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Legalize the Constitution |
I’m traveling and don’t have access to a computer to right size photos for posting in the Forum, but I took lots of them today. We went to Hill AFB and the aerospace museum there. Despite my inability to post photos, I’ll go ahead and tell my Forum friends to make the effort to visit when you’re in the area. It’s outstanding! In addition to having an amazing collection of Air Force aircraft, they also have aircraft engines, armament, bombs (both dumb and smart), A/A & A/G missiles, drones, including a Predator, some helicopters, including a Pave Low. If this thread has any legs at all, I’ll add some photos in a couple days. I did find this though: This message has been edited. Last edited by: TMats, _______________________________________________________ despite them | ||
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| Member |
Ive been to a couple air force museums and all have been worth the visit. Dover and Ellsworth AFB both have nice museums. While not an AFB the best aerospace museum Ive visited is Pima Aerospace museum near Tucson, AZ. | |||
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| Legalize the Constitution |
it’s been awhile since I’ve been to Pima, but I went to school at UofA, and it is a great museum. The SAC Museum at Gretna, Nebraska is great too. I haven’t seen Dover or Ellsworth. There’s some unique things on display at Hill, I thought the ordinance was pretty interesting: smart bombs of several types (as stated), cruise missiles, cluster munitions (with see through portals), that sort of thing. I’ve seen a B-17 before, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one with all the turrets in place; you read about the smallish guy who manned the belly turret in a Fort, I cannot imagine having my knees up around my head in that little bubble for hours. _______________________________________________________ despite them | |||
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Optimistic Cynic |
While not specifically an AF museum, the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy center is not to be missed if you have even a speck of a chance to go. The real Enola Gay, by herself, is enough to justify the visit. I always tear up when I see her. Last time I went, in 2024, they had a temporary display of US military aircraft from the inception of air combat to modern technology, up to and including a Super Hornet. A whole bunch of absolutely magnificent aicraft. | |||
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| Legalize the Constitution |
I have seen Udvar-Hazy, and you’re so right, it’s probably the best collection of historic aircraft of all. We all have favorites, but the Staggerwing Beech alone may be worth the price of admission. So many more. _______________________________________________________ despite them | |||
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| Dances With Tornados |
The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque NM is amazing. I’ve toured it several times. Planes, Polaris missiles, and more. . | |||
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Political Cynic |
On my way back to Tucson in August I’m going to travel a more northern route and go to the USAF museum in Dayton and then also check out the EAA museum. I will figure out how to get to Hill. I’ve seen the signs for the Albuquerque museum and will build in a stop there as well. | |||
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delicately calloused |
Back in the late 90s I was in a field in Clearfield Utah. That’s West of Hill AFB. Being out there you get used to the sounds of jets and such taking off and flying out to the training areas. This one day I heard a jet sound I hadn’t heard before. When I looked up I saw an SR71 flying low enough I could distinguish a helmet in the canopy. It continued North well past the base and circled in for a landing. I paused for a second and thought about how unusual that was. A couple or three minutes later I heard the sound again. Looked up and sure enough there it was again. Same thing slightly farther away. Made the same loop and landed. Wow. What are the chances I would see two Blackbirds? You know what? Literally the same couple of minutes later, another Blackbird. It looped and landed. This time I watched even after it went below the buildings out of sight. I watched and waited to see if it was doing touch and go drills or something. It did not take back off. And then another flew just West of me looped toward the South and landed. In all there were at least five that landed within minutes of each other could have been seven. It bee a long time so I can’t remember exactly but there were at least 5. Remarkable thing for an average citizen to witness. You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier | |||
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| Uppity Helot |
I spent just over 3 years at Hill AFB in the late 90’s and I never got to see the SR-71  .Just a ton of F16’s. The aviation on base museum was pretty neat tho. | |||
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| Member |
If you go to the Dayton USAF museum plan on spending the entire day there, it's huge! It's hard to see and read everything in one day. I visit every other year but it's only a 40 minute drive for me. | |||
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| Political Cynic |
Will be there at least a day - every day I spend not in Tucson while traveling home is a day I don't spend in Tucson at 104F  | |||
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| Member |
I visited the museum in April and agree. We were probably there about 6 hours and did a fairly cursory walk through of hangars 2, 3, and 4. I decided to skip the WWII hangar because it deserves another visit. I've been to the SAC museum (both old and new), Ellsworth and Holloman. The new SAC museum is really nice, but Dayton is in a different league. | |||
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Member |
I can also recommend the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, CT. Wonderful place with some of the nicest docents you will ever run into. They have a lot of helicopters from Sikorsky - which is a little unusual to see. If you are in the area and have the time - come visit the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage in Greenfield MA where I volunteer. -Scott -NRA Pistol Instructor -NRA Shotgun Instructor -NRA Range Safety Officer -NRA Metallic cartridge & Shotgun Reloading Instructor -MA Certified Firearms Instructor | |||
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| Savor the limelight |
Thanks for the tip! My son is a few hours north of there in Idaho for another 5 weeks. I sent him the video you linked and suggested he go if he has any free time. | |||
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| Legalize the Constitution |
I’ve got a friend on our rodeo committee who flew F16s out of Hill. His first name is Fred, so inevitably his call sign was “FERD.”  _______________________________________________________ despite them | |||
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| If you see me running try to keep up  |
I was stationed at Hill AFB from 91-94. One of my supervisors used to be a crew chief on the SR-71. When they were shutting down the program he went into EOD. When I was a stationed there I lived in the base housing that was right off the flight line. It was considered inadequate housing due to the noise and they torn it down in the years after I got out. At the end of my enlistment, I was one of the few people left in that housing., They did not want to move me to the new housing since I was close to the date when I was getting out. The best part is that I did not have to clean up my place since it was getting torn down. | |||
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| Optimistic Cynic |
Last night and tonight the USAF is doing USA 250th fly-overs on the mall. Last night I was treated to a roar that I'd not heard before, ran outside to see what it was, and just missed the sight of three B-2's flying over my house at low altitude (Mrs. A saw them as she was outside supervising Clark's "final patrol" at the time). I will be more on the alert tonight. We routinely see other iconic aircraft overhead as we are about halfway between Bolling AFB and Dulles, and not that far from Andrews either. Most recently I was lucky enough to catch a flight of three noisy Warthogs, and it is a rare night that I can count fewer than eight helicopters in the air (we are also within a couple of miles of a major trauma center with a helipad). | |||
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