Skip to comments.
The World's Most Bizarre Aircraft Graveyards (many photographs)
io9 ^
| June 5, 2013
| Vincze Miklós
Posted on 06/11/2013 8:49:40 AM PDT by EveningStar
Where do aircraft go to rust away after death? Often, their final resting places are more emotionally evocative than human cemeteries.
(Excerpt) Read more at io9.com ...
TOPICS: Arts/Photography; History
KEYWORDS: aerospace; aircraft; aircraftgraveyards; aviation; photography
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-34 last
To: Gandalf_The_Gray
The razor blades thing was sarcasm. As in when they decommission navy vessels, they turn it into razor blades.
21
posted on
06/11/2013 12:32:59 PM PDT
by
ro_dreaming
(Chesterton, 'Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. ItÂ’s been found hard and not tried')
To: Azeem
I assume they must be guarded?
Otherwise the illegals would be stealing the aluminum and copper at a ferocious clip.
22
posted on
06/11/2013 12:37:54 PM PDT
by
nascarnation
(Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
To: nascarnation
When I was stationed there in the mid 90s, there were guards, sensors, and razor wire fences. If the engines are still on the plane, they are sealed up like the doors and windows. It will take a lot of effort to steal anything out there and not get caught.
23
posted on
06/11/2013 1:11:03 PM PDT
by
Azeem
(There are four boxes to be used in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury and ammo.)
To: EveningStar
I was at DM 3-1/2 years ago. It saddened me to see them turn F-4 Phantoms into drones to be shot down, but it is better going down in flames then to slowly rot. My Dad worked on the F-4H on to the end here at ST. Louis.
F-4 Phantom II worlds largest distributor of MIG parts.
24
posted on
06/11/2013 1:28:43 PM PDT
by
MCF
To: EveningStar
Scrapping an airplane--especially a military airplane or a commercial airliner--is NOT like scrapping an automobile. They often salvage every servicable part possible and then carefully recycle every part--especially parts containing titanium and aerospace-quality composites. Also, for military aircraft, the planes have to be distinctly visible from satellite images as each one is scrapped in order to fulfill arms control treaty requirements.
25
posted on
06/11/2013 1:33:18 PM PDT
by
RayChuang88
(FairTax: America's economic cure)
26
posted on
06/11/2013 1:33:24 PM PDT
by
0.E.O
To: IronJack
when a metal is cast, and rolled into a structural shape, the thickness of the material and the stress placed upon it, create fatigue..
when a structural shape has been around long enough, and exposed to enough stress, it becomes basically useless..
if you start to replace certain structural shapes, then you also have to analize the shapes it attaches to...
then they have to be replaced..
cheaper to build a new machine at that point..
but, the metal can be melted down and rolled into new shapes with brand new stress levels..
27
posted on
06/11/2013 3:21:03 PM PDT
by
joe fonebone
(The clueless... they walk among us, and they vote...)
To: IronJack
That’s part of the reason they’re there. Low moisture, no rust. They can be used for parts, and a significant percentage of AMARC are flyable with relatively little work, used to be labeled the 3rd largest air force in the world. We call them graveyards, but they’re really long term storage. It’s even hidden in the name on some of them: Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Center. Nothing graveyard in that.
28
posted on
06/11/2013 3:28:31 PM PDT
by
discostu
(Not just another moon faced assassin of joy.)
To: EveningStar
Didn’t we learn anything from Pearl Harbor about how to park planes?
29
posted on
06/11/2013 3:28:39 PM PDT
by
Bubba Ho-Tep
("More weight!"--Giles Corey)
To: IronJack; ExTexasRedhead
"...What would compel someone to simply abandon a multi-million dollar aircraft? Surely they can be repaired or refurbished or parted out, something more useful than simply sitting in the desert falling to pieces..."Air-Hours and metal fatigue, pal. Don't worry, they get +30,000 hrs out of most Commercials - not so much for Militarys. I've been to Davis-Montham and it's HUGE, and informative, but I dig it 'cause I'm a pilot.
Hey Red, check it out! .......................................................................................................... FRegards
30
posted on
06/11/2013 8:05:28 PM PDT
by
gonzo
( Buy more ammo, dammit! You should already have the firearms ... FRegards)
To: IamConservative
I assume some are kept for parts for like planes still in service, but wondering why they dont recycle the metal in the rest? They do, electronics and other expensive parts are stripped out. Then the wings and fuselage are chopped using a large steel wedge off of a crane or excavator. All of the parts are sorted and inspected for serviceability.
31
posted on
06/12/2013 12:25:29 AM PDT
by
BerryDingle
(I know how to deal with communists, I still wear their scars on my back from Hollywood-Ronald Reagan)
To: gonzo
Thanks to all who enlightened me. I could spend a week spooking around places like those.
32
posted on
06/12/2013 5:04:29 AM PDT
by
IronJack
(=)
To: RayChuang88
Also, for military aircraft, the planes have to be distinctly visible from satellite images as each one is scrapped in order to fulfill arms control treaty requirements.You're referring to strategic bombers, of course. I rather doubt that the Russians would be interested in counting tactical air frames, since that kind of analysis wouldn't tell them very much.
33
posted on
06/12/2013 9:07:57 AM PDT
by
Tallguy
(Hunkered down in Pennsylvania)
To: Tallguy
I disagree, since there are also conventional arms control treaties signed between the Russians and Americans in the early 1990's. That's why there's the Open Skies monitoring program where the Russians used a number of modified old Aeroflot airliners and the Americans used a specially-modified EC-135 to monitor these agreements.
34
posted on
06/12/2013 9:25:53 AM PDT
by
RayChuang88
(FairTax: America's economic cure)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-34 last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson