Even if you don't know a joystick from a cockpit, there's a lot to enjoy at the new and improved Pima Air & Space Museum.
For aviation buffs and anyone else curious about old flying machines, the new 42,000-square-foot Spirit of Freedom hangar offers visitors a chance to see rare aircraft such as the world's only Martin PBM-5A Mariner.
Those who don't know or care much about aircraft can explore the new 2,000-square-foot gift shop.
It's a big improvement over the previous arrangement, in which a few shelves of souvenirs were jammed into the entryway, said Beth Barksdale, the museum's visitor services and retail manager.
"There's more space and more inventory," she said.
The new gift shop is only one of several improvements that have come about with the completion of the $3.8 million hangar project.
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It also provided more space for the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame and a series of exhibits about aviators who have played a role in the state's history.
The hangar also is the new home for a collection of aircraft that have plied the skies over Arizona, including the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the sturdy anti-tank aircraft known lovingly by the locals as the Warthog.
The new facilities, along with an overall spiffing-up of the museum at 6000 E. Valencia Road, should help attract more visitors, said Scott Marchand, the museum's director of collections and aircraft restoration.
The museum now attracts about 200,000 visitors annually.
To find out more
• Call the Pima Air & Space Museum at 574-0462
• Online at http://www.pimaair.org
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