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RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION

Despite moving to Tucson at the peak of summer, Staff Sgt. Angelo Smyth quickly learned the value of Southern Arizona's almost automatic sunny skies.

The Ohio native and maintenance worker with the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing enjoys working on muscle cars and racing them at local drag strips.

Before he transferred to the base at Tucson International Airport from a National Guard unit in Oregon, Smyth said, the weather limited work on his prized Chevrolet Camaro.

"Up in Oregon, that was a four-month hobby," he said.

In Tucson, Smyth, 39, said he can fix

and race his car year-round.

But that doesn't mean moving to Tucson in July was easy.

"The thing that really impressed me was how hot it stayed for so long," said Smyth, adding that before Tucson he had never lived anywhere where it was still hot at 11 p.m.

Here's a quick Q & A:

A: The mild summers of Oregon were nice, but he doesn't miss Ohio winters and summers. "The summers in Ohio are hot and humid," he said. "In Tucson, the dryness takes the edge off the heat."

A: Smyth, who is single, grew up outside Columbus, Ohio, in a town called Lancaster. A loyal Buckeye fan, Smyth was especially happy during a recent interview — his Ohio State University football team had just beaten bitter rival Michigan.

A: A former active-duty mechanic in the U.S. Air Force who worked on F-15 fighter jets, he joined the National Guard two years ago after a friend talked him into it. "I couldn't say no" to the benefits and the opportunity to work on aircraft again, he said.

A: Smyth loves working with his hands and taking things apart, which is exactly what he does with the 162nd Fighter Wing. Smyth works in heavy maintenance, where the unit's F-16 fighter jets are carefully disassembled down to their most basic components. His crew spends up to a month on just one aircraft before putting it back together again.

Q: Is there anything you miss from home?

A: Though he misses his family in Ohio — not to mention his favorite deli — he's trying out plenty of local eateries, including the best of Tucson's Mexican food. "I'm very glad to have made the move," he said.