two Blue Angels jets.

If a picture doesn’t have the name of the plane, it is because I didn’t get it for some reason.  Also, you’ll notice the outdoor exhibits have the windows covered.  I understand why the museum does this in their extreme weather, but it almost made some of the aircraft seem like toys.  One just has to look past that.

I understand why the Pima Air & Space Museum comes highly recommended as a place to visit in Tucson.  I concur.