![]() If a plane is due to fly again, it's looked after in storage by the facility technicians who make sure all entrances to the aircraft are sealed to keep out dirt, dust, and wildlife. Source: Purplexsu/iStockĪlthough the desert is kind of like an aviation retirement home, some of the planes' flying days are still ahead of them. This way, planes can be parked in the desert without costly new parking ramps. The geology of the desert with its alkaline soil is also hard enough to prevent aircraft from sinking into the ground. Moreover, deserts offer a large amount of space for an affordable price, which means those interested in their service save a lot of money. ![]() First of all, the climatic conditions in Arizona, with its dry heat and low humidity, mean aircraft take longer to rust and degrade, making them less susceptible to corrosion and making it easier to keep them in proper working condition. But for "real hardcore airplane nerds" the Boneyard remains a bucket-list destination, a chance to view mile after mile of ghost planes, cocooned as if by some aircraft-eating spider, while a tour guide calls out the names and service histories of the various jet fighters, tankers, cargo planes, helicopters, and bombers.įor such tourists - and Scott counts himself one of them - the Boneyard is, "one of the most amazing aerospace spectacles in the world." For everyone else, the museum - which has 80 outdoor acres of old aircraft that visitors can actually touch - is probably more satisfying.Although Davis-Monthan is not the world's only aircraft boneyard, it is by far the largest, so you may be thinking why a storage facility of this magnitude is located in Tucson. Tour-goers need to make their reservations at least ten business days in advance, and must bring along all of their supporting IDs and documents, or they don't get on the bus.Īll of this, Scott said, dampens the appeal of the Boneyard for the average visitor. The bus does not stop and its passengers do not get out until they return to the museum. The tour lasts 90 minutes, narrated by a museum guide. Today, the public can only view the Boneyard through the windows of a tour bus that leaves the museum twice a day, Monday through Friday. Any old, historic aircraft have long-ago been hauled to the Pima Air & Space Museum across the street.Ĭ-130 military transports, sealed to keep out dust and desert critters.Īccording to museum executive director Scott Marchand, the last time that civilians were able to freely wander the Boneyard was the early 1970s. ![]() Crews are constantly at work either sealing new arrivals against the elements, disassembling other planes for parts, or trucking gutted aircraft to an on-site smelter. ![]() Although the popular image is of an Elephant Graveyard of airplanes, with rusty propellers creaking in the wind, the Boneyard is actually a busy place. The Boneyard is on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and is run by the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) - which doesn't like the name "Boneyard" (The preferred name is "Air Power Reservoir"). The answer to all of these questions is No. Do squatters live in the airplanes? Can the desert heat make aircraft explode? Could Zeppelins, biplanes, or flying saucers be half-buried and forgotten in a back corner? Can a visitor simply hop into a jet, turn a key, and fire it up?Īttack choppers are cocooned against the desert sun. It's open for public tours, and inspires all manner of fever-dream conjecturing. The Aircraft Boneyard outside of Tucson is a legendary roadside destination: over 4,000 mothballed aircraft baking in the sun, stretched across four square miles of Arizona desert.
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