Sometimes we visit a museum and it is ok but not spectacular. One never knows. Actually you can go onto several websites to get ratings on various things like museums. But, those too often depend upon what you’re looking for and thus ratings can vary.
Today we found one real gem of a museum and one that had some marvelous elements but just didn’t hang all together as a whole. The first museum was the Commemorative Air Force Aviation Museum. Too often in airplane museums, they have planes with plaques in front of them which tell about that plane: who built it, it’s serial number, when, its armament, etc. You can move from plane to plane this way. This museum had this, natch, but it had so much more.
Firstly, it had a B-17, one of the only operable 7 B-17’s left of the 12,731 built by Boeing during WWII. In fact, we actually saw it fly when we went to the Mesa Veterans Day Parade. It flew over us twice. Here we actually got to see it - AND we got to tour it all by ourselves. We’ve been on a tour which took us through one once but it was fast and I was too busy trying to avoid bashing my head on the metal parts that I really didn’t get much of a tour. Today, we were able to get inside, take our time, take pictures, talk, move around inside the plane, and really examine it. Gary and I were the only two there today at 10:30 so we were the only two in the plane. What a treat and we took advantage of it. Above Gary moving through the bomb hold on a narrow passage way with bombs on each side. Also above you can see one of the machine guns sticking out of the window loaded and ready to shoot. Below is a picture of what a gunner would look like when the plane was on one of its bombing runs.
Note the heavy suit and jacket, the goggles, the heavy mittens, boots and head covering. The plane is flying high and the temps could get to -60 degrees, especially since the gun is sticking out of the window with no gaskets to prevent the cold from coming in. His suit was electrically heated but I’m sure it was very cold.
The first thing we noted was the smell of fuel. Pervasive. The second thing we noted was the lack of space inside the plane. We moved gingerly so we wouldn’t bash our heads or knees but the airmen who fought in it had to move fast. Since today was a cooler day we also noticed the lack of heat inside. And the operation might take 8 - 10 hours. Cold, uncomfortable, cramped, smelly and this is just when the plane is on the ground in Mesa.
The plane is called ‘Sentimental Journey’ and it was a beauty. The pilot was probably between the ages of 17 and 21, just out of flight school and on one of his first bombing runs.
It was built in 1944 to serve in the Pacific. At the end of the war, it was used as an air-sea rescue plane and finally flying thousands of sorties against forest fires throughout the country. In 1978, it was donated to the CAF which completely restored it to its WWII configuration. Not an easy task since they must find workable parts. They have gone all over the US to get parts for this plane to restore it: junk yards, other private owners, they even went to a restaurant owner who had an old B-17 on top of his restaurant. They traded fixing sections of his plane for the parts they needed.
Secondly,there was also about 5 posters inside the hanger which explained each of the positions on the plane when it was in battle. They showed actual men in the actual battle positions. Above is the ball turret gunner, who was in a small round spheroid under the belly of the plane. He had to be agile, small, not subject to claustrophobia and have nerves of steel since he was the only one on the plane without a parachute nearby - it wouldn’t fit inside the ball turret. Was this the most dangerous spot on the plane? Nope, because he was so balled up, he presented a much smaller target than other position. It was just the most unnerving position.
Here’s a picture taken by a ball turret gunner of a bomber which somehow was flying below other bombers dropping bombs. You can see a hole in the left wing to the right of the star, part of the tail shot away and a bomb right beside it. This plane was so beat up that it was un-flyable and falling to the ground. Imagine being the plane who dropped the bombs which destroyed a plane in your own squadron.
But this is all factual. What is not conveyed is how frightening flying a bombing mission is. But, they had that covered also. the first poster in the series pictures not only the bomber and its crew but had a description of what some of the terrors might be. Here is what it says:
‘The men who made up the crew of a B-17 Flying Fortress were each specially trained for their position. Most were unaware of the death and destruction they would soon be facing as they flew these fortresses into combat. The following (posters) have a short summary of each of the crew positions and duties. What is not written is the feeling of fear that engulfed these men in combat, as childhood was forgotten and the reality of war was revealed. It does not reflect the horror that reached out at these men as their aircraft was suddenly stricken five miles above the earth. It does not detail the heartache of watching a buddy’s aircraft slowly roll over and begin its final plunge to enemy soil below. Nor can it describe the physical strain of using oxygen in an unpressurized aircraft at an altitude where the temperature dropped to -60 degrees. These men were not superhuman. Most were only in their late teens or early twenties. Many would be reported missing after only a few missions, while others might survive only to be killed on their final mission. They were all flying at a time in our history when they had an imperative job to do and many died trying to accomplish it.’
Sobering. But isn't all war?
The museum also has a B-25, ‘Maid in the Shade’, which has taken 28 years to restore. While we were there they were painting it for its next appearance. This is the type of plane which flew in the Jimmy Doolittle raid on Japan in WWII. A visitor to the museum can visit the hanger where the restorations take place and watch planes being restored (of course, that might be a 28-yr committment).
Thirdly, inside the main hanger were quite a few individual exhibits about several aspects of the war. There was one about the Burma Road which went from Burma into China by which the allies got supplies into China to help them fight against the Japanese. This was a tortuous route and took a long time. Here’s a picture of the road after if was built and you can see how long it must have taken to venture over this route. This must be very similar to the way supplies must get into Afghanistan these days, after they go through Pakistan and by the Taliban.
But this was not the only way to get supplies to China. There was a short movie playing about some of the pilots in the Flying Tigers who flew ‘over the hump’, or over these mountains, with supplies.
Another exhibit was about the Tuskegee Airmen and another was on the women who formed the Women’s Air Corps. They also had some examples of ‘blood chits’, small signs that airmen wore in case they came down in territory over which they were flying. These sign identified them as American flyers. The Flying Tigers had signs in Chinese, other flyers had signs in French. Here is one on the back of a leather pilot’s flying jacket also on display.
Did I think this museum a marvelous one? Absolutely, both Gary and I really enjoyed it and all the historical aspects which it covered. But we especially appreciated the opportunity to spend time inside the B-17 and try to imagine going to war in it. Then, as we were leaving, they actually fired up all 4 engines. WOW.
When we left, we headed over to the Arizona Museum of Natural History. Actually, we might not have visited here had it not been for the ‘free’ day sponsored by Target. This museum bills itself as the ‘largest exhibit of animated full-scale roaring dinosaurs west of Mississippi.’ And, I will admit that there are loads of dinosaur skeletons. The museum was packed and, when we talked with the guy at the entrance keeping count, he told us that around 1500 had visited that day. Families were having a ball. What a great place to take your children.
We wandered around through the exhibits and enjoyed the presentations. There is a lot of material for kids and many of the displays are geared towards them. I will admit, however, that there were several displays that were way above my head. One display was by NASA scientists about light years and space exploring vehicles like Hubble where I was happy to view the pictures, be amazed and move on. There was a large display about movies made in Arizona. Interesting but I’m puzzled about how this exhibit made it into the Natural History Museum.
One the other hand, you’re hiking and you see this snake on the trail. You wonder: is this snake poisonous or not?Well, there’s a poem for that:
Red against black - venom lack,
Red against yellow - kill a fellow
or is it:
Red touch yellow kill a fellow
Red touch black friend of Jack
maybe:
Red to yellow will kill a fellow
Red to black is a friend of Jack
Well, I don’t know about Jack but I’ve seen snakes on the trails and my first thought is not to recite a poem. I think that - if I ever see a snake, no matter the color - I’m going the other way.
Actually this is a coral snake and quite venomous. Go the other way if you see this snake.
Interesting museum but we were suffering a severe case of museum overload by 3:30 and headed home.
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