Aircraft boneyard explained

An aircraft boneyard or aircraft graveyard is a storage area for aircraft which are retired from service. Most aircraft at boneyards are either kept for storage continuing to receive some maintenance or parts of the aircraft are removed for reuse or resale and the aircraft are scrapped. Boneyard facilities are generally located in deserts such as those in the southwestern United States, since the dry conditions reduce corrosion and the hard ground does not need to be paved.[1] In some cases, aircraft which were planned to be scrapped or were stored indefinitely without plans of ever returning to service were brought back into service, as the aviation market or the demands of military aviation changed or failed to develop as was anticipated.[2] [3] [4]

Some yards are privately owned and operated, others belong to the military including the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.

After aircraft are put into boneyards, many are stripped of useful parts. Engines as well as most electronics, munitions, and wiring to be removed are recycled or kept in warehouses. The parts may serve as replacement parts for aircraft which are still flying or they may be used for reconditioning if and when the aircraft are called back into active duty. The parts along with the stripped aircraft may be sold to other countries.

Depending on the demands of the military or for commercial purposes, an aircraft or a whole squadron of the aircraft may be put back into active duty. The aircraft have to be reconditioned and tested so they will be airworthy. The reconditioning process includes putting in new avionics, electronics, safety measures, testing, and painting. Reconditioning of old aircraft is generally a cheaper way of getting more aircraft into service than buying new ones, and saves the United States billions of dollars annually.

Other nations' central aircraft storage facilities include the Russian Air Forces' Bases for Reserve Helicopters.

Military aircraft

The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in Tucson, the largest facility of its kind, is colloquially known as "The Boneyard".

Commercial aircraft

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on commercial air transport, demand for commercial aircraft storage increased dramatically in 2020. Furthermore, many aircraft which had initially been planned for short term storage were ultimately stored long term or even scrapped altogether, requiring maintenance work to prepare the planes for the different plans. As demand recovery behaved differently from expectations, temporary shortages as well as the requirement to prepare planes for long term storage after a few months of short term storage caused issues. Planes that have been stored for a few months can not be brought back to service on short notice.[5] The longer planes are stored, the more time it takes to get them fully airworthy and ready to fly again. Bringing a narrowbody aircraft back from long term storage takes roughly 40 worker hours while widebody aircraft require roughly 100 worker hours.[6]

Notable aircraft boneyards

Location Country Notes
Alice Springs, Northern Territory[7] AustraliaFirst large-scale aircraft boneyard outside the United States.[8]
Saskatoon, SaskatchewanCanadaContains 23 old Fokker F-28 Fellowships of Canadian Regional Airlines and Air Canada Jazz.[9] Planes stored off service roads north of 09/27.
Mountainview, OntarioCanadaUsed primarily for storage of older RCAF Aircraft.
Manas International, Chüy RegionKyrgyzstanSoviet era aircraft began to appear after 1991.
Enschede Airport Twente[10] Netherlands
Teruel, Aragon[11] Spain
Cotswold Airport (formerly Kemble Airfield), GloucestershireUnited KingdomAir Salvage International, the leading European aircraft decommissioning company.[12]
RAF Shawbury, Shropshire[13] United KingdomFrom end of World War II to 1972.
Davis-Monthan AFB, ArizonaUnited StatesNearly 4,400 aircraft on 2,600-acre, 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.[14]
Kingman Field, ArizonaUnited StatesStorage and repair for Delta, American and United.[15]
Pinal Airpark, Arizona[16] United States
Blytheville, ArkansasUnited StatesStorage and scrapping for retired aircraft including the MD-80 series aircraft.
San Bernardino, CaliforniaUnited StatesStorage and scrapping for retired aircraft such as the MD-88.
Mojave Air and Space, CaliforniaUnited StatesMore than 100 planes.
Victorville, California[17] United States
Oscoda-Wurtsmith, MichiganUnited StatesStorage for Kalitta Air and other airlines.
Greenwood-Leflore Airport, MississippiUnited StatesStorage, modification and scrapping for retired aircraft.
Tupelo, MississippiUnited StatesStorage, modification and scrapping for retired aircraft.
Roswell, New MexicoUnited StatesSeveral large passenger and cargo jets.[18]
Laurinburg-Maxton, North CarolinaUnited StatesCharlotte Aircraft Corporation strips former Northwest Airlines aircraft.[19]
Abilene Regional (Former), Texas[20] United StatesMany retired Saab 340s mostly from Envoy Air-American Eagle.[21]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Field Guide To Aircraft Boneyards. 2009-07-03 . 2014-11-06. John A. Weeks III. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20091124050915/http://www.johnweeks.com/boneyard/. 2009-11-24.
  2. Web site: British Airways to bring back the A380 'SuperJumbo' jet. Simon. Calder. . 2 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220202153309/https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/british-airways-to-bring-back-the-a380-superjumbo-jet/ar-AAP7qPm. 4 October 2021. The Independent.
  3. Web site: Desperate for planes, military turns to the 'boneyard'. 13 July 2016 .
  4. Web site: The US Air Force just resurrected a 60-year-old B-52 bomber from its 'boneyard' to fight another day . Business Insider.
  5. Web site: AeroTime . Aircraft reactivation: Has how we store aircraft changed?. Michael . Jonga. 2 August 2021.
  6. Web site: How to bring an airplane out of hibernation. 23 December 2020. CNN. Katy. Scott.
  7. Web site: Aircraft Boneyards & Storage Facilities Around the World . 22 November 2016 . AirplaneBoneyards.com . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161125134444/http://www.airplaneboneyards.com/airplane-boneyards-outside-usa.htm . 25 November 2016 .
  8. Web site: Australia gets first plane 'boneyard' outside US . 27 May 2011 . Traveller . 19 July 2015 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150723205308/http://www.traveller.com.au/australia-gets-first-plane-boneyard-outside-us-1f77f . 23 July 2015 .
  9. Web site: Photos: Airplane graveyard . 9 August 2013 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170508162809/http://www.canada.com/news/saskatoon/Photos+Airplane+graveyard/8770503/story.html#__federated=1 . 8 May 2017 .
  10. News: Stalemate around Twente Airport: Boeings must go, but are not allowed to go . Herman Haverkate . . 26 October 2020 . 29 October 2020 . nl.
  11. News: Brunat. David. El 'aeropuerto milagro' de Teruel: el parquin de aviones más grande de Europa. 11 December 2016. El Confidencial. es. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220084948/http://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2016-07-16/aeropuerto-teruel-mayor-parking-aviones-europa_1233291/. 20 December 2016.
  12. Web site: Jet cemetery: Where do aircraft go when airlines go to the wall?. The Independent. 10 December 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170618085324/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/jet-cemetery-where-do-aircraft-go-when-airlines-go-to-the-wall-1837388.html. 2017-06-18.
  13. Web site: Withdrawn Blackburn Buccaneers Torn Apart at RAF Shawbury . Tom Moran . 26 June 2014 . 22 November 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161123133324/http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2014/06/battered-blackburn-buccaneers-scrap-raf-shawbury/ . 23 November 2016 .
  14. Web site: Secrets of the Desert Aircraft Boneyards . Stephen Dowling . 18 September 2014 . 19 July 2015 . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150811062534/http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140918-secrets-of-the-aircraft-boneyards . 11 August 2015 .
  15. Web site: Kingman Airport carries right conditions for storing, repairing planes . 18 August 2013 . Associated Press . 19 July 2015 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180402101809/https://www.abc15.com/news/region-northern-az/other/kingman-airport-carries-right-conditions-for-storing-repairing-planes . 2 April 2018 .
  16. Web site: Pinal Airpark: Once-secretive aircraft boneyard slowly opens its gates . Azcentral.com . 2015-03-27 . 2016-02-14.
  17. News: Pae . Peter . As travel declines, aircraft 'boneyard' in Victorville fills up . 15 March 2009 . The Los Angeles Times . 22 November 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110311121751/http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/15/business/fi-boneyard15 . 11 March 2011 .
  18. Web site: Roswell International Air Center (ROW) in New Mexico . AirplaneBoneyards.com . 22 November 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161123201534/http://www.airplaneboneyards.com/roswell-international-air-center-boneyard.htm . 23 November 2016 .
  19. Web site: The Boneyard of the East - My Retro Planespotting Experience . Andrew Vane . AirlineReporter . 27 February 2014 . 22 November 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170108043733/http://www.airlinereporter.com/2014/02/the-boneyard-of-the-east-my-retro-planespotting-experience/ . 8 January 2017 .
  20. Web site: Old planes removed from Abilene Regional Airport. 6 February 2019. BigCountryHomepage.com. 8 February 2019.
  21. Web site: Airports, Bases, Airplane Storage & Boneyards near Abilene Texas . Planes of the Past . 19 July 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150622003203/http://www.planesofthepast.com/abilene-regional-airport.htm . 22 June 2015 .