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The largest airplane graveyard in the world

In the city of Tucson, Arizona, there is a place in the middle of the desert where more than 4,000 airplanes seem to stand alone. What “The Boneyard”, as the place is also called, is all about – and why the dry heat is so important for the machines.

In Tucson’s barren desert landscape they stand, around 4,400 planes, and at first glance one could think that someone had simply parked them here and forgotten them. However, it is their meticulous arrangement that immediately speaks against this theory. The planes are divided into different areas, sorted by type and color. The spacing of the wings seems to be the same on all planes, accurate to the millimeter. And all of this in a place that has a somber nickname: The Boneyard.

There is something military about it, and this appearance is not deceptive, since the machines are aircraft used by the US armed forces and the field is what they claim to be the largest aircraft graveyard in the world. This has been operated here for more than 75 years by the US Air Force’s 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG). The place has long been a legend among aviation fans, and Hollywood also shoots here regularly.

The largest spare parts warehouse in the world

The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group is located on the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base campus. According to the town’s official website, it was founded shortly after the end of World War II to store the first decommissioned machines. In May 1946 the first machines came to Tucson; initially more than 600 long-range bombers, the B-29 Superfortresses, and 200 transport aircraft, the C-47 Skytrains. The latter are known in this country mainly as “raisin bombers”. At the time of the Berlin Airlift, they were used by the Allies to supply West Berlin with food, among other things. In the years that followed, many more machines from the US Air Force, the US Navy and NASA, some of which were discarded, awaiting scrapping on “The Boneyard”.

Almost every type of aircraft that the US Air Force has flown since World War II can be found here. In the more than 75 years of existence, numerous machines have accumulated, plus almost 6000 engines and 340,000 individual parts from all types of aircraft from seven decades of aviation history. Actually, the AMARG is not a graveyard, but probably the largest spare parts warehouse in the world. Many aircraft are dismantled and thus serve as a spare parts store for other aircraft.

According to its website, the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group has restored and returned to service over 1,000 aircraft since the 1970s. Maintenance and/or repairs performed here have played an important role during numerous US Air Force missions over the past decades. Civilian US authorities such as the Coast Guard and the Forest Service also receive overhauled machines here.

Desert offers optimal conditions

What happens to an airplane that reaches The Boneyard for permanent storage is detailed at airplaneboneyards.com. The employees first remove all weapons, ejection seats and data carriers that are on board before the machines are washed. The fuel systems are protected and the plane is painted to protect it from the sun, dust and heat.

Incidentally, the heat is one of the reasons why the planes are brought into the desert. Because the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, Arizona, which is known not only for its meter-high cacti, but also for its bone-dry landscape, high temperatures and low humidity, offers ideal conditions. The machines hardly rust, and the ground is naturally hard, which is why the heavy planes can be moved more easily.

Hollywood loves the graveyard

The dimensions of the airplane graveyard in the desert are impressive: the old planes are stored on a total area of ​​a good ten square kilometers. That corresponds to 1430 football fields, as reported by the “BBC”. If you look at the huge area from above, you will see that it is divided into different areas. While only the planes that are permanently stored here are on one side and those that are being prepared for their next mission on the other, there is also a very special row: the so-called “Celebrity Row”. It shows only the most important machines.

Historically significant fighter planes find their final resting place here. For example, the entire fleet of Boeing B-47 Stratojets. Except for 30 pieces, which are exhibited in museums, all machines of this type were dismantled here. Discarded B-52 bombers from the Cold War era can also be found here – as well as the famous F-14s, which played a role in the 1986 Hollywood action classic “Top Gun”.

In general, the film city loves the place. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group has been the setting for numerous blockbusters in the past, including as a backdrop in 2009’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” It’s no wonder “The Boneyard” has become a tourist magnet in Arizona, which you can also visit as a civilian.

Rattlesnakes and poisonous spiders

The nearby Pima Air&Space Museum offers tours of the site. Tours by electric shuttle or group walking tours are available, among others. There used to be bus tours directly to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group compound as well. However, the Air Force has now discontinued this because of “security concerns”.

Aviation fans shouldn’t be put off by this, however, because you can still marvel at the impressive collection of old machines from a little further away. According to the “AMARG Experience” website, however, there are a few things to keep in mind when visiting. On the one hand, the sometimes extreme heat that prevails in the Arizona desert in summer. As such, the website recommends staying between October and April, when it’s not quite as hot.

Sunscreen and a sufficient supply of drinking water are therefore also important. Last but not least, due to the size of the site, you should bring sturdy shoes. The site also warns of rattlesnakes and scorpions, as well as poisonous spiders that can be found in the area. Incidentally, one should plan several days for a visit to the huge area, according to the recommendation.

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