Where do you park an airplane??? Mojave!

[Passenger Mark]

Maybe I am odd... But I thought I would share a place that I hang out at sometimes. And no it is not Disneyland!!!!

Mojave Airport... www.mojaveairport.com/ (http://www.mojaveairport.com/)

It is in the middle of the desert, with nothing much around, but it is a cool place... well not really, can be kind-of hot out there. But regardless, if you are in the area, something to see.

For one... they store airliners there. When a airline retires an aircraft, or takes it out of service because times are slow, they fly it to Mojave, prepare it, and store it. Just like you storing your shoes for winter!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Aircraft/mojave2.jpg
Photo used with permission of the photographer, Sam Chui http://www.SamChuiPhotos.com

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Aircraft/mojave1.jpg
Photo used with permission of the photographer, Sam Chui http://www.SamChuiPhotos.com

Here is a Virgin Atlantic 747 all bundled up and stored...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Aircraft/mojaveVA.jpg
Photo used with permission of the photographer, Sam Chui http://www.SamChuiPhotos.com

Kind of neat, as you are driving on a open desert two lane road in the middle of nowhere, come over the hill and see a ton of airliners are lined up!

Among other things, the world's spotlight is now on the Mojave Spaceport, where SpaceShipOne has just won the coveted $10 million X-Prize competition, and set a new altitude record, shattering the 40-year old previous record set by an X-15 in 1963.

http://www.mojaveairport.com/images/xprize2/ss1-041004-95-1.jpg

They also make movies there! You may remember the final scene in "SPEED" about the bus. Filmed at Mojave!

If you don't get a chance to take a drive out there, take a look around their website!

[noflyingfan]

People mention all the time how many flights take off every day and how many people are on these flights, etc. Imagine how many flights a retired aircraft has taken and how many people flew on all of those planes! Those planes represent a lot of safe flights.

I've wondered though, what happens to all of those old planes? I can't imagine they mean to leave them in the desert forever and ever and ever. I'm sure there's a point by which they know nothing on the plane will any longer be useful. I'm sure a couple wind up in museums and stuff, but where do the rest go?

[spleisher]

Sadly, some old birds are eventually scrapped in much the same way an old ship is. They are just dismantled and sold for scrap metal.

[noflyingfan]

In that case, maybe we should think of them as organ donors.

[Passenger Mark]

Some do get dismantled for parts...

Some get sold off to carriers in other parts of the world...

Some are sold to freight/cargo carriers like UPS etc.

And some are just there for a visit during the slow times. If biz picks back up, they pull them out of storage, bring them up to flight readiness, and put them back into service.

[JPenny]

Cool pictures, Mark! We've actually driven past that place on our Christmas trek from South Carolina to Phoenix. Do you get out and walk around there, or is it under high security? I imagine the weather there is pretty easy on those jets: dry and warm. LOVE those desert pictures!!!

Jean who grew up in PHX.
:hamster
Pretend this is a prairie dog!

[Jeff California]

Yeah, mohave is neat. My mom lives in Apple Valley, so I have passed that graveyard many times. It was INSANE how many planes were parked there after 9/11... Seems that many of those planes are back out making money though as Mohave isn't as full as it was..