Shackleton at Pima
I've recently returned from a pilgrimage to Pima and Davis Monthan. It really is worth the effort to go there, the variety of aircraft and the relaxed way in which the museum is run is beyond compare. Davis Monthan and AMARG are a little different as it is an active USAF base.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the Titan missile silo at Green Bank. Although visitors to Pima are encouraged to visit the silo the staff there have a very indifferent attitude to their customers. We were up against the clock when we reached the site and were told it was a one hour guided tour with no exceptions, this included a 30 min film show. We asked that perhaps we might miss out the film and be escorted no further than the upper level of the silo. Whilst this request was being ripped to shreds another visitor entered and was remonstrated with for turning up at the last moment for a tour. No customer excellence awards here I hope.
Anyhow, the earlier part of the day at Pima was fantastic. Abandoned to one side of the exotic hardware was Kermit Weeks' Avro Shackleton, not quite as far gone as the Paphos pair, but not looking as good as the museum exhibits. It was a strange feeling to walk round the aircraft in the Arizona desert, the last time I'd done this was on the flightline at 8Sqn. Unbelievably the smell was still the same.
Because the Shack is privately owned and just renting space at the museum the guide could not expand on what was going to happen to the aircraft. Does anybody out there know any more?