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Airplane Graveyard near Victorville, CA

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Airplane Graveyard near Victorville, CA

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Old Jun 12, 2017, 3:45 pm
  #31  
 
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Originally Posted by eeflyer
That's so cool! Did you have to do any planning with anyone working? Or just walk along the fence? I'm only a few hours from there and always wanted to go take a look.

Edit: And did you have any issues with security guards giving you issues, even from outside of the fence? I've known more than a few that take their job, uh.. "extra seriously"
My only planning was renting a truck. The road along the fence is just a rutted track but it is a legal public road. I had no problem with anyone around the back by the planes, or at the front of buildings where I encounter a van of other av geeks. I was going to offer them a ride around the back to see the good stuff but I had just come back from there and the drive was so painfully slow I couldn't think of doing it again.

I have heard of people getting barked at for being at the fence by the buildings but never heard of anyone having a problem looking through the desert fence. Note I did very little walking. First I was alone so I was one snake, scorpion or fall away from having a serious problem and being alone. Second and more importantly even though I was wearing long pants all the overgrown plants were Russian thistle which has a mild toxin and numbs the skin it touches. I had no interest in dealing with that so I only walked up to the fence where there was a gap in the brush. A lot of my best shots are from the cab of the truck or from standing in the back.
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Old Jun 12, 2017, 5:19 pm
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by Madone59
My only planning was renting a truck. The road along the fence is just a rutted track but it is a legal public road. I had no problem with anyone around the back by the planes, or at the front of buildings where I encounter a van of other av geeks. I was going to offer them a ride around the back to see the good stuff but I had just come back from there and the drive was so painfully slow I couldn't think of doing it again.

I have heard of people getting barked at for being at the fence by the buildings but never heard of anyone having a problem looking through the desert fence. Note I did very little walking. First I was alone so I was one snake, scorpion or fall away from having a serious problem and being alone. Second and more importantly even though I was wearing long pants all the overgrown plants were Russian thistle which has a mild toxin and numbs the skin it touches. I had no interest in dealing with that so I only walked up to the fence where there was a gap in the brush. A lot of my best shots are from the cab of the truck or from standing in the back.
Thanks for the details! Sounds like I'll need to make a drive up there sometime, maybe if I meet some other av enthusiasts to go with, haha. The advice on the road/brush is very helpful.

I wonder what it would take to get access to the actual airfield. From what I can tell, it'd be difficult since the planes are still private property? It'd be an amazing experience though!
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Old Jun 12, 2017, 5:55 pm
  #33  
 
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Originally Posted by eeflyer
I wonder what it would take to get access to the actual airfield. From what I can tell, it'd be difficult since the planes are still private property? It'd be an amazing experience though!
I tried, and tried, and tried through SCLA. No reply to social media (either) and I didn't want to cold call every time business that works out of SCLA though i am sure that would have worked (eventually).
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Old Jun 13, 2017, 9:53 pm
  #34  
 
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Stupid question, but why would airlines keep these planes stored for so long before "recycling" them for either parts or scrap metal? I know some should be kept for historical reasons, but if they are now considered obsolete, the metal should be able to be melted down to turn into something else. The composite materials may be a different situation.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 7:47 am
  #35  
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it's not a trivial process to strip potentially reusable items out of an airliner (not all countries' airworthiness requirements, especially for second-hand items, are necessarily as rigorous as those of the FAA. but there's a lot of recordkeeping associated with manufacturers, part numbers, serial numbers, etc); it's also not a trivial process to cut up the airframe after it's been stripped
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Old Mar 22, 2018, 7:19 pm
  #36  
 
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Bumping this old thread - has anyone been to Victorville recently and know if it is possible to take a tour inside the facility?
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Old Mar 23, 2018, 1:03 am
  #37  
 
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No tours. Unless you know someone 'on the inside', you're restricted to taking photos from outside the fence. Bring a long telephoto lens. What Madone59 did (rent an off-road-capable vehicle and drive around the perimeter on dirt tracks) will get you as close to the aircraft as possible. I tried doing this last December when in the area, but had to abandon the plan due to my rental SUV's lack of ground clearance.
Maybe contact Comav (the company involved with aircraft operations on the premises) and ask if there's options to have a look: ComAv | Contact
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Old Mar 24, 2018, 11:17 am
  #38  
 
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Originally Posted by puchong
Bumping this old thread - has anyone been to Victorville recently and know if it is possible to take a tour inside the facility?
I saw in another thread that you're going to Tucson in June. You can book a tour of the US Air Force Boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base through the Pima Air and Space Museum.
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 10:02 am
  #39  
 
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I am curious as to the ownership of the aircraft once they are sent to one of these graveyards. It is surely not for free that the graveyard hosts all these aircraft for a lenghty period of time? Or rather do they buy the retired aircraft from the airlines at a next-to-nothing cost in the hopes of recouping the invest through spare parts or rather raw metal afterwards?

Also interesting how some aircraft from @Madone59's visit (cool pics, thanks!) have their logos or name in the fuselage sealed or repainted. As if one couldn't identify the redish kangaroo on that red tail, or the half covered Lufthansa logo What would be the reason for doing that on a soon-to-be scrapped aircraft?
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 10:27 am
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by WY114
Also interesting how some aircraft from @Madone59's visit (cool pics, thanks!) have their logos or name in the fuselage sealed or repainted. As if one couldn't identify the redish kangaroo on that red tail, or the half covered Lufthansa logo What would be the reason for doing that on a soon-to-be scrapped aircraft?
Brand image. It doesn't look good to have pictures floating around of a 747 missing a wing and three engines with wires hanging out of every crevice and the company's logo still front and center on the airplane.

A person who can identify an airline just by color scheme without the logo isn't likely to be turned off by an airplane in a visibly unairworthy condition.
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Last edited by Lost; Mar 25, 2018 at 10:34 am
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Old Mar 26, 2018, 7:09 pm
  #41  
 
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Originally Posted by WY114
I am curious as to the ownership of the aircraft once they are sent to one of these graveyards. It is surely not for free that the graveyard hosts all these aircraft for a lenghty period of time? Or rather do they buy the retired aircraft from the airlines at a next-to-nothing cost in the hopes of recouping the invest through spare parts or rather raw metal afterwards?
They're owned by the folks that flew them there or the recyclers that bought them. The aircraft are tenants and the owners pay rent. When they're auctioned to recyclers/secondary markets, they're usually sold "as-is/where-is" the new owners have to go pick it up, or start paying rent on the parking spot.
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