Graveyard...

[Justin B.]

Got bored this evening and pulled up Google Earth and snooped around the airplane graveyard at Davis Monthan AFB.  DAMN!!   I'd like to live next door to that!    

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Wow.  That is a bunch of stuff!  How about those acres of boxes?

[Justin B.]

Probably full of airplane parts...  I bet Bob could comment, I've only been by there once about 30 years ago when I was stationed at Ft. Huachuca, AZ...

[Bob_Roller]

Your tax dollars NOT at work!!!

I got a quick tour 8 years ago when a co-workers brother was stationed at Davis-Monthan, flying A-10 Thunderbolt II ( aka' Warthog' ) aircraft.

It is amazing how much taxpayers money was sitting there, 80% of it obsolete.

To see row after row of B-52's laying on the ground, after having been cut apart, and awaiting the Russian satellites to confirm that they had been destroyed, in accordance with the SALT agreements.

If you get real bored, there is a commercial aircraft storage/graveyard in Marana, AZ, about 40 miles north of Tucson, on the west side of Interstate 10.

 There is another one located in the Mohave, CA area.

[Justin B.]

Cool, I'll take a look.  It surprised me to see all of the C-141s in the 'yard, they were pretty much the workhorse when I was in the service.  But, I guess that WAS a long time ago...

[Bob_Roller]

The C-141's were removed from service about 3-4 years ago, replaced by the C-17.

[Justin B.]

I have flown in C-141s, C-5s, and C-130s - never even heard of a C17 until I saw one on the news...

[thrang]

Sweet it's amazing how sodding big the place is.

[not-so-fast-ed]

I remember the first C-141 coming into "That warm place that must go unnamed" and walking around the flight deck thinking it looked like a civilian cockpit.  Even the seats were covered in colorful material.
Not quite yesterday, but not a lifetime ago either I don't feel.......

[Bob_Roller]

Justin,

If you are real bored some day, there is an automotive test facilitiy just to the east of the city of Maricopa and another one about 7-8 miles south/southwest of the first facility, about 30-35 miles south of the Phoenix area .

Looks like a large ovals in the middle of nowhere ( we have an over abundance of middle of nowhere here in Arizona!!).

My standard bike route takes me into the general area, and I have seen vehicles from all manufacturers on the adjoining roads, some that I never saw go into production.

Seems to be a hot weather testing area, as it's most active during our 'hot season' here.