Monday, March 18, 2013

Commemorative Airforce Arizona Wing

My friend Rich is a retired corporate pilot, so we decided to stop by the Commerative Airforce Museum and hangars on the corner of Falcon Field in North Mesa...  We were there for several hours...

A Russian Mig 15 and an old Cessna twin.....


Douglas A 26 Invader


An F 4  from the Viet Nam era......

We were enjoying this old plane because it has a transponder under its dash panel to respond to modern day radar...  Also on the left of the stick is an Icom VHF radio to talk to the tower...  Neither item would have been present back in  the day...


 One of the Red Baron Pizza Stearman planes...  The Schwans Company shut down this program several years ago...  So here is one of the planes...


P 51 Mustang


A better picture of the A 26


A Stearman Model 75

Outside of the active hangar was the B 17


Sentimental Journey....    The aircraft's history here...


Machine Gunners positions in the tail of the plane...  Below the yellow flask, you can see the top of the Ball Turret...  


 The B 17 had just landed..... And they were working on one of the engines...  Seems its timing wasn't the same on the back set of cylinders on engine four...  Phone calls were being made.....

B 25 Mitchell   This is the same type of plane flown by Jimmy Doolittle on his raid to Tokyo...  The plane looks almost new.... Restoration was done in 2009.


The crank shaft of a radial engine that was being restored....


Most of these planes are in restored condition and remain flyable today... You can pay your money and head out in the plane of your choice..  It does take several paying people to fund one of these flights...  And rides in the front of the B 17 can be up to $899......  But then aviation gas is $7 a gallon and is used rapidly by four radial engines......

We spent several hours in aircraft bliss................  But eventually had to come home and take the girls out for supper over at the Farm Grill...

I have blogged about that before, but it was a very pleasant evening sitting outside under the giant trees, with our home grown meals.....

And I happened to think that none of us had anything green on, when some of the other patrons came in with full Irish regalia....  But on Sunday night it was a tamer st patrick's daty than in other years...

Retired Rod

6 comments:

  1. I have always had a fascination with airplanes. To this day I still look skywards when I hear an aircraft engine whether it be a high flying jet or a small single engine Cessna. Been to a few aircraft museums over the years including Davis-Monthan in Tucson. Plenty of air shows as well years ago. Always wanted to fly but could never seem to come up with enough smarts or ambition to do it:((

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  2. The Palm Springs air museum had "Fifi" a B-29 on display and flying this last weekend,amazing.

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  3. Great pics of all those old aircraft, Rod. It reminded me a lot of the Palm Springs Air Museum - especially the clean, spiffy floors!

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  4. My BIL was in the airforce and we spent some hours over there also. Have you been to the Hall of Flame yet? The Firefighter's museum. That was a neat place also.

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  5. I enjoy looking at the old planes, and didn't know any of them actually took passengers today. I think I'd prefer looking at them from the ground.

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  6. Love looking at old airplanes, we are going to have to put a visit to that museum on our must do list!

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