The Arizona Wing Hanger Museum is part of the Confederate Air Force. The Confederated Air Force is a worldwide, all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of warplanes from World War II.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!At the museum, you will see warplanes that have been fully restored and are in flying condition. One of the most famous warplanes at the museum is a B-17 called “Sentimental Journey”. This plane first came off the assembly line in 1944. The plane first served in the Pacific. Then after the war, it flew as an air-sea rescue craft at Elgin Field in Florida. In 1959, the plane was sent to Davis-Morthan Air Force Base in Tucson for military storage. Later it was sold for service as a borate bomber, flying against forest fires. Then in 1978, the warplane was donated to the Arizona Wing Hanger Museum. When the museum received “Sentimental Journey”, the warplane was completely disassembled and restored to its World War II configuration. Out of the 12,731 B-17’s built during World War II, 13 are flyable and only 8 are flying in the United States.
There are many more warplanes to view at the museum. The Arizona Wing Hanger Museum has a German Heinkel HE-111 bomber, B-25 Mitchell bomber, SNJ, C-45 and a Grumman Guardian. All of these planes are amazing to see up close. It is hard to imagine what these planes and their pilots went through.
Visitors are allowed to view the restoration process of a warplane. The museum is always working on a plane. You will also have an opportunity to see a display area. Here you will see memorabilia from the war years. Many of the displays show equipment used by the flight crew. Some displays hold flight suits worn by the pilots. The flight suits vary depending on the area the pilot was flying in. There is a heavy sheepskin flight suit worn when temperatures dropped 60 degrees below zero and a navy aviator suit worn in the South Pacific.
The Arizona Wing Hanger Museum is open 7 days a week from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Volunteers who have a love for these planes run the museum, it would be best to call before you drive out to the museum. The number is 942-1940 or 981-1945.
The museum is located at the corner of Greenfield and McKellips Roads in Mesa. If you are traveling on the Superstition Freeway (State Route 60), take the Greenfield exit and travel 6 miles north to McKellips Road. If you are coming from Scottsdale or Tempe, head east on McKellips until you reach the intersection of McKellips and Greenfield. Then turn left onto Greenfield and into the museum. For a reference point, the entrance to Falcon Field Airport is on the south side on McKellips and the museum is on the west side on Greenfield.
I know you will enjoy taking a trip back in time when you view such wonderful warplanes at the Arizona Wing Hanger Museum.
