Day 14 - Palm Springs Air Museum

Today we visited the Palm Springs Air Museum located about 30 minutes from our hotel. 

As we headed there going west on I-10, it was obvious that the wind was vicious. We couldn't see the mountains, there were sand drifts on the side of the road, and the car was getting pummeled with debris. Apparently this is a normal occurrence. We exited the highway to avoid damage to the car's finish. 

The wind improved at the entrance to the museum, located next to Palm Springs International Airport, as it was blocked by the buildings. The museum opened in 1996 and has over 70 vintage aircraft from WWII through Korea and Vietnam. There are five hangars. 

We quickly learned that what makes this museum unique is how close you can get to the airplanes. We ducked under wings, looked inside cockpits and touched some of the planes. On weekends one can book a 45-minute warbird ride of varying cost ($400-$5,000) choosing between at least six planes. Here are two on either end of the price range.

The highlight of our visit was the extra guided tour inside the B-17G. This latest version of the B-17 contains a nose gun. Ten airmen would fly in this plane (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, navigator, top-turret gunner/engineer, radio operator/gunner, ball-turret gunner, right waist gunner, left waist gunner, and tail gunner). The quarters were very cramped. This plane was named Miss Angela. 

The bombardier and navigator would sit in the nose of the plane above and also operate the cheek and forward guns.

A view of the cockpit where the pilot and co-pilot operated the plane.

This is the bomb bay. The museum added railings and safety nets, which we appreciated as we walked across the small support beam, but likely there was only a rope back in the day. A simulated video showed the bombs dropping below. 

This is the radio operator’s station.

This is the top of the ball turret from inside the plane.

This shows the right waist gunner position with visible ammo boxes that would hold 9 yards of .50 caliber bullets.

A photo of an airman, surrounded by shell casings, and donned in his oxygen mask as the airplane was not pressurized nor conditioned. Temperatures reached minus 50 degrees at 25,000 feet in elevation! 

Ball turret from outside the plane.

The tail-gunner's work station. Wood was often used as it was lightweight. 

After the B-17 tour, we were happy to find a lunch cafe on site, so we didn't have to leave the museum. We enjoyed a burrito and chips while dining under the wing of an antique aircraft. 

After lunch we ventured outside to see more aircraft exhibits. 

A docent told us that this museum is one of the last to receive a Blackhawk helicopter, and it is a fairly recent acquisition. Many aircraft are on a perpetual loan from private owners. 

Rob took control of the C-119 Boxcar. 

Then we visited the Stealth Hangar. When the museum acquired the F-117, it showed up already stripped of its classified black coating, avionics, and engines. The museum volunteers and a world-renown restorer painted it matte black and replaced all the insignias using historical photos. This plane flew over 5,400 hours in various missions.

In the Pacific Hangar, Michele took a break from her blistered hiking toe and watched an extensive video on the F4U Corsair. She likes the wing design and the dramatic mural behind it of its approach to the aircraft carrier. 

She also liked the warship replicas. 

Once we finished the first level, we checked out the reference library on the second level. There are X-box simulators and books, magazines and research materials. A docent who retired from flying for the Navy in 1976 said that novelists visit to research details about planes for their books. 

We finished up around 3:15pm. Since we didn't want to drive back to our hotel in the sandblaster wind, we took the back roads that doubled the drive time. Rob found the only touchless car wash about 20 minutes from our hotel. Unfortunately, Uncle Ron and Aunt Shirley Jean were not able to meet us for a second dinner date tonight. We stopped at Home Depot to get shoe glue to fix Michele's walking shoes, then picked up dinner at Your Pie Pizza. Michele did laundry in the hotel's guest laundry room and we watched movies on TV. 

Tomorrow, we start heading southeast to Ajo, Arizona.