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December 16th 2018
Published: December 20th 2018
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Pima Air and Space MuseumPima Air and Space MuseumPima Air and Space Museum

Bill was transported in this model plane when he was in the Air National Guard
We visited the Pima Air and Space Museum on Friday. It has an extensive collection of planes, housed both inside and out on the grounds. We had hoped to visit the giant Air Force "boneyard" facility, but you now need to get security clearance at least ten days before your visit.

The Museum is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. and features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres.

"The concept for the Pima Air & Space Museum began in 1966 during the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the creation of the United States Air Force. Earlier the commanders of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center the forerunner to today’s 309th Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group recognized that the historic World War II and 1950s era aircraft stored on the base were rapidly disappearing into smelters and that the flames were consuming not just metal, but the aviation heritage of the country. On their own initiative, base officials began to set aside examples of the many types of aircraft stored in MASDC’s yards. These planes were placed along the base’s fence line so that
Arizona State MuseumArizona State MuseumArizona State Museum

In the pottery collection
the public could see them through the fence. The display quickly became very popular with the local community but viewing the aircraft through the fence was somewhat unsatisfying."

That night, we met friends for a drink at the historic Arizona Inn, and then went to a film at the Loft, a very cool nonprofit art house cinema, nearby.

Saturday was a museum day. We started with the Arizona History Museum, which focuses on more on white settler perspectives. "The museum houses the stories and artifacts of Arizona personalities such as Geronimo and Wyatt Earp, as well as Emperor and Empress Maximilian and Carlota of Mexico. Family-oriented exhibits include a mining tunnel and a hands-on re-creation of 1870s’ Tucson." The exhibits on mining and minerals were most interesting.

We then walked across the U of A campus to the Arizona State Museum, Established in 1893, Arizona State Museum is the oldest and largest anthropological research museum in the Southwest, with expansive collections that are exceptional resources for the study, teaching, and appreciation of the region’s 13,000-year human history. We had a short introduction from a very knowledgeable docent, and then spent a couple hours immersed in the exhibits and collections.

Next, we drove to the downtown area and stumbled upon the Winterfest, where we watched kids play in snow (that was brought in), ate tacos, people watched, and listened to music.

On our last day, I went for a 20 mile bike ride, and then we looked at some open houses, wondering if we would like to buy a home in this great town! We still haven't made that decision, but we will definitely return to Tucson...


Additional photos below
Photos: 35, Displayed: 23


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Pima Air and Space MuseumPima Air and Space Museum
Pima Air and Space Museum

Plane art project
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Pima Air and Space Museum

Graffiti art on some of the planes
Pima Air and Space MuseumPima Air and Space Museum
Pima Air and Space Museum

Similar to the plane that Amelia Earhart flew...I love how shiny this one is...
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Pima Air and Space Museum

A wedding dress made of a parachute. Men would bring home their parachutes and give them to their fiancees for a wedding dress after WWII, when fine fabrics were scarce.
Pima Air and Space MuseumPima Air and Space Museum
Pima Air and Space Museum

I love the detail on this early TWA uniform!
Arizona History MuseumArizona History Museum
Arizona History Museum

Some aerogel....so cool! Aerogel is a synthetic porous ultralight material derived from a gel, in which the liquid component for the gel has been replaced with a gas. The result is a solid with extremely low density and low thermal conductivity. Nicknames include frozen smoke,[6] solid smoke, solid air, solid cloud, blue smoke owing to its translucent nature and the way light scatters in the material. It feels like fragile expanded polystyrene to the touch. Aerogels can be made from a variety of chemical compounds. Aerogel was first created by Samuel Stephens Kistler in 1931.
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ARIZONA HISTORY MUSEUM

Mining equipment
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Arizona History Museum

Kids' art for Day of the Dead
Arizona History MuseumArizona History Museum
Arizona History Museum

Kids' art for Day of the Dead
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Arizona State Museum

It is housed in a beautiful building on the U of A campus.
Arizona State MuseumArizona State Museum
Arizona State Museum

In the pottery collection


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