Photos: Airplane graveyards
Ever wonder what happens to retired airplanes?
Ever wonder what happens to retired airplanes?
Some are dismantled. Some are scrapped.
Others -- thousands of them in fact -- sit in massive aircraft boneyards scattered across deserts in the U.S.
Most are out in the desert, where dry conditions reduce weather-related wear and tear.
Some of the boneyard inhabitants have been moved to permanent storage. Others may eventually be resold, and some will be used for their parts.
Here are photos of some of the world's largest airplane graveyards.
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE (TUCSON, TEXAS)
Courtesy: Bing
The photo above is just a small representation of the 4,400 airplanes that reside in the world's largest airplane graveyard.
Head over to Bing to explore the 2,600-acre space in intricate detail.
The storage facility employs around 700 people. Its location in the Arizona desert was chosen due to the region's low humidity, infrequent rainfall, alkaline soil and an altitude that reduces rust. Hard soil allows engineers to move aircraft with ease, without having to pave the ground.
PHOENIX GOODYEAR AIRPORT (PHOENIX, ARIZONA)
Photo courtesy: Google Maps
Phoenix Goodyear is a public airport built during World War II as a naval air facility.
It isn't served by any major airlines, but does act as a storage and maintenance spot.
PINAL AIRPARK (MARANA, ARIZONA)
Photo courtesy: USGS
Pinal airport is a public airport which primarily functions as a storage facility for civilian commercial aircraft. It is the largest boneyard for civilian commercial aircraft in the world and it houses some big planes -- including several Boeing 747s.
VICTORVILLE AIRPORT (VICTORVILLE, CALIFORNIA)
Numerous commerical airplanes reside in a storage facility a the Victorville airport. Some are retired, while others are declared "surplus", meaning they aren't needed for the time being.
Some planes here may one day be restored to commercial service, while others could one day be sold.
