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A visit to the Boneyard

<p>The remains of a Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker, serial no. 55-3129, are stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., on May 14. The aircraft is the original "Weightless Wonder" of NASA according to the planes' records. NASA used the aircraft to train the Mercury 7 astronauts on zero-gravity flights, and it was nicknamed the "Vomit Comet" for its effect on pilots and passengers alike. </p>

<p>Various military aircraft, including F-15's, C-130's and F-4's are arranged behind the wing of a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy Cargo Jet at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. With a wingspan over 222 feet, the C-5A Galaxy the largest aircraft in the U.S. armed services. </p>

<p>The 39th and final B-52G Stratofortress, tail number 58-0224, right, accountable under the New START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) with Russia, lies in the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The United States cut the tails off the 39 aircraft in order to remove the B-52G models from treaty accountability, as they still count as nuclear-capable delivery platforms with their tails attached. The tails are angled at 30 degrees so Russian satellites can view compliance. Tail number 58-0224, nicknamed "Sweet Tracy,&q…

<p>U.S. Marines play spades during a break at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard in Tucson, Ariz. The Marines are repairing F-A-18's to return to service at the 309th facility. </p>

<p>Phil Kovaric and Dennis Varney remove the missile rails from an F-4 Phantom slated for destruction at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard in Tucson, Ariz. </p>

<p>F-16 Fighting Falcons sit in a field along Miami St. at the boneyard. Over 4,500 variants of the F-16's have been produced since 1973. This field of fighters will become drone target planes in the future. </p>

<p>An Army Sikorsky VH-34s Choctaw helicopter, which was used to transport President Dwight D. Eisenhower, sits in a field at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. Eisenhower became the first chief executive to be transported by helicopter and the VH-34's served as "Army One" from 1958 through 1963 for Eisenhower and President John F. Kennedy. </p>

<p>C-130 Hercules cargo planes are lined up in a field at the boneyard. Over 2,300 variants of the C-130 have been produced since 1954. </p>

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by Matt York
| May 24, 2015 9:00 PM

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&lt;p&gt;Various military aircraft, including F-15's, C-130's and F-4's are arranged behind the wing of a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy Cargo Jet at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. With a wingspan over 222 feet, the C-5A Galaxy the largest aircraft in the U.S. armed services.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;The 39th and final B-52G Stratofortress, tail number 58-0224, right, accountable under the New START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) with Russia, lies in the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The United States cut the tails off the 39 aircraft in order to remove the B-52G models from treaty accountability, as they still count as nuclear-capable delivery platforms with their tails attached. The tails are angled at 30 degrees so Russian satellites can view compliance. Tail number 58-0224, nicknamed &quot;Sweet Tracy,&quot; flew combat missions over North Vietnam in Operation Linebacker II, which began Dec. 18, 1972 and lasted 11 nights. The aircraft targeted the Yen Vien Railroad Yards and the Hanoi Railroad Repair Yards.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;U.S. Marines play spades during a break at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard in Tucson, Ariz. The Marines are repairing F-A-18's to return to service at the 309th facility.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;Phil Kovaric and Dennis Varney remove the missile rails from an F-4 Phantom slated for destruction at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard in Tucson, Ariz.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;F-16 Fighting Falcons sit in a field along Miami St. at the boneyard. Over 4,500 variants of the F-16's have been produced since 1973. This field of fighters will become drone target planes in the future.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;An Army Sikorsky VH-34s Choctaw helicopter, which was used to transport President Dwight D. Eisenhower, sits in a field at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. Eisenhower became the first chief executive to be transported by helicopter and the VH-34's served as &quot;Army One&quot; from 1958 through 1963 for Eisenhower and President John F. Kennedy.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;C-130 Hercules cargo planes are lined up in a field at the boneyard. Over 2,300 variants of the C-130 have been produced since 1954.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;

TUCSON, Ariz. - The airplanes are lined up in rows by the hundreds, serving as a striking reminder of the nation's military past.

They carried presidents and astronauts, shot down enemies during war and shuttled American military forces around the globe.

Now, they are scattered across a dusty field at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on the outskirts of Tucson, at a location known affectionately as the "boneyard."

It is the world's largest airplane repository and preservation facility, providing long- and short-term aircraft storage, parts reclamation and disposal for all types of planes.

As sunrise illuminates the facility's 2,600 acres, the relics it holds evoke thoughts of missions past:

n An Army One helicopter that transported President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s.

n An old TWA jet that was once hijacked and bombed.

n An aircraft that spent 16 years preserved entirely under Antarctic snow before returning to flight and ending up in the sweltering Arizona desert.

Notably, the last aircraft to leave Saigon as it fell to North Vietnamese forces sits alongside disassembled Cold War bombers. The B-52s have their tails removed - one of the terms of a post-Cold War treaty with Russia to provide proof the bombers were indeed decommissioned.

The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group was established in 1946 as the 4105th Army Air Force Unit to house planes after World War II.

It quickly expanded to aircraft from all military branches due to Tucson's low humidity, minimal rainfall and high altitude, all of which help ward off rust and corrosion. The hard soil makes it possible to move and secure aircraft without the need for pavement.

Today, the boneyard is both a testament to U.S. air prowess and, through reclamation and restoration, a means to keep the country and its allies in flight.