So I headed out early Thursday on Continental to Houston then after a short wait, CO to Tucson. Left behind Nor'Easters for
sun and 90s. Just as I was getting into my rental I heard the sound of fighter jets overhead buzzing around. Pulled out of the hangar
and quickly parked to see the F-16s of the Arizona ANG 162 Fighter Wing which is based at TUS. I had plenty of time before meeting
my son so I decided to explore, something I hadnt been able to do on my recent trips. Heading down Valencia Road I found a whole
area of GA hangars, the 162 Base and a road at the end of the airport, Park Avenue which turns into the Old Nogales Highway where
one can park and watch with great viewing Runway 11 Left which was being used that day for all flights. Watched the F-16s land
and some did touch and goes. Also on the other side of the airport was a facility where a number of older airlines and cargo planes
sat. Also found "The Flying Hospital" P4-MED L-1011 sitting all by themselves.
Drove around the GA area for awhile and it was much bigger than I thought with numerous roads to explore. That was very cool and
I wish I had more time. After meeting my son at school I saw a number of A-10s in formation and a C-130 came in.
Friday morning I got up (fairly) early and headed to the Pima Air Space Museum. My son opted out as he decided with no classes to
sleep in. No problem as he wouldnt have had to spend as much time as i wanted to. What a very awesome museum. They have
5 hangars though Hangar 1 has North and South. All are chock full of wonderfully restored aircraft. But what i loved was the outdoor
facility. WOW!! So many great aircraft sitting out in the warm Arizona sun. It is just a cool (LOL) thing to wander around these
aircraft at your leisure soaking in their history. And you can touch them, kick the tires etc. But be warned its pretty hot out there
so dress cool with water and sunscreen.
I also did the AMARG tour which broke my Pima trip in two. That was a lot of fun but make sure you get there early to get a
reservation as they only have 3 trips a day and they fill up quickly. The tour is narrated and you get a great look at the Boneyard.
At first they stop and there is an exhibit of planes lined up and as the bus moves slowly each aircraft is discussed. That was fine
but I wanted more Boneyard which we eventually got to. There was a C-130 doing takeoffs and landings and there were about 3
B-1s on the Davis-Monthan maintenance line having work done. The whole tour takes a little over an hour and after that I went back
Pima to finish up. I spent about 3 and half hours but could easily have stayed the whole day but my son did wake up eventually so
I went to meet up with him.
Over at the UA Med Center they moved the helipad to a new rooftop pad and though I saw a number of evac copters flying about
I didnt see one land until Sat before the football gane when a LifeLine 407 landed then left after dropping its patient.
At the game, which UA won in thrilling fashion, a Southwest jet came right over us low heading to TUS and mid-way 2nd quarter
a C-130 came over real low and slow lined up to land at D-M. Looked like a flyover.
Sunday I took the 7AM to Houston and that was a quick 2 hours. My next flight was at 1 but when I saw it was delayed till 2 it didnt
surprise me knowing the weather here. In fact we pulled out of the ramp a little after 2 but sat for awhile as they worked with ATC
to get us a slot in the air. Then they changed runways and by 3:04 we went airborne. Pilot told us we headed east to Baton Rouge,
then straight line north to Evansville, Indiana, past Cleveland and into LGA via Runway 14. It was pretty clear as we headed over
Brooklyn and Queens and just a little bumpy. And kinda chilly after the mid-90s of Az.!!!!
But just a fantastic mini-vacation and time well spent with my youngest son.
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Originally Posted by Derf
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