The Boneyard, Arizona
 

If, like me, you have an endless fascination for old and not so old aircraft, the co-ordinates below will take you to the Boneyard.

I've been unable to find it up to now and was probably the last person on the planet not knowing EXACTLY where it was. But just in case there is another numbskull out there, try here:

N32 09.1 and W110 50.5 or if you want it simpler, Google Pima Air Museum and track Northeast by about a mile.

Google Earth piccies are brilliant and well worth a look. There is an absolute mess of military hardware (and one or two P3s that could replace our Nimrods, when Scotland goes independent).

We don't have any Nimrods to replace:ugh:

And if you go round the right bit of the fence, all the Harriers are there, wrapped up in clingfilm. Got some pics somewhere, will try and post them. Brings a tear to the eye.

Blimey, I'm thinking that there's more capability parked up there than we have had in the past 20 years or so. Impressive place.

Smudge :ok:

AMARG History and Website

Fascinating place. If you ever visit Tucson it is well worth going to Pima Air and Space Museum just to get on the regular bus tours of the Boneyard. If you can't go, these bus tour pics are pretty comprehensive!

Here's one you can't pick out on the satpics...

http://deanoinamerica.files.wordpres...pg?w=614&h=460

Easy

That is very funny.

Someone obviously has a good sense of humour.

The Boneyard, Arizona
 

I remember the day I took the tour around AMARC (I was on detachment at DM - the locals thought we'd brought our jets for storage!) there were 4382 aircraft on the books. Not sure why I remember the number but our brains are a strange thing.
It did get me thinking though. If the UK had a field big and dry enough for all of our old aircraft from let's say 1960 onwards (similar vintage to the US facility) how many would there be? I can honesty say I have absolutely no idea but I'd love it if someone in the know could make an educated guess.
BV

500N, in a similar vein:

http://militaryhumor.net/wp-content/...th-fighter.jpg

:)

Hoodie

Thanks. Always good to have a laugh at the start of the day :O :ok:

What exactly is the point of the boneyard, other than to look good on Google Earth?

It provides a Reserve of aircraft that can mobilized and as a huge source of spare parts.

A recent example.....the USMC brought back into service some CH-53D's to make up for some shortfall and were able to do so in a fairly short time.

DM is also the source for F-4's for use as Target Drones.

Plus......a lot of Soda Pop cans are made from the scrapped airframes!

32.161474, -110.858915

One of the dead planes is alive!

They've converted the last F-4 to a target. They are starting to convert F-16's to targets now.

The good thing is the US don't just crush them straight away
and reading the various info a fair few end up in Museums
which is more can be said for the UK.

Or as mentioned above, occasionally put back into service,
either as normal use or as drones.

I remember being told that the Boneyard was sited where it was because the desert climate's perfect for maintaining aircraft in a decent state.

We've got a handful of air conditioned hangars around with a few aircraft in them, but where would we put, say, an entire fleet of Jags or F3s?

Build a Hangar
Fly them to the Boneyard
Think outside the square - everything, like in Aus seems to be too hard
although in sayng that, the Aus Gov't did at least get the F111's right.

or how about farming at least one or two of them out to Museums
or even a gate guard instead of crunching them.

But then again, does the UK use old aircraft again line the US does,
either as drones, re used as original or as spare parts.

It seems in the US, even if the mainstream stop using an aircraft
NASA and others still seem to keep a few going.

Both such notions are equally unlikely.

And remember thats where the Caf'S B29 came from, flew down in a B24 with tool kits and worked over 5 B29's missed off inventory and finally flew FIFI back for full restoration. So it is a usefull place in 20 yeard someone will be reclaiming the last B52 or Harrier.

Dyson

Is that written up anywhere ?

Sounds like a good story.

It's not just drones, occasional specialist aircraft or museum pieces that make a comeback from the Boneyard. ISTR that large numbers of A-10s were brought back into service from there post-GW1 when the USAF realised that it was actually a very useful aircraft. The Boneyard gives the US the ability to 'hibernate' capability in a meaningful way - without the finality of turning aircraft into razor blades before the ink dries on a decision to retire them!