I’m listing a house soon over in Vista del Prado, near Davis Monthan Air Force Base. The owner has been making some repairs and upgrades, so I stopped by the other day to check on the progress.
I left the neighborhood by a route unfamiliar to me, when I turned a corner and all of a sudden, there was the Boneyard. Hundreds of little unexpected airplane behinds staring at me.
More formally, that’s the “Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center” as those in the know will tell you. Planes are “mothballed” and stored for future use, sometimes long after production of those aircraft has ceased.
There’s an interview with Colonel Michael Spencer from 2006 in the Arizona Daily Star where he makes the argument that the “boneyard” is not a place where aircraft go to die. Rather, the Colonel states that there are 4,400 airplanes at the AMARC, valued at $33 billion, and for every dollar the AMARC spends, it brings back $12.43 as a giant parts store for the US Military. And, he says, they do regenerate entire airplanes.
Locals call it the Boneyard, and it’s a sort of fascinating history of planes, sitting out in the field. You can take tours by bus, run by the Pima Air and Space Museum.
Oh, and that’s a sweet little 4 bedroom, 2 bath house over in Vista del Prado - nice big yard, tile floors except in the bedrooms, no funky additions, new roof, new paint, 1 car carport, and an evap cooler - there’s some touch-ups left to do, but it should be ready in a couple weeks. Give me a call if you’re looking for something in the area.
