Tucson’s ‘Boneyard’ photos seen across globe

By Jacquelyn Montaño

Tucson’s Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group has been put on the map, so to speak.

After a British newspaper found photographs on Google Earth of the Tucson landmark known as the “Boneyard,” news affiliates around the world buzzed about the images.

The aerospace storage and maintenance facility adjoins Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Google Earth photos show rows and rows of airplanes neatly organized on brown desert dirt.

News reports called the images “never-before released” but Google spokeswoman Kate Hurowitz said the photos were actually taken by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2007.

The photos gave Tucson’s airplane graveyard recognition in places like Britain, Canada, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Romania, Russia and Vietnam.

The Boneyard is home to more 4,200 military aircraft. Many of the aircrafts are vacuum-packed, waiting to be either restored or recycled.

The F-4 Phantom II and the F-14 Tomcat, seen in the Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun,” are among the historic planes laid to rest. The Boneyard was recently featured in the movie “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Tucson was chosen as the Boneyard’s location because its dry climate leaves planes less vulnerable to corrosion. Six inches of topsoil also make it easy to park and tow the planes.

The Boneyard gets up to 40,000 visitors every year but with the new-found interest, that number is sure to increase.