Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Bone Yard

Bet you thought you'd seen the last of the airplanes. Not likely! Also in Tucson is the biggest military airplane storage and reclaim area in the US. There are around 4500 planes here. About 3000 are ready to be used when needed. The rest are for parts.
Planes that are in storage are sealed against sand and coated with a white rubber to keep the cockpit from getting too hot. Every few years they are tested, started up, cleaned and put back in storage.
Everything from helicopters and fighters to transports are in storage for when they may be needed.
Some jets, like this F4-F are no longer used by the US but is flown by a number of other countries. Hundreds of these are in storage here and can be sold to allies or used for parts. Once no one flys them anymore, they'll be dismantled.
Other planes are being taken apart for parts and then recycled. Hundreds of planes each year are stripped and melted down for the aluminum.



Planes in various stages of dismantling are spread all over the desert inside the facility.
Jet engines that are still being used are recovered and placed in these storage units until needed.
These wings are being stored for planes that are still being used.
This place is like a giant new car lot with a huge junkyard out back. There must be miles of new fighters and transports all lined up waiting to be needed.























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