In an age where more-and-more airliners fall by the retirement wayside, a Boeing 747 sitting alongside Interstate 10 near Tucson, Ariz. is finding new life. But this time the jet won’t be traversing the skies, instead being commissioned to serve sushi to patrons on the ground. The aircraft, registered as N3439F, is located just east of Pinal Airpark in Marana, Ariz., which is famous for countless stored and scrapped jets. Even though its wings have been clipped — quite literally…
Located north of Tucson, Ariz., Pinal Airpark is a small, single-runway airfield that bears witness to some of the world's most iconic jets. The airport has several vendors on-site who manage the storage and reclamation processes for these aircraft. For years, Pinal Airpark has served as a so-called "boneyard," where…
With COVID-19 decimating the travel industry, demand has dropped to almost nothing. Planes have been sent to storage for who knows how long. Many aircraft will be brought into service as demand picks up but some will be kept in storage longer since it will likely take some time before…
When aircraft reach retirement age, their years of service are often celebrated and aviation enthusiasts nostalgically remember the years they spent dutifully carrying out their respective missions. After the celebrations end and the memories fade, what happens to the airplanes we remember so fondly? Many end up in the boneyard or other…
Roswell International Air Center is a public-use airport that serves the city of Roswell, N.M. It was previously known as Roswell Army International Airfield during World War II, and Walker Air Force Base during the Cold War. The base was previously known for a large presence of US Air Force…
The stretch of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson is filled with its fair share of oddities. Just about halfway between Arizona's two largest cities lies a ranch where visitors can stop by to feed ostriches and stingrays — in the same visit — smack-dab in the middle of the…
It's not often that you’ll see a Corsair Boeing 747-300, China Southern Boeing 777-200, US Airways Boeing 757 and a Southwest Airlines 737-700 hanging out with the German Air Force and perspective KLM and Lufthansa pilots at a small general aviation airport. However, Phoenix Goodyear Airport is not your typical…
Where do airplanes go when they get too old to fly? The long rows of t-tails and turboprops, accompanied by powerful 747's and DC10's, lining the dusty ground of the Mojave Desert provide the answer to that question. This is where many airplanes, particularly airliners, spend their retirement-until their final…
