TRAVEL

Pima Air and Space Museum: History takes flight

Scott Craven
The Republic | azcentral.com
The Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson has more than 300 aircraft on more than 80 acres.
  • Pima Air and Space Museum contains more than 300 aircraft%2C from biplanes to fighter jets.
  • When the museum opened in May 1976%2C its contained 35 aircraft displayed in a bare desert setting.
  • Mild temperatures make spring and fall the best times to visit. If going in summer%2C be prepared with water%2C sunscreen and a floppy hat.

TUCSON – From the elevated walkway that allows visitors to see it on all sides, the polished aircraft looks more like a sculpture than a wartime workhorse.

Lights bounce off its gleaming metallic skin, and four midnight-black propellers sprout symmetrically from graceful wings.

Though it's presented as art in a museumlike setting, there's no masking the B-17's lethal purpose. The barrels of its .50-caliber machine guns poke menacingly from turrets, and bomb-bay doors are open as if the destructive payload is at the ready.

It's easy to imagine a leather-jacketed crew boarding the aircraft, firing up its four engines and soaring toward its next mission.

That would require tearing down the hangar built around the war machine on the grounds of the Pima Air and Space Museum. The U.S. Air Force owns the bomber and may reclaim it at any time, but those who operate the 390th Memorial Museum housing the B-17 are confident it will remain in place for decades.

The restored World War II Flying Fortress is among the highlights of the museum, where more than 300 historically significant aircraft are parked amid 80 acres and four hangars.

The aircraft range in size from a mini plane that can be thought of as a motorcycle with wings to the B-52 Stratofortress, an eight-engine behemoth capable of carrying 70,000 pounds of weapons. The collection includes private, commercial and military craft as well as a small fleet of helicopters.

Although the museum may be best known for its World War II aircraft (its first acquisition was a B-24 bomber obtained in 1969), the best-preserved specimen may be the B-17 that fills the only building built specifically for — and around — one aircraft.

The bomber benefits from never having seen battle as it was completed shortly before the end of the war, according to members of the 390th Memorial Museum, which operates separately from the Pima Air and Space Museum.

After leaving the factory in 1944, the bomber was assigned to the Coast Guard before serving as a slurry bomber. The aircraft then spent time in private hands before the Air Force purchased it for preservation.

The restoration, finished two decades ago, required more than two years to complete. The Flying Fortress has since been maintained by the 390th Memorial Museum, with a big assist from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, which assigns a crew to clean it each month.

A peek inside the hatch behind the cockpit reveals a claustrophobic interior filled with a maze of pipes, tubes and conduits. It's easy to imagine crews walking in a tight crouch, carefully finding foot- and handholds when the aircraft was rocked by turbulence.

Yet the cabin seems as spacious as first class when compared with the gun turrets, where legroom is that space between the knee and chin. Visitors marvel at a B-17's top turret, displayed on its own to allow a close look. It's surprising that anyone could fit in it, let alone stay alert for hours.

The worst seat on the B-17 is within the turret suspended from the belly of the flying beast. To get inside, the gunner had to assume a near-fetal position, made all the more uncomfortable knowing just how vulnerable the turret was to enemy fire, complete with a nearly unobstructed view from 25,000 feet.

Those curious about the history of the 390th Bomb Group, which flew 301 missions from August 1943 to August 1945, will find dozens of photos and stories amid the displays. The volunteer docents also are happy to help.

The museum boasts several restored WWII aircraft, many looking as if they'd just taxied out of the factory.

Two of the four hangars are dedicated to planes that served in the European and Pacific theaters. The most impressive may be the B-29 Superfortress, 99 feet long and nearly 28 feet high with four engines along its 141-foot wing span.

Pima boasts more than 150 aircraft inside hangars, the majority of them in near-perfect condition. A century of flight unfolds amid its collection, from early planes that fought gravity every inch, to fighter jets faster than the speed of sound. Many rest wing to wing; others dangle from above in mid-flight.

Yet another 100-plus aircraft are parked outside, most worse for wear and bearing the brunt of hundreds of flights.

A one-hour tram tour provides the most convenient way to see the collection, but visitors on foot get a closer look. Stand below the enormous, bulbous-nosed Superguppy cargo plane and you will be mystified at how the seemingly un-aerodynamic plane got off the ground, let alone lifted 60,000 pounds of freight.

One of the most sought-out aircraft parked outside is the jet flew Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson from 1961 to 1965. Still featuring a bold "United States of America" along its sides, the airplane was among the earliest craft to carry the "Air Force One" designation.

The drawback to that aircraft and all the others: No visitors are allowed inside. The interiors are left to the imagination.

Pima Air and Space Museum

When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Last admission is at 4 p.m.

Where: 6000 E. Valencia Road, Tucson.

Admission: $15.50; $12.25 for age 62 and older and Pima County residents; $9 for ages 7-12; free for age 6 and younger.

Tram tour: $6 for a docent-led tour of the outside aircraft exhibits.

Bus tour: $7 ($4 for age 12 and younger) for a 75-minute tour of the aircraft boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

Details: 520-574-0462, www.pimaair.org.