Pima Air and Space Museum visit 2024

[murphyaa]

I'm going to Pima today. Lots of new planes out.
I'll post more pictures after.


Saw this one though. It looks familiar:

[Don Boose]

Cavalier Mustang?

I look forward to more images.

Don

[murphyaa]

Originally Posted by Don Boose

Cavalier Mustang?

I look forward to more images.

Don

Actually, it's the Piper Enforcer.

Another sample. Looks like I'm gonna have to do a repaint

[Don Boose]

Thanks for the correction on the Piper i.d.

As you know, that's the chopper in which I did my first airmobile operation in 1962 in Korea.

Don

[FRD]

Great place to visit!
I got a lot of my drone reference images from their drone.

[ReynoldsSlumber]

Dang, Don, that must have been quite the experience. Amazing that those contraptions flew with any kind of reliability.

[murphyaa]

For some reason I can't upload any pictures. When I try, the image management thingy goes blank, and images disappear. I tried my laptop and phone.

I'll see if things work tomorrow.

[Texman]

Test image upload

[murphyaa]

Hmm, suddenly it decided that default pictures from my phone are too big, so I need to shrink 150 or so images down 75%.

For those who don't know, Pima is large, and has a lot of aircraft. The guy driving the tram tour (they offer tram tours) said they're the 3rd largest air museum in the US, after the Smithsonian and the US Air Force museum.


We'll start in Hangar 1

Starr Bumblebee, Bede BD-5J Microjet, Rutan Variviggen & Red Arrow BAE Hawk


Blue Angels F-11 Tiger, Thunderbirds F-4 Phantom, really small car & every commuter's dream (Drop Tank Racer and Pentecost Hoppicopter)


McDonnell FH-1 Phantom & Half-assed obligatory A-10 picture, Bell UH-1 Huey & Mculloch HUM-1, in case you thought your twin-rotor helicopter was too small.

Beechcraft Model S18D, F-14 Tomcat, another Beechcraft model 18 (I think) & OH-58 Kiowa


Grumman Widgeon used for testing hull shapes, Martin PBM Mariner, and I think their Grumman Duck is broken (Columbia XJL-1)

Only 20 pics per post are allowed, and this is only half of building 1. Three more buildings and the outside aircraft to go.

[Isaac]

Originally Posted by murphyaa

Actually, it's the Piper Enforcer.
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Attachment 512694

Murph

You are 100 percent correct that it is an Enforcer. but...............I see where Don made his observation.

Piper got the rights from Cavalier to build the enforcer since Cavalier did not have the manufacturing capacity should the military choose it. It really is the same plane with improvements.


now.....my opinion:
Amazingly the Enforcer had only a very small percentage of parts in common with the mustang ( 10% ), so I don't understand why people think it is a good idea to take old planes and modify them as though it is cheaper ( remember the twin engine T-33 monster that was proposed by Boeing; the Skyfox ? ) The money is not in the airframe. It is in the systems and engines.


In any case no one wanted to fly an old jalopy ( even though it was sexy in WW2 ) in a modern environment. Also a tail dragger was so last century for any modern air force.


Back to your excellent trip.

All interesting and fun things to see.

I have been to Pima many years ago and always enjoyed their displays.


Isaac