Visit to an Airline Boneyard

Me ^ | 7-18-05 | Me

[Central Scrutiniser]

I went out today to visit a local airplane boneyard. It was damn hot, over 110 degrees. The airport is Chandler Memorial, a small aux. strip built during WWII for the nearby Williams AFB. During the Vietnam War, it served as a repair station for the infamous CIA "Air America" and today they run a C130 hangar there.

DC7 "African Queen" So named as this plane was deployed to Africa as a pesticide sprayer, however, it was damaged by a missle and they managed to get her back home, its been sitting since 1988

DC7C "Seven Seas", from Denver Ports of Call Airline, this was once a Brannif Bird as well. Its been there since 1988.

Former Delta DC7C

A really beat up C54D (DC6), US Navy.

4 DC 4's, in various shape, belong to Biegert Aviation

MacAvia DC6, and 2 DC7C's

DC7B, DC6

[Clemenza]

Yep, that's where the Connies went to die.

[Central Scrutiniser]

I got my Air Transport World today, its the annual World Airline Report, every 3rd page is a full page ad for the 787 or the A350.

Kinda silly!

[Central Scrutiniser]

I have to go to Davis Montham in Tucson, they have tours of the boneyard there.

About 20 years ago I was able to walk all around Marana (now Evergreen) airport. The place was loaded with 707's and DC8's from everywhere, I gotta find the old pictures I took. Nowadays they have piles of 747's, Fokkker 100's and lots of US DC9's, and old 737-200's. But, you absolutely cannot tour it, I drove up to the gate last year and was very gruffly turned away.

[Clemenza]

I know the folks at Evergreen (both in McMinville and Arizona) fairly well, and would love to get down there sometime. Provided they hire us for another project, I may get the chance to tour Marana (but I am not holding my breath).

[Paleo Conservative]

Was in the pressbox the first time the A380 took flight at the Le Bourget and even got some shots as it flew directly over us. Its amazing how quiet it is.

I would have been surprised if it were noisy. It has a huge wing so it shouldn't be necessary to use maximum thrust to takeoff. I'm sure Airbus is going to tout the A380's ablility to meet Heathrow's QC2 noise restrictions. Boeing will apply its previously proposed 747-QLR design changes in addition to new engines to make the 747 Advanced much quieter than its predecessors.

[Central Scrutiniser]

I had friends that did skydiving down there, and everyone was free to walk around. They keep planes in good shape. Avra Valley has lots of old stuff too.

Real good site: www.cactuswings.com

[Pete'sWife]

Wow! The first plane I ever flew on was a DC-6.

[SamAdams76]

Where airplanes go to die.

[Gamecock]

There is a museum in Germany that has a Concorde and a TU44

Yup, Sinsheim Germany. They are way up in the air on stilts:

I drive by them about once a month. I need to pad my schedule sometime and go take a peek.

The sister museum is located in Speyer and they have a 747, an Antonov AN-22, and some other cool planes, trains, and automobiles. (I've been to that one)

[irishtenor]

Come on up to Seattle. I am a member of the museum, and can get you tickets if you like. They have a new section about the flyers of WWII. Excellent history. Planes you can touch. They also have a SR71 and an Airforce 1.

[pops88]

Thanks for sharing! I love old planes. When I was a kid, a pilot let me sit in the cockpit of a Ford Trimotor on a trip to Kelly's Island. I doubt he realized he was spawning another pilot.

When I met my husband, he was flying a Convair. There's a fun date. Worked for me anyway.

[Redleg Duke]

The first plane I flew on was a North Central Airlines DC-3 from Madison, WI to O'Hare back in 1959.

[Ff--150]

Billbears,4CJ, flew these DC-6s [Navy C-118s] as an aircrewman and you find Jesus real fast on those LOL!

Central Scrutiniser, thanx for the pics from the Boneyard. Heck, slap some engines [Rolls Royces?? I forget] and 2 or 3 checkrides and those babies will be just as "good" [/sar] as new!=-)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

My folks and I flew home on a United Airlines DC-6C back in 1961. It seemed to me that the plane was not well pressurized and my ears hurt for a week afterward.

[4CJ]

... flew these DC-6s [Navy C-118s] as an aircrewman and you find Jesus real fast on those LOL!

Now the ACLU will file suit stating that flying is an endosement of religion /sarc The way I look at it, flying just helps one slip the surly bonds of earth and brings one closer to God.

[Ff--150]

"The way I look at it, flying just helps one slip the surly bonds of earth and brings one closer to God."

In C-118s, you learn prayers work very quickly.

Flew Seal Team One from Norfolk, Va to Panama City, Panama. Drinking the bar the Seal Team, with the officers, came in and surrounded us and shouted to barkeep that my crew were absolutely to buy not one drink or anything--THEY were buying! We were a bit curious why?

The Lt. answered, "To fly those things and keep them flying--you are better men than we are. Finish that one up and let's have another... ."

[ccmay]

Some of the Cessna twins used to have gold leaf on the windscreen to cut glare.

[ccmay]

Wouldn't the DC-6 and DC-7 airframes have fairly low flight hours considering that they were retired early due to the introduction of jets?

Many of them saw use well into the jet age as cargo haulers. I rode in a DC-6 in about 1985.

-ccm

[Prophet in the wilderness]

I don't know, I had some close calls in a automobile.
Onetime, I was on a beltway going 65 miles an hour, and had 2 semi's tractor trailers both on my left side and right side with no place to go, and the traffic just stopped all of a sudden, I thought I was a goner, but, thank GOD !!! the truck on the left side of me slowed down at the last second, and I had room to not run into the car in front of me . and had room to move to the left into the next lane ,, phewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ,, that was a close one.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

But ... wouldn't it ( the gold leaf ) just erode away from the wind getting under the gold leaf ?