Palm Springs Air Museum: A True Gem

The year 2023 was finished with only one hike and that was a failed attempt! So, I decided to make 2024 a productive year and for that I planned for my first hike in southern California, Mt. San Jacinto near the town of Palm Spring. I contacted Alphonse who lives a little over 2 hours from the town and his answer was that he couldn't join because it was Easter! He added that he had invited his relatives over! What an asshole! I don't know why I still hang out with this rat filth! Every time we have a hiking plan he either chickens out or screws it up on the trail! I know why I still hang out with him! First of all he's a good company, although not a good hiker. Secondly I feel bad that I haven't paid my dues. I owe his a fare amount of money.

With that said, I flew to Palm Spring International Airport in a cold and snowy Alberta morning but when I reached there it was nice and sunny. I got my rental, a Toyota Tacoma and the first thing I did, as I had planned was checking into Palm Spring Air Museum. Now here is the thing you need to know: Not many people visit museums these days, especially if they're going to a sunny and nice town in southern California and not many people would like to work in museums. So, a place like that is heavily dependent on volunteers and the elderly. 

I walked in and there were two old men at the counter, at least 70 years old! One of them had tubes coming out of his nose, meaning he was probably using an Oxygen tank! I have nothing against the gentlemen and I'm not teasing them or anything but why a nation cannot be able to preserve their history by maintaining a museum? The admission is $23 which was completely fine by me but when I handed the money to him, he missed one of the Dollar bills! So I had to gave it grab it from the counter and handed it to him! 

The one who greeted me, handed me a brochure and told me how to navigate through the museum was an old lady and she could not be less than 70 as well!

This F-117 is known as Black Devil is on display in Palm Spring Air Museum. I was afraid to touch it but when I did I realized that it has a foamy coat on the top of the actual metal structure, perhaps to help it to avoid radars. It was difficult to get a good shot due to both the length of the airplane and crowd but I had a few good ones, including this. I had a short discussion with the gentleman attendant there, possibly a volunteer, in the hanger and at the end he told me to get a panorama! And I did and it turned out great! It would not have happened, had he not told me. The shot is not seen here, of course but thank you sir for your help!

The museum has different section which is divided based on different timeframes that there was a conflict such a Vietnam War and then there's a large open space that a number of airplanes and helicopters are displayed and that's how you make a museum! You gather all of old and out-of-service airplanes in one location and there you go! You have a museum! The only thing left is to gather a few small things and you're complete! But the museum has more than that and it will be an experience of life-time. For me seeing MiG 21, A6, F-14 and other fighter planes and alike and reading about them was a great experience.

But the highlight of the day was seeing an F-117 on display, one of the only 64 that has ever built! The story of F-117 is a long one but there're a few interesting segments here:

1) The F-117 design and test program started as early as 1980's. Many tests took place in town of Tonopa where I visited in late 2022 and had another failed attempt! I will go back there to hit the summit. Nevertheless the plane was mainly known during the Operation Iraqi Freedom or Desert Storm, the one that the bastard Saddam called Westerns in Arabian Desert! 

2) Despite being considered Stealth, one F-117 was shot down during the Yugoslav War. The story of that is very interesting and too long to be said here. 

3) The plane is retired now and is only used for training purposes!

(Photo, top: A MiG 21, one of the earlier developments of Mikuyan-Gurovish Soviet/Russian aircraft manufacturer on display in the open space of Palm Spring Air Museum. This most likely has brought back to the US from Vietnam)