was - if I were storing 4,000 planes, it just wouldn't look like this. Check out my closet or basement sometime for an example...
It's typically called "The Boneyard" - an airplane storage area on the Air Force Base in Tucson. Formally, it is the
sit for the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG). (Wikipedia has more information than their own web site.)
They have roughly 4,000 planes on site, only 25% of which will ever fly again. The rest are used for parts and are eventually shredded. So, no, they don't keep planes there forever. The tour
we took was operated by the PIMA Air and Space Museum. We took a bus from their facility to the base, and
one of their volunteers provided information about the site as we drove around. (We weren't allowed off the bus.)
The tour started on the side of the facility with "happy planes" - those that would fly again. I was impressed by how organized it
was - if I were storing 4,000 planes, it just wouldn't look like this. Check out my closet or basement sometime for an example...
Most of the tour was centered on their walk of fame - sample residents aligned along a single road with signage. Here they are!
A-10's in training overhead...
back to the walk of fame:
Did you see the stealth fighter?
Cruising around to see the rest of the "happy planes" before we head over to the "sad planes" area:
Now entering "sad plane" territory.
Heading out...
Return to the 2014 Road Trip Overview Page
Last updated 16Apr2014