Airplane Graveyards

I saw that on Face book. Really is amazing there are that many planes sitting. I would like to get in there with a few tools. Probably plenty of good instruments and radios wasting away. Hmmm? :idea: I wonder if you could reuse all those aluminum panels on a RV 10 build? :lol:
 
I saw that on Face book. Really is amazing there are that many planes sitting. I would like to get in there with a few tools. Probably plenty of good instruments and radios wasting away. Hmmm? :idea: I wonder if you could reuse all those aluminum panels on a RV 10 build? :lol:

The radios and instruments in large aircraft run on totally different power systems, not 12 or 24 volt DC, and won't work in your spam can or homebuilt. The radios are big boxes in an avionics bay and use remote control and reading heads in the cockpit. The airspeed indicator will read up to some ridiculous figure and the needle would barely move in your airplane. The altimeter might work OK and the VSI will be some 0-6000 or 0-10,000 FPM thing. The aluminum fuselage panels are really thick and your RV would weigh more empty than its design gross weight. If you could bend the stuff in the first place.

There isn't much useable stuff other than some of the smaller hardware.

Dan
 
The radios and instruments in large aircraft run on totally different power systems, not 12 or 24 volt DC, and won't work in your spam can or homebuilt. The radios are big boxes in an avionics bay and use remote control and reading heads in the cockpit. The airspeed indicator will read up to some ridiculous figure and the needle would barely move in your airplane. The altimeter might work OK and the VSI will be some 0-6000 or 0-10,000 FPM thing. The aluminum fuselage panels are really thick and your RV would weigh more empty than its design gross weight. If you could bend the stuff in the first place.

There isn't much useable stuff other than some of the smaller hardware.

Dan
DAMN another great idea gone to the crapper. :mad2: :yes:
 
The guys making aviation furniture are loving these field of their dreams, still sad...:(
 
For some reason I was surprised to see B-1 bombers in a bone yard.
 
First F-117 in the boneyard.

nabysu3u.jpg
 
why are they being saved? spare parts?

Many of the military planes are in a condition where they theoretically could be returned to flying condition.

Some are intentionally kept in a unreparable state by treaty IIRC, hence the B-52s with the wings and tail laying cut off visible to satellites.
 
The START birds do get chopped into three pieces and left laid out for satellite verification. Then they are scrapped. Davis-Monthan is continually scrapping things (they were tearing into a C-5 when I was there last).

Amusingly, they have a ladder leading to nothing and some other stuff around a display of what is supposed to be a stealth fighter.
 
I just drove past the one in Mojave, Ca. Wasn't sure exactly what was going on until I saw this and now realized what it was. Its a shame they aren't useable for even non aviation purposes.
 
Actually these graveyards are used for two purposes:

1. To give tours of these planes to the public
2. To hold planes temporarily as they wait to be bought by another country
 
I've toured the graveyard in Tucson and the air museum it's connected to. The magnitude of the graveyard is really amazing from the ground.
 
I've toured the graveyard in Tucson and the air museum it's connected to. The magnitude of the graveyard is really amazing from the ground.

First post............

Welcome to POA....:cheers:
 
We flew over the graveyard in Tucson one day and toured to the museum and the grounds at another day. We took tons of pictures and it was amazing! We also saw the graveyards in Roswell, NM and Goodyear, AZ and took pictures, too. It's kind of sad to see all those planes sitting on the ground and waiting for being in the sky again. :redface:
 
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