Where old planes go when they "die"

[eddie]

You know there are so many jets there that I'd be willing to bet a case or ten of beer they wouldn't miss it if you decided to go in there with, say, a blowtorch and a flatbed truck in the middle of the night and decided to, um, "liberate" one for personal use later on down the road...

Sounds like a good first date to me.

 

[Super18Ordie]

My Grandfather was the Naval Director at AMARC. I got to tour it a few times. He had a Senior Chief, an AK1, and an AE3 working there with him and according to them its pretty chill duty.

 

[mattr]

That's cool, if I ever get the chance I'll surely know to go check it out!

 

[Grant]

Are tours open to the public? Or do you have to "know somebody"?

 

[AllAmerican75]

The Pima Air Museum across the street runs tours via bus in and out during the day. Also, the museum has a huge collection of planes. They even have one of the original B-52s used to launch NASA research aircraft. Neat Stuff! :icon_smil

 

[gregsivers]

The Pima Museum tours aren't as good as a personal one you can get if you're lucky. The bus tours Pima offers just drive you around a specific route inside AMARC and you see not as many planes. Still fun if thats the only chance you get. We got the personal tour a number of years ago, not exactly sure how, but my dad got the name and number of a Navy contact there and set it up. Its fascinating to see.

 

[Super18Ordie]

I went on the Pima Air & Space Museum tour and ended up knowing more then the tour guide did

 

[Cyclic]

I went there a year ago, really wanted to see the B-52's but didn't find them. A must is to drive around the base to the salvege yards. It was awesome, so piles (literally) of H-34's, H-37's it was depressing. Another yard had F-86H's!! talk about a rare sight, connies, C-54's, A-4B or C's it was incredible. Pima Air Museum was amazing because the aircraft there are exactly the way they were when they got there even decades ago...there's something special about that. Here's a few pics.

Good history trivia here, anyone know what Crusader model that is??
Where is that Convair from?...Model? Notice anything odd?
Ahhh....single seat jet trainer...I don't think CNATRA goes for that anymore..
How about the camouflage jet...model?

 

[Super18Ordie]

I have a picture I cant remember what type of jet it was but on the engine nozzle it said "Holder of the worlds speed record and how fast it was going, 1958" it was just sitting in the boneyard

 

[nfo2b]

Good history trivia here, anyone know what Crusader model that is??
Where is that Convair from?...Model? Notice anything odd?
Ahhh....single seat jet trainer...I don't think CNATRA goes for that anymore..
How about the camouflage jet...model?

Not sure about the crusader, although it does look suspiciously like an A-7 Corsair II, so I assume it's also a Vought (what ever happened to them?). I think I might remember something about an AF cousin of the A-7--F-8 or something like that?
The Convair is a T-29, and the "odd" thing I assume you're talking about is the belly-mounted radome(?)
the camo jet is an F-104 Starfighter.
And no idea what that single seat trainer is.
Wheeee, this if fun!

 

[Gatordev]

The trainer is an F-9, I believe (see the CCX thread), but I can't see if it's the Panther or the fat-winged version whose name escapes me. Good old Grumman, either way.

 

[Blutonski816]

Not sure about the crusader, although it does look suspiciously like an A-7 Corsair II, so I assume it's also a Vought (what ever happened to them?). I think I might remember something about an AF cousin of the A-7--F-8 or something like that?

Checked the BuNo On that one.. it is a DF-8F from VC-8 used as a Drone director.

Ling Temco Vought (LTV) as far as I heard no longer is Aircraft producing powerhouse it was during the mid 20th Century. It's mostly a Subcontractor for the bigger guys like Northrop-Grumman and Lockheed. For example they're invoved with remanufacturing wings for P-3s, Wings panels for E-2s and wing spars for Prowlers.

The AF did buy the A-7D for their needs for an attack aircraft.

 

[A4sForever]

Ahhhhhh ..... I weep for the future of Naval Aviation!!! You precious (precocious?) babies .... which room is scheduled for the aircraft recognition class ???

It's the venerable F9-F COUGAR !!!! VT-23 of Kingsville and a single-seat version ... they transitioned to the TA-4 just before I got there. The F9's were still up and running at Chase Field -- the shorter STUDs got sent there -- a.k.a. the sitting height challenged STUDs.

It's most likely a "straight" fighter pressed into TRACOM service as not enough 2-seaters were then available for the Vietnam training surge --- and a surplus of the single-seat variant was still around. It was a follow-on to the F9-F PANTHER. The COUGAR was basically the same aircraft as the PANTHER --- only with swept wings .... another fine example of what Grumman Iron Works could turn out. The single-seat COUGAR was used in the TRACOM for Instructor chase, form, ACM, and weapons leads ....and the more advanced stage solo STUDs ...

The F9-F COUGAR did not make it to the Korean War --- too bad --- it would have whipped up on the MiG-15's, which were besting the straight-wing PANTHERS (think Bridges at Toko-Ri for Panther). It was actually easier to bring aboard the ship than it's earlier, straight-wing brother. The Venezuelans used the F9F COUGAR in service at the time I was going through the pipeline --- we had several Venezuelan STUDs and Instructors mixed in with us.

For your viewing pleasure .... Grumman F9-F Panther (l) and F9-F Cougar (r)

The Crusader ("A-7"?) above in Cyclic's earlier post is an early F-8 ... probably an -A or a -B .... still has it's gun ports (2 per side), and early 144*** BuNo, no ventral strakes (useless), and a "small" radome. So probably an F-8A or -B that was never modified?? It appears that it might have "VC" on the rear fuselage, which would probably mean it was in a Fleet Composite squadron -- VC-7 or -8, and used as a chase plane in missile shoots or something like that --- Regulus or Bomarc tests, etc blah, blah, blah ..... just a guess.

*edit* Good job on the F-8, Blutonski ... I could not tell if it was "modified" or not --- most of the "un"modified ones retained their guns. ..... ??? Or not???

 

[nfo2b]

Ahhhhhh ..... I weep for the future of Naval Aviation!!! You precious (precocious?) babies .... which room is scheduled for the aircraft recognition class ???

Aw, c'mon, grandpa, I was 3 for 4...that's not bad! :icon_smil

The Crusader ("A-7"?) above in Cyclic's earlier post is an early F-8 ... probably an -A or a -B ....

Hrm...None of us young bucks ever called it an A-7. I said "looks suspiciously like an LTV (Vought) A-7, indicating to me that it was at least a cousin of the A-7, but not the A-7 itself. In fact, I even hazarded a (correct) guess that it was an F-8. So why ya bustin' my chops, gramps?
(Just joshin' ya, A4s--it's all in fun!--many :icon_smil 's to you!)

 

[A4sForever]

Aw, c'mon, grandpa, I was 3 for 4...that's not bad! :icon_smil
So why ya bustin' my chops, gramps?

... 'Cause if I don't bust your chops, who is gonna keep you guys "straight" and clear-eyed ???

And remember --- I said you guys might be "precocious" , to wit:

1. precocious: Manifesting or characterized by unusually early development or maturity, especially in mental aptitude.

Or do I exaggerate ... ???