Perfect Preservation

[Epsilon minus]

Fascinating video

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/sleepingGiants/

[peppermint_jam]

Good Vid! I went around the "boneyard" on a recent det to DM, the scale of it blew me away. At the time of our visit there was approx 4,300 aircraft parked up. Mind blowing.

[FrogPrince]

Now if I was SoS for Defence...

.....I'd ask the US DA if we could possibly scrounge some of the low hours airframes from here and get them back on-line asap.

First up, 2 - no, even better - 4 CH-47's each for 3, 4 and 9 Regt AAC. Organic lift, owned and run by and for the benefit of the Army. We could borrow some groundies from the National Guard until the REME were up to speed. ( Naive, me ?? ) We must have loads of UK mil pilots holding at the minute whom our US buddies could squeeze through a fast track training scheme.

Or alternatively, a few more C-130's ? Even a couple of DC-10's to take the heat off the Timmys.

Any other candidates there suitable for a new lease of life ?

[L J R]

A couple of cheap low hour A-7s for those who want to just hack rack & zoom for the hell of it. Low training requirements (looks like a Hawk Tmk1 inside). Low maintenance too - basic Jet engine, basic avionics (if it has any!)

Lets say Four per squadron - no make it 5 (need a bounce). oh! and a KC-10 per squadron to keep them airborne all day.

[Onan the Clumsy]

So let me get this straight then, they're not junked, they get rehabilitated so they can be fitted with an r/c controller and shot down :confused:

interesting vid though. I've seen pics of B17s as far as they eye could see :{

[Cool_Hand]

It amazing to see in Google Earth as well,

32 10 01.39N 110 51 54.46W

Just look around those co-ordinates.

[Ivan Rogov]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........................
10 B1B's please, that would give us a nice big stick :ok:

I'm trying to think of a conflict in the past/next 20 years where we wouldn't have used/use them, how many Storm Sado thingies could we cram in. Actually we probably couldn't afford to arm it at 1mill (ish) a throw. What about the fuel burn, we'd have to fly on one engine :ugh:

[Not_a_boffin]

To see just what they've got there (and how much has been disposed of over the years - 1000-odd B47s anyone?) see the link below. If you go for the interactive map you get the inventories for the various storage areas as well. Somewhat depressing to see one of the best fighter aircraft of the last century arriving now - that 14-Delta just looks the biz.

http://www.amarcexperience.com/Default.asp

Its also a hell of a way to preserve fleet airframe life - there are A10s & F-16s been in and out of there from AF, to AFR to ANG.

[Bob Viking]

I've also had a look round DM and one thing to remember, before you get too depressed/jealous, is that alot of them are very old and will never fly again.
If you took all our old aircraft from all services from the last 30-40 years (Buccs, Phantoms, Lightnings, Tornados, Jags, Harriers, Sea Harriers, Hunters, Hawks, Vulcans, Victors...........) and kept them in a field we'd have a hell of a lot as well. Only trouble is we don't have any fields big enough and they'd all rot within a week anyway!
BV:8

[South Bound]

I reckon we could squeeze 100 Typhoon in there and no-one would notice.

Like Nab says above, hell of a way to preserve life - keep the things flying forever - could even trick the crews into delivering them by pretending they are going on 'Flag and then divert them at the last moment!

[SkyHawk-N]

before you get too depressed/jealous, is that alot of them are very old and will never fly again.

That is not necessarily true. What is airworthy includes significant quantities of the following types:

F-4, A-10, F-14, F/A-18A, KC-135, C-130, B-1, S-3 Viking, T-2C Buckeyes, T-37 Tweets, F-16, A-4, A-7, SH-2, SH-3, E-2 Hawkeye, H-53 and P-3 Orion.
(The A-4's and A-7's are getting disposed of at the moment).

Ok, some are long in the tooth but there is still some capability there!

Skyhawk, also at Norwich :ugh: .