can you buy one cheap...would love to have a fighter plane as a piece of furniture...
http://www.sr-71.org/photogallery/blackbird/d-21/ http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/d21~1.htm Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Dude they have like 8 Nasa WB-57F Jets! http://www.flickr.com/photos/15160076@N06/3326729607/sizes/o/ That plane was awesome Heres a bunch of f15-a models http://www.flickr.com/photos/15160076@N06/3327575096/ What is this??? http://www.flickr.com/photos/15160076@N06/3326746761/sizes/o/
This is in Tuscon, you can see some planes from the highway. IIRC, you can visit the site, and they used to tour you around on golf carts. Awesome stuff for sure!
Am I the only one who finds this place where airplanes go to die incredibly sad? :-( It's unfortunate that, as the technology and complexity of our military aircraft have advanced, so too has the cost of ownership. Of course, post 9/11, I guess the government/FAA wouldn't be too thrilled about private ownership of something as capable as, say, a F-14 anyway. I guess we won't see many warbirds from this era 30, 50 years down the road because most will end up in the field, waiting to be dismantled. A shame, really.
We won't have ANY in private hands here in the States. After the F-18 (in pieces, but still rebuildable) showed up on Ebay, the military got real nasty about it. They "de-mil" (chop up with a big machine) anything that goes out of their hands into salvage. See photo below. It's not new, but in the past at least some got out alive. Nowdays, the only thing that will be left in private hands is static displays with no mechanicals and a carefully severed spar. It might be possible to pick up non-USA-owned fighters, but nobody will be allowed to bring them back in here. If you're interested in this, you might contact the Classic Jet Aircraft Association at http://www.classicjets.org/ They're the leading voice for vintage fighter jet enthusiasts. Surprisingly, some classic fighters are cheap to buy -- but the running costs! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Gosh. That's a lot of metal there, what a pity ;( I wouldn't mind converting one of those seats for my office chair I joined the Air Force for a year but didn't get to fly any jets & one of our chatter in the Asia section is an F-16 pilot. While I was checking out the google map, I saw an aircraft carrier no41 @ the harbour of San Diego. You guys can have a look.
Sorry, you are correct. When i posted the link it didnt show what i wanted to show for some reason When i can afford to spend a couple of months touring the US i will be visiting this place.
You definitely should. They offer a tour of the boneyard along with the Pima Air and Space Museum. You can also get a tour of an old Titan Missile Silo. I have done all three this past December and loved it. http://www.pimaair.org/
Thanks. I wasnt aware of the others but i would visit them if i ever make it there. I just need to convice my girlfriend that we need to go when we go to the USA!
Hey Rob, If you're ever in the Washington, DC area you should check out the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum (http://www.nasm.si.edu/udvarhazy/). They also have an SR-71, The Space Shuttle Enterprise AND the Concorde all under one roof. Bill
Whew...you ain't kidding. Just for fun a while ago, I ran the expenses for operating a Hawker Hunter for a single leg of a maximum range cross country assuming perfect weather. While I can't recall the exact total, I remember thinking, "Who the hell can afford THAT more than once?" No one I know, and I know some pretty rich people. Anyway, if I am ever able to afford it more than once, I'd love to, so thanks for the link! It's good to know someone is trying to keep the fires burning. Or the after burners firing anyway. I guess the L-39 is one of the more manageable "fighters" in terms of operating cost, right?
BTW, I wholeheartedly endorse this suggestion. It's an overwhelming experience for aviation enthusiasts!
Thanks very much for the tip. I dont know when i will be going but as soon as i can afford to travel around the USA for a couple of months and also know that the company will be ok without me for that amount of time i am doing it You guys would probably like this place if you are ever in the UK http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/ I might see if my nephews want to go as ive not been for a few years. I used to go to some great air shows on the US bases here years ago but i dont hear about them happening any more.
Plus a fortune in expensive mil-grade toilet seat covers.... Pretty cool place. Next road trip I'll have to plan a stop there.
Those are not C-130 Herks they are Fairchild C-123 Providers. There are in quarantine at AMARC as they were used for spraying "Agent Orange" in Vietnam and cannot be destroyed due to the potential of toxins being released. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-123_Provider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ranch_Hand
I live in Tucson very close to the AMARG. I've been to the Pima Air and Space Museum twice so far, very neat. They have a Beechcraft Starship sitting outside.
I guess that explains why they're sectioned off from the rest of the planes. Interesting info. Thanks Beast. Now that I look at that picture I posted, I see the nose is a little more pointed than the C-130's rounded nose. I'll have to search again for a C-130. Bill
Another good place to visit is the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH. The only place you will see an XB-70 Valkyrie in the flesh. They have a bunch of old Air Force One's and just about everything significant that the Air Force flew. http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/
Not only do I find it quite sad, but also quite creepy frankly. Honestly the amount of history thats sitting there per airframe is alot to digest. Especially seeing the F4's and Huey's there
Cool thread That place is indeed epic in size! Wow, I have seen some docos about it, but seeing it on google maps!!!
