Pics from Davis Monthan "Boneyard"

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I put some of my pics on Davis Monthan at
http://greenmarble.blogspot.com feel free to leave a comment if you
would like Rich

[Mathew Cormie]

wrote in news:1112123059.301019.321900
@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

> I put some of my pics on Davis Monthan at
> http://greenmarble.blogspot.com feel free to leave a comment if you
> would like Rich
>
>

Neat pictures.

Does anyone know why the C-141s in these pics were chopped up with the
guillotine? I recall an article in Air & Space several years ago that had
pictures of B-52s that had been cut up to comply with START rules (IIRC,
they had to be permanently and obviously disabled and left outside so
that they could be observed by Russian satellites). Would the same or
similar rules apply to the 141s or is it for something more mundane like
for ease of transport to the scrap metal dealer?

Matt

[ShawnD2112]

Great photos.

I was surprised by several things:
1. F-18s in the boneyard. Hadn't thought of them as that old or obsolete.
2. B-1s there. I thought they were all still flying. We only built 100 of
them, correct? 97 were still flying last time I touched the issue.
3. How many F-4s were still there, why things as old as an F-105 and B-57
would still be there
4. The SR-71 drone isn't in a museum
5. Why that much stuff is stored and not scrapped. Is there really any
expectation that most of that stuff will ever be wanted for anything (F-4s
as target drones not withstanding)

Must be a pretty soul-destroying place to work. What would get you out of
bed in the morning knowing you were just putting stuff into storage that
will most likely never come out again?

Does stuff ever leave the boneyard? If so, for what purpose and how much?

Shawn
"Mathew Cormie" <mUnderscorecormie@hot-hot-hotmailcom> wrote in message
. 3.44...
> wrote in news:1112123059.301019.321900
> @o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:
>
>> I put some of my pics on Davis Monthan at
>> http://greenmarble.blogspot.com feel free to leave a comment if you
>> would like Rich
>>
>>
>
> Neat pictures.
>
> Does anyone know why the C-141s in these pics were chopped up with the
> guillotine? I recall an article in Air & Space several years ago that had
> pictures of B-52s that had been cut up to comply with START rules (IIRC,
> they had to be permanently and obviously disabled and left outside so
> that they could be observed by Russian satellites). Would the same or
> similar rules apply to the 141s or is it for something more mundane like
> for ease of transport to the scrap metal dealer?
>
> Matt

[Jay]

Don't feel too bad for AMARC...

It is, after all, the only thing under the DOD umbrella that shows a
profit...

Last I checked they make something along the lines of $3.12 for every
$1 spent to run it.

They sell a lot of spare parts to overseas governments.

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ

[John Galban]

ShawnD2112 wrote:
> Great photos.
>
> I was surprised by several things:
> 1. F-18s in the boneyard. Hadn't thought of them as that old or
obsolete.
<snip>

The first F/A-18As entered service over 22 years ago. When compared
to something like a B-52, that seems young, but carrier based aircraft
really take a beating. They're not expected to last nearly as long as
their land-based counterparts.

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)

[Jay Honeck]

> The first F/A-18As entered service over 22 years ago. When compared
> to something like a B-52, that seems young, but carrier based aircraft
> really take a beating. They're not expected to last nearly as long as
> their land-based counterparts.

That was really driven home to me at OSH '04 (or was it '03?) when the Navy
showed up at Aeroshell Square displaying three of the most beat up,
sorry-looking aircraft in the inventory.

The F/A-18 looked like it had been ridden hard, and put away wet, a whole
bunch of times. Nothing like continuously pounding on a steel deck while
immersed in a constant salt-water bath to really ruin a nice airplane.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[[email protected]]

>From what I've gleaned since my visit (you can only ask so many
questions while there!) that many aircraft are used in some capacity,
keeping in mind that includes destructive and non-destructive testing
as well. Some aircraft are sold to foriegn buyers, some are used for
research purposes only guessed at, and some are just recycled after a
long sleep. There is a predetermined route the bus takes through the
base, and I don't doubt some aircraft are set up close to this route
for tourists. The tour is not free. The D 21/SR 71 drone you
mentioned is not a museum but yet the Thundercheif gets the same
treatment. One can only guess its either preservation for future
public acess (there's a D 21 and an SR at adjacent Pima which I'll be
putting pics shortly) or storage for an undetermined future, eg testing.