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The 'boneyard': Where airlines send old planes to be scrapped

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The “boneyard” is the term given to aircraft storage facilities where out-of-use planes are sent to be sold, stored or scrapped. Most are in arid locations. The one here in New Mexico – officially the Roswell International Air Center – is the preferred facility for American. (www.usatoday.com) More...

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alexa320
alex hidveghy 4
Reminds me of the boneyard at Marana, near Tucson, AZ.......took a B747-300 in there once after a trans-Pacific ferry from Jakarta, Indonesia.
vulcancruiser
Always a treat to see the "oldies". Been in to Victorville a few times and every pilot should experience a runway 3 miles long......no flaps no problem.....lol
Ruger9X19
Ruger9X19 3
Lots of history here. Worth a stop if your the area.
bbabis
bbabis 5
There are boneyards for every conceivable means of transportation. Those that scrap planes just hit a little closer to home for FA users.
bbabis
bbabis 3
I always get a good laugh at those who vote coments down based on the poster and not the comment. I know who you are. Please grow up.
bentwing60
bentwing60 2
So for the aerospace nuts out there, as opposed to the airplane tire kicker nuts, if you ever find yourself in Tucson! Go to the Pima Air & Space Museum, or do the Davis Monthan thing first and then do Pima. Then do the Titan Missle Museum south of Tucson, and think about that for a while. Remember the siren goin off and going in the hall for the "crash position" in school in the 50's and 60's. That's precisely what that was all about. The Twinkies need not apply. It's not in the database. And then there are several airliner boneyards that are an easy drive, but who cares? And it's a dry heat! Or go in the winter, sometimes they don't have one. Cheers.
paulfharris
Paul F Harris 1
What would that dry heat be like 4 human health just wondering as I live down under & don't have those conditions - Thanks
alexa320
alex hidveghy 1
Well, do you wonder why many snowbirds from up north go to AZ, NV and southern CA to retire - mainly health reasons! Because "dry heat" is better than :"wet heat" aka humidity. Not sue where you are in Aussie but BNE is you wet heat and your interior bush would be the dry heat. Takes some getting used to but seems to be better than the cold damp - especially when you're older. I've lived in London, Seattle and 22+ years in LAS, so I've experienced a few "extremes" and differences in climate.....Hope that helps.
aghume
Alan Hume 2
Thanks for this explanation Alex. Australia does have very dry heat in the Outback and we have just established an aircraft boneyard right in the Centre just outside Alice Springs, NT. It mirrors Arizona in atmospheric conditions.
Paul Harris from NZ, you wouldn't understand. You live in a small island nation surrounded by the ocean just like the UK, with UK weather too! i.e. wet! But at least it is beautiful and green. Not knocking it ... I love NZ, but it ain't any good for storing aircraft!
paulfharris
Paul F Harris 1
that is so true NZ is not good 4 storing anything outside things would either rust or rot or after a time just fall apart
paulfharris
Paul F Harris 1
Thanks 4 that but I live east of BNE in a country called New Zealand but thanks 4 explaining that I now understand
Doobs
Dee Lowry 2
These aircrafts were "work horses". They did what they had to do...too many cycles and the demand for more advanced aircraft. Called progression of aviation. Check out the Pima,AZ bone yard. Quite the sight!
jbsimms
James Simms 2

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

buzburbank
buzburbank 10
"Just to do it." You must mean, "to do his job to feed his family"? I don't get the anger here...the context hardly seems to call for it. Can you elaborate? The caption explains that the aircraft is being scrapped. Is there a preferable fate that is economically viable? Personally, I thought that was an excellent slideshow...62 pics in a Gannett feature seems like a treasure trove.
Ruger9X19
Ruger9X19 3
"Of all the dumb ... this takes the cake who in the hell thinks they have the right to do so?

You don't have the right to post something like that in any way guess that you are just another troll on here as that seems about all that post any more." ~linbb 8-4-2017
bentwing60
bentwing60 4
Thank you, for what it's worth.

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