Centurion

What is the name of the airplane bone yard / storage area near Tucson Arizona? Can you see it on Google? Can you tour it on the ground ?

OPNLguy

IIRC, the one near TUS (actually at the Air Force Base, DMA) is AMARC and as it's mostly military and they don't do tours.

You might find the link below helpful, as it covers all the various desert spots where airliners go to await their fate. Maybe someone over there knows if any of the various sites are open to tours, unoffical or otherwise. I'd imagine just about any of these sites are viewable from Google satellite.

http://www.cactuswings.blogspot.com/

Nonsense, with all due respect...

One thing I know for sure is that in my 30+ years here, I'm not aware of anything remotely of the sort, and I'm in an operational department that would know. Even if there had been, it almost certainly would have made the news.

I still think the cable TV network's promotion of their series using "Southwest" and "repo" in the same sentence is unabashed embellishment of their TV show, and directed at folks who can't discern the difference in "missions" between a routine re-positioning of a retired aircraft to the desert, versus a true repossession of an aircraft on behalf of a lender or lessor due to an operator's poor financial condition. Just because XYZ Temp Pilot Staffing Inc. may provide pilots for both types of missions doesn't support the conclusion that every flight they staff is an actual repossession for the customarily understood financial reasons.

I mean, really now...

tusphotog

You're probably thinking of Pinal Air Park in Marana. It's locked up tighter than Tom Thumb's .... I've been out there onto the flight line and it's an interesting experience to get out there. The armed (with machine guns, IIRC) escorts that drive in front and behind you are fun. Once out there you're free to go with your Evergreen escort wherever you want. Interestingly enough they didn't escort me out...

You can see it on Google, and from the 10 freeway between TUS and PHX. It looks eerie seeing all the NWA tails sticking out of the desert.

If you look at the place on Google Earth, you can see where Evergreen does practice drops with their 747 water bomber.

You can do tours of the AMARC "Boneyard" via the Pima Air and Space museum. It's a really cool place to go visit, even without going on the tour.

jhayes_1780

I realize it not Tuscon, but lots of planes parked in Phoenix at GYR, a.net has lots of pics. IIRC, no tours there either.

I think thats how AC got some leased planes back from MX, I also seem to recall RG had (oddly enough an old UA BK return) plane repo'ed at JFK.

kerflumexed

the boneyard closest to Tuscon is the Davis Monthan Air Fprce Base

Some years ago I was able to drive around the perimeter during a business trip and there were lots of airplanes to see.

N702ML

OPNLguy,

I must admit...

I think you have answered a question of mine that I've had for quite some time (although, I do admit it is one I have forgotten recently).

I often wondered when I would see airplanes parked at the hangar with the name on the tail "whited-out" how those planes got to the desert (or wherever else they may be bound for).

I always assumed that it was Southwest pilots who flew them to wherever they were going... but then wondered: "How do those pilots get home???"

Having a third part fly the retired planes to their new, or temporary, home makes sense!

Thanks for the info!

OPNLguy

Once the tail logo on a decomissioned aircraft (whether sold or returned to a lessor) gets a white stripe, the aircraft is no longer listed on our Operations Specifications (OpSpecs) so that's when they get flown away to their new homes. How their crews get "home" kind of depends in where their "home" is. I think the ROW birds involved taking AA Eagle back to DFW. Most of the other locations involve ground transport back to an another airport, i.e. MHV via LAX or BUR; VCV via ONT; IGM via LAS; and GYR/MZJ/TUS via PHX. I think we've also had a couple of aircraft retire to Maxton, NC, as well.

tusphotog

Why wouldn't the folks flying a plane to TUS also leave from TUS....? There are even (some) SWA flights out of that airport.

OPNLguy

True,but it depends on where "home" is. PHX might be better for some of them as far as destination choices and flight frequency.

kerflumexed

A friend who worked out of the Delta Chief Pilots office in CVG used to fly 727's to the desert after the last revenue flight. He said they would remove the liquor and drink carts, give the crew a plastic tray of ice and bottled water, and send em on their way. The tail number of the last 727 he flew to the desert happened to be the airplane where he first met his wife - a flight attendant.

I guess Delta still owned the airplane so they used their own line pilots. For others, when the beast is sold you no longer care about the insurance or who flies it, or where.

Here is where one SWA 737-200 ended up. There is a business at Walnut Ridge that buys spent airplanes and they worked out a deal to place this one where it could live forever.

I am sure SWA has never had a repo. I think the closest they came was in the early days when they had to sell an airplane in order to meet payroll. This event spawned the 15 minute turn.

OPNLguy

N20SW 2H4 20369/267 20 06/71 06/72
N21SW 2H4 20345/233 21 06/71 07/78
N22SW 2H4 20336/239 22 06/71 07/78
N23SW 2H4C 20346/258 23 09/71 09/74

You are correct; no repossessions.

SWA started in flying in 6/71 with the three airplanes you see above, and a fourth was added in 9/71. One of the original three 6/71 aircraft was indeed sold (to Frontier, v1.0, IIRC) in 6/72, and our subsequent running three aircraft on a schedule predicated on four aircraft was the genesis of the 10-minute turn. The turns didn't go to 15 minutes until someime in the 1980s. It was easier to accomplish a 10-minute turn way back then, since the -200s only had (then) 112 seats (and lounges..)

FCfree

Yeah, I kind of doubted that it was a real "repo" (i.e. taking the airplane back because SWA didn't make its payments). If one did happen, perhaps there is an interesting story behind it?

I believe it probably was more like returning a plane at the end of a lease, which is hardly a repo. More like returning your rent-a-car, except that the "rent a plane" company has to come get it at DAL or whereever!

Might be good if Discovery Channel and Popovich clarified this, but clarity on Flyer Talk is good enough for me!

FCfree

I did this tour in 2008. Its fun, even though it is military aircraft not commerical. They take you out in a bus and drive you around. They give you some verbal history of the various aircraft. I think there were a few commerical aircraft or the military equivalent of them. IIRC, you couldn't get off the bus, but you could take pictures out the window.

skyemema

Sounds like a facinating show! I looked on the link for Discovery and could not find when it would be on. Does anyone know? I will keep looking for it.

wlau

I love the show!!

Knowing how SWA screw me over even on drink coupons, it wouldn't surprise me if they defaulted on aircraft payments.

I just for one thing - please don't repro the 737 while I am in it wait until my land first Gary, IN doesn't look very fun.