D-M boneyard auctioning off old aircraft

[unhappycamper]

D-M boneyard auctioning off old aircraft
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 21, 2008 20:56:09 EDT

PHOENIX — Nearly half the roughly 4,200 retired military aircraft stored at the Air Force’s “boneyard” in southern Arizona are being auctioned off for scrap, a sale that could net up to $10 million for the government because of soaring metal prices.

The aircraft, stored at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, include C-141 Starlifter and C-130 Hercules transports, Navy F-14 Tomcats and A-4 Skyhawks, HH-3E Jolly Green Giant helicopters and many other aircraft types that have been pulled from service.

The military stores the planes in the dry desert climate to reduce corrosion and cannibalizes them for spare parts for planes that are still operational. But the Air Force needs to clean out its inventory of older planes, some of which are nearly 50 years old.

Davis-Monthan is a popular southern Arizona tourist attraction, where airplane buffs take tours of the boneyard on shuttles from the adjacent Pima Air & Space Museum.

Besides the aircraft, an unspecified number of deactivated Titan nuclear-armed missiles will be sold for scrap.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_davismonthan_auction_042008/

[Cooley Hurd]

1. You should check out D-M AFB in Google Earth...

Rows and rows and rows of old aircraft. Fascinating that they still have hacked-up B-52's there (for USSR treaty verification).

I wonder if I could buy an F-14 for my front yard? That'll REALLY piss of the neighborhood!:D

[leveymg]

2. A Titan missile would make a helluva lawn ornament

A real statement to the neighbors to pick up the trash in their yards. Or else.B-) :nuke: :evilgrin: O8)