Aviation history

The Pima Air and Space Museum is big, showing over 300 planes both in the open air and in big sheds. Phil went on an hour-long trolley tour of the grounds and said it was excellent (I sat in the cafe and used their free wifi) and the museums were also excellent. I would guess that all of the volunteers there are ex military and they're so enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

And for an extra few dollars we did the bus tour of the boneyard a few kilometres way. Since 9/11 the security has been stepped up and we had to show identity before we were allowed on the bus - it's a working base and 800 people work there. I thought it was just a place to store old planes but no. Many of the planes go back into service and many more are used for parts so they all have to be maintained. Certain parts of each plane (windows or instance) are covered in a thick latex to protect the interiors and even the old planes that have been 'robbed' are supported and tidy. It's a very organised base. Our tour guide showed us some of the stars of the show - old champions - and even a plane that was awarded a purple heart for services in Vietnam! Do a search on GoogleEarth, just east of Tuscon, and you'll see the row upon row of helicopters and planes of various sizes. It's a remarkable sight.