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News & Media A Tale of Two Boneyards

A Tale of Two Boneyards

What does the customer want?

June 28, 2016 By Mike Collins
Where do large aircraft go when they’re not needed by their owners or operators? The Arizona desert—with its dry air, minimal annual rainfall, and alkaline soil that minimize corrosion—frequently is the destination. A civilian airplane might end up at Marana Aerospace Solutions, which operates a 1,200-acre facility at Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona. The company offers aircraft storage, heavy maintenance, component repair and overhaul, painting, and interiors; Marana Aerospace also operates the FBO.

Where the aircraft go

  • Where the aircraft go
    Marana Aerospace boneyard and maintenance facility
  • Where the aircraft go
    A line of stored Douglas DC-10s bask in the Arizona sun at Marana Aerospace in Marana, Arizona. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    Airliners that formerly served Delta, Northwest, and other carriers await their futures at Marana Aerospace, located at Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    An engine on a new Boeing 747, stored at Marana Aerospace in Arizona, is resealed. Openings are covered to protect the aircraft from the elements. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    Disassembly of the airplane in the foreground has begun at Marana Aerospace in Arizona. Engines, engine pylons, and other parts already have been removed from the former Evergreen Boeing 747. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    New Boeing 747s, waiting to enter service (left), face off against older 747s stored at Marana Aerospace in Arizona after many years of service. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    A number of parts--including windshields and the nose cone--have been removed from an older Boeing 747 stored at Marana Aerospace in Arizona. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    The engine has been removed from this nacelle on a Boeing twinjet, stored at Marana Aerospace in Arizona. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    This Boeing 747, named for Ronald Elwin Kappel, may have made its last flight. The Boeing 747-300, wearing the colors of Surinam Airways, was stored at Marana Aerospace in Arizona. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    Tires are kept inflated on the aircraft stored at Marana Aerospace in Arizona. Even after engines and other components have been removed, the airframes often must be moved. Aircraft are scrapped in an area separate from aircraft storage. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    Marana Aerospace boneyard and maintenance facility
  • Where the aircraft go
    Marana Aerospace boneyard and maintenance facility
  • Where the aircraft go
    This Boeing 747, named for Ronald Elwin Kappel, may have made its last flight. The Boeing 747-300, wearing the colors of Surinam Airways, was stored at Marana Aerospace in Arizona. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    Retired Beechcraft T-34C Turbine Mentors repose at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. The green "+" indicates that any explosives and other hazards have been removed from the airframe. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    The cockpits of these parked Lockheed C-5s at Davis Monthan Air Force Base are shadowed by the tails of the C-5s in the next row. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    Thick morning fog adds to the eerie atmosphere surrounding this sea of Lockheed C-130s stored at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. The aircraft in the first few rows, with refueling pods suspended beneath the wings, appear to be MC-130 special missions aircraft. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    At the peak of McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom retirements, more than 1,200 of the venerable fighters were stored at the 309th AMARG boneyard. Most were converted into QF-4 target drones; that program has ended and only a couple dozen Phantoms remain. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    Stencils on the engine air inlet of this McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom indicate the type and date of maintenance received while it has been stored in the 309th AMARG boneyard. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    A dense fog cloaks several versions of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules stored at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    Mosture condensed from a heavy morning fog trickles down the nose of a Lockheed C-130 stored in the Davis Monthan Air Force Base boneyard.
  • Where the aircraft go
    Some parts appear to have been removed from the tail of this Lockheed C-5, parked in the 309th AMARG boneyard at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    The sun begins to set behind one of the McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom jets still stored at the 309th AMARG boneyard, at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Where the aircraft go
    These F-16 fighters, stored at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, were scheduled to become some of the Air Force's first QF-16 target drones. Photo by Mike Collins.

Marana Aerospace Solutions, Pinal Airpark, Marana, Arizona

Stored aircraft are maintained per the owner’s request, in either an OEM- or a customer-tailored preservation program. Capacity is about 400 airplanes, depending on the mix of wide- and narrowbody jets. Some aircraft are brand-new, with their entry into service delayed. When an airframe reaches the end of its service life, Marana’s FAR Part 145 repair station can tag and record serviceable components, and coordinate scrapping and disposal.

After World War II, Pinal County took over Marana Army Air Field, which leased it to various tenants during the Vietnam War, including Air America. Operated most recently as Evergreen Aviation, Marana Aerospace Solutions took over in May 2011.

“We have invested substantial dollars and resources to making this into a facility it’s never been before,” said Jim Martin, president and CEO, citing the addition of heavy maintenance capabilities. “That has been an afterthought out here for many years,” Martin said. “We’re exploring general aviation as a possible expansion.”

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona

There’s only one place for unneeded military aircraft to go: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, where the U.S. Air Force’s 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) operates a 2,600-acre facility—that’s four square miles—currently home to about 4,000 aircraft that represent some 80 weapon systems. After World War II, C–47 transports and B–29 bombers were stored at the base by the U.S. Army Air Forces. It became the primary storage area for all U.S. military aircraft in 1964.

Aircraft are maintained at one of four levels of storage, determined by the AMARG customer. No parts are removed from Level 1000 aircraft, which may be reactivated on short notice. Level 2000 are retained for parts reclamation; and Level 4000 have been identified as excess to the service’s needs, and parts may be repurposed before disposal. (Level 3000 storage essentially is a flyable hold, but no aircraft currently are stored at this level.) Aircraft are still “owned” by their branch of the military, or government agency—or, in some cases, an organization like the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force or the National Museum of Naval Aviation.

A primary reason for AMARG is support; a critically needed part can be retrieved, packed, and shipped to a unit the same day. A carpentry shop builds custom shipping crates for the many unusually shaped or -sized parts. During Fiscal Year 2014, the facility reclaimed almost 10,000 parts, with an original value of more than $523 million.AOPA

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Tale of Two Boneyards
A warning stenciled on the rear propeller of a Vietnam War-era Cessna O–2 advises not to rotate the blade.

Tale of Two Boneyards
Cessna T–37 training jets await an uncertain future.

Tale of Two Boneyards
Tails of Galaxy transports.

Mike Collins

Mike Collins

Technical Editor
Mike Collins, AOPA technical editor and director of business development, died at age 59 on February 25, 2021. He was an integral part of the AOPA Media team for nearly 30 years, and held many key editorial roles at AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, and AOPA Online. He was a gifted writer, editor, photographer, audio storyteller, and videographer, and was an instrument-rated pilot and drone pilot.
Go to Mike Collins's Profile

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