The World's Most Bizarre Aircraft Graveyards (many photographs)

io9 ^ | June 5, 2013 | Vincze Miklós

[ro_dreaming]

The razor blades thing was sarcasm. As in when they decommission navy vessels, they turn it into razor blades.

[nascarnation]

I assume they must be guarded?
Otherwise the illegals would be stealing the aluminum and copper at a ferocious clip.

[Azeem]

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.

[MCF]

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.

[RayChuang88]

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.

[0.E.O]

bump

[joe fonebone]

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..

[discostu]

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.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Didn’t we learn anything from Pearl Harbor about how to park planes?

[gonzo]

"...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

[BerryDingle]

I assume some are kept for parts for like planes still in service, but wondering why they don’t 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.

[IronJack]

Thanks to all who enlightened me. I could spend a week spooking around places like those.

[Tallguy]

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.

[RayChuang88]

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.