Which is best Airplane graveyard to visit?

[SweetChariotXV]

Hi all,

Will be doing a bit of flying in the US in the next couple of weeks.

During this time, am planning on stopping in at one of the airline / airplane graveyards in Arizona / California.

Was wondering if anyone has been to any of these, and if so, which is the most interesting to see. Are there any that you can actually get close to the retired planes and have a walk around?

Would appreciate any info.

Many thanks,

SC

[Saab Dastard]

I thought this was better suited to AH&N!

SD

[Davidsoffice]

Some years ago I visited the fence at Goodyear, Tucson, Davis Monthan, Marana, Victorville, Mojave and Kingman and most of those I was visiting on business. I managed to get airside only at Mojave and Kingman!
Mojave is I think the only one that does organised tours on the ground and theres certainly no getting off the bus.
Good views can be got from the fence at all except Marana which is some distance between road and fence due to the terrain.
There used to be a good website with details of each field and guides for renting photo/spotting aircraft flight but I can't find it now! Maybe someone else knows where it is.

[skytrain10]

I would support davidsoffice view....Marana is very tight on security and you will only have very limited views from outside...and they certainly wont let you in. If you are flying your own aircraft you may be able do a touch and go, or just fly over, to get a good view of what is there. Mojave still do airside tours, but its now strictly no photography. In terms of quantity, obviously Davis Monthan has the most to offer. For civil aircraft I believe Roswell, NM, is now leader in terms of numbers stored. You won't get airside but there are good, if distant, views from the perimeter.

For detailed information go to: cactuswings | Google Groups (http://groups.google.com/group/cactus-wings?pli=1)
You'll find plenty of information on aircraft that can be seen.

[Gainesy]

Watch out for the snakes shading themselves under odd panels etc.

[White Bear]

If you plan to visit Davis Monthan, bus tours leave several times a day from the PIMA aircraft museum. Info can be found here:
Home (http://www.pimaair.org/)
PIMA itself is well worth a visit.:ok:
Regards,
White Bear.