Having heard mention of the famous airplane graveyard on the east side of Tucson, we were excited to finally have time to check it out. The dry, sunny weather makes the desert a good spot for long and short-term storage of military and commercial planes, greatly prolonging their lifespan. There are thousands and thousands of aircraft on both sides of the highway, though less, we were told, than before 9/11. The world’s largest privately funded aerospace museum, The Pima Air and Space Museum is in the middle of this area.
There are five hangars to explore with exhibits from the Wright Brothers’ first flight to modern experimental aircraft. Outside are acres and acres of helicopters, attack aircraft, transport units, reconnaissance planes, rescue vehicles, commercial, NASA and military planes. Highlights were a walk through the Kennedy/Johnson Airforce 1, and SR-71 Blackbird, which holds the record of the world’s fastest plane (that they want known publicly at least). At around 2200 mph, it can go coast to coast in just over an hour! The Pima Air & Space Museum also offers bus tours of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), also known as the “Boneyard.”
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Location:
Pima Air and Space Museum
6000 E. Valencia Rd.
Tucson, Arizona 85756
Phone: 520.574.0462
The museum is open 9:00 pm – 5:00 pm daily, with last admittance at 4:00 PM. Current admission (2013) is $15.50 for adults.
