the Bones of 4000 Planes

[W5BRM]

The airplanes are lined up in rows by the hundreds, serving as a striking reminder of the nation’s military past.

They carried presidents and astronauts, shot down enemies during war and shuttled American military forces around the globe.

Now, they are scattered across a huge, dusty field at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on the outskirts of Tucson, at a location known affectionately as the “boneyard.”


http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2015/05/the-bones-of-4000-planes-in-arizona/#1

Quite the photo collection. Thought you guys might enjoy it.

[w0aew]

Get the radios!

I think the "wolf" and cub are coyotes.

[WX7P]

Been there and took the tour.

Never seen so many F-4's all in one place.

[NQ6U]

Good catch, thanks for the link.

I'd sure like to get my hands on one of those T-34 Mentors—essentially a Beechcraft Bonanza with tandem seating and a bubble canopy.

[N7YA]

I love looking at pics of DM airbase...its fascinating and sad at the same time. Lots of planes that can still be used, like those Mentor trainers.

[KC2UGV]

For those in Cali, willing to take a drive to the middle of nowhere, there's another one of these in Victorville, CA.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Victorville,+CA/@34.6105097,-117.3770945,1298m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x80c3645a63ddd279:0xd9511 5925f43476!6m1!1e1

It's much smaller, but still fascinating.

[NQ6U]

For those in Cali, willing to take a drive to the middle of nowhere, there's another one of these in Victorville, CA.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Victorville,+CA/@34.6105097,-117.3770945,1298m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x80c3645a63ddd279:0xd9511 5925f43476!6m1!1e1

It's much smaller, but still fascinating.

Been there many times. Used to drive for a company that had a terminal nearby.

[KG4CGC]

Would some of those bigger planes have HF rigs? Hammarlund Super Pros?

[K7SGJ]

Sky Buddies

[KG4CGC]

Sky Buddies

British Airways serves Bacon Buttys.

[ka4dpo]

I took a tour of Davis Monthan about 15 years ago and it took us all day to see the place. One interesting thing was that all of the B-52's and B-47 bombers were lined up in rows like cars in parking spaces. Each space was numbered and the Major who was escorting us said this was done so the Soviet spy satellites could verify that the planes were indeed stored as part of the SALT treaty. There was a rumor that some of them were fake but they looked real to me. A number of the B-52's had parts missing that were used to repair operational aircraft.

It is a very interesting place and I don't know about now but the Air Force used to conduct tours. They have aircraft that go back to the Korean war, the old helicopters are downright scary looking.

[K7SGJ]

The Pima Air and Space Museum is just down the road a bit from DM, and has a very comprehensive display of aircraft from just about every era of aviation, with a huge display of Military aircraft. There is an inside part, several hangers around, and a huge display outside. It's definitely a must see if possible, but plan a full day. They also have mini movie theaters around the facility that show different roles of many of the aircraft on display. There is one flicker shack that is devoted to military aircraft that have a lot of actual combat footage. They also offer a modified guided tour through the "boneyard". There is also a virtual tour you can do online. It's a great place to spend a day if you like airplanes, and who doesn't?

http://www.pimaair.org/visit/virtual-tour

[ka4dpo]

I definitely need to go to Pima on my next trip to AZ. I love close to the Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian air museum next to Dulles airport it is also an amazing collection of airplanes.

There is one in particular that is fascinating. A Spad from WWI that has a trolling motor on it. I guess they didn't carry a lot of fuel so they would fly out over no mans land looking for Germans and just cruise around real slow with the trolling motor until they spotted the Krauts then they would fire up the big engine. You can see it on the right hand landing gear spar. Those French guys were smart.;)

[K7SGJ]

I definitely need to go to Pima on my next trip to AZ. I love close to the Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian air museum next to Dulles airport it is also an amazing collection of airplanes.

There is one in particular that is fascinating. A Spad from WWI that has a trolling motor on it. I guess they didn't carry a lot of fuel so they would fly out over no mans land looking for Germans and just cruise around real slow with the trolling motor until they spotted the Krauts then they would fire up the big engine. You can see it on the right hand landing gear spar. Those French guys were smart.;)

The inventor must have been a French fisherman. I'm surprised they didn't drag a big treble hook behind them, and try to "snag" a Fokker.