Pima – Restoration hangar and grounds
Behind a sign that says ‘Museum Staff only’ rests the Restoration Hangar and storage yard. This is where planes are prepped to go on display, and others sit either waiting for their turn, or waiting to used as parts for another exhibit.
Being allowed into the Restoration was the whipped cream on this photo trip (the cherry will be another post). It was due to the diligence of the organizer of the photo trip.
The Restoration shop is where aircraft are taken apart, cleaned, holes patched, put back together again, and repainted.
The YO-3 Quiet Star – is almost complete and should be on display soon.
The Snow S-2A crop duster has been in the shop for less than a year – and is still in the ‘cleaned’ stage.
The A-20G Havoc has been in the restoration hangar for over 3 years now. This one is notable in that this was an actual World War 2 veteran. The airframe served in the South Pacific and had crashed at the end of the runway returning from a mission. It was subsequently used for small arms target practice. The bullet holes on the airframe are marked to Save (not repair) to show the damage that this plane suffered.
A F-4J Phantom was staged right outside the Hangar (to take the place of the Quiet Star) waiting for its turn for a new paint job.
