The “Boneyard”

[Music] situated between mountain ranges surrounding Tucson Arizona among the cacti and fauna of the Sonoran Desert is a robust national level air power reservoir possessing a vast spectrum of capability from which Department of Defense's warfighters may draw in times of conflict and world crises immediately after World War two the Army's San Antonio air technical service command established a storage facility for vast numbers of b-29 Superfortresses and c-47 skytrains at davis-monthan Air Force Base eventually more than 650 b-29s and 255 c-47s would call the desert their home also stored were rare and unique museum aircraft to include the two atomic bomb errs Enola Gay and boxcar the German Yonkers Ju 88 medium bomber the only b19 in existence and annex a 38 grizzly [Music] the primary reasons for selecting davis-monthan as the ideal site for this storage facility were to saans meager rainfall low humidity and alkaline soil low moisture minimizes deterioration and corrosion while the caliche a clay-like subsoil nearly as hard as cement permits the largest aircraft to be parked without replacing the desert surface with concrete or steel parking ramps the facility having undergone a number of name changes is now referred to as the 309 'the aerospace maintenance and regeneration group or 309 'the a mark for more than 70 years the organization has achieved its unique mission elements aircraft storage and preservation reclaiming and returning vital parts into the supply chain regenerating valuable aircraft flying service providing limited depot maintenance and modifications disposal and the more recently added financial improvement and audit readiness certified asset management in 1948 a Marg withdrew and regenerated a number of transport aircraft in order to support the Berlin Airlift then breaking the Soviet blockade of West Berlin in the early 1950s the group also withdrew and regenerated several hundred b-29s to support strategic bombing missions in North Korea in 1958 the group's mission grew to include supporting early versions of the foreign military sales program as a means of supporting Allied interoperability and relieving an excess of still valuable surplus aircraft in late 1964 the Secretary of Defense directed that all military services use a single storage and disposition facility effectively consolidating dozens of smaller boneyards into a single site the davis-monthan location was selected to become the single manager for aircraft storage disposal and reclamation operations for all four services in 1965 998 Navy aircraft were transferred to davis-monthan the Navy aircraft storage Depot at Litchfield Park near Phoenix to make consolidation and the single management concept a reality during the Vietnam War a mark regenerated 625 aircraft for service in Southeast Asia nearly 260 thousand parts to include critically meet at b-52 bomber engines were removed from storage and shipped in support of the warfighter in 1973 as the Vietnam War wound down still viable yet war-weary aircraft were funneled into 309 a mark and the facility's inventory reached an all-time high of 6080 aircraft at the end of that decade a mark began regenerating the first series of full-scale aerial targets in support of Tactical Air commands drone program converting the f-102 Delta Dagger into QF 102 drones after regenerating 153 f-102s the F set program shifted to the f-100 Super Sabre then the f-106 delta dart followed by the f4 in 1992 delivery of the last f4 came in 2013 however the program remains active with the regeneration of the f-16 today the 309 aerospace maintenance and regeneration group strives to be the air force's most admired Logistics Enterprise providing agile and efficient world-class depo level maintenance and logistics support approximately 4,000 aircraft are stored here creating a surreal bird's-eye view like no other in the world grow after row reveals a vast display of viable aerospace assets belonging to the US Air Force Navy Marine Corps Army Coast Guard and other agencies including NASA the National Science Foundation the State Department and the u.s. Forest Service with an acquisition value of 35 billion dollars a marks aerospace fleet provides a unique savings account from which military units throughout the world may withdraw parts and aircraft a Mart also stores aircraft for some of our nation's allied military forces nearly 650,000 line items of production toolings supporting 35 MDS is owned by the Air Force Navy and Marine Corps along with an inventory of 8,000 engines and other aerospace items to include missiles launchers engines pylons airframe components and communication systems are also stored here [Music] the 309 Support Squadron is charged with supply functions warehouse management aircraft production tooling and special assets management as well as the wood mill thousands of airframes are preserved with a sought-after technique to protect their valuable flight mechanisms this process assisted by the low humidity climate maintains the integrity of the airframe for extended storage periods aircraft preservation is performed by the 578 storage and disposal squadron and is perhaps the group's most visible mission element as thousands of preserved aircraft dominate the a marks 2600 acre facility prior to aircraft arrival a Marc's production support team works with the customers representatives and engineers to develop a ceiling diagram and statement of work to fit the anticipated storage level for each aircraft type 1,000 aircraft are considered in violet aircraft meaning they have a high potential to return to flying status and no parts may be removed these aircraft are completely Reap reserved every four years [Music] type 2000 aircrafts are considered violet and may be reclaimed for parts however only in support of the system program office or owner of the aircraft a 180-day in storage maintenance cycle on both type 1000 and 2000 aircraft ensure the integrity of these valuable assets type 4000 aircraft are considered excess to the needs of the airframes owner meaning the aircraft may be reclaimed for components in support of any DoD branch or government agency upon receipt of the aircraft personnel promptly conduct an examination and evaluation which includes a 780 inspection and inventory of the airframes contents the navy's carrier-based aircraft and helicopters are immediately washed to remove any corrosive saltwater environment agents while all other aircraft begin their preservation process at a Marc's flesh farm or engine fuel system preservation area after draining residual jet fuel at the low points a mark personnel refuel the aircraft with a lightweight 10:10 oil similar to sewing machine oil the preservation team then runs aircraft engines or turns the engines over if they cannot be run this draws the 1010 oil throughout the fuel system and engine preserving the system and its components the oil is then drained and returned to holding tanks for later reuse all aircraft then returned to the wash rack for a thorough cleaning and corrosion control the aircraft are moved to an area where the ejection or escape systems are saved by removing ejection seat actuators initiators and cartridge activated devices finally aircraft are sealed with a non-toxic water-based latex like strippable compound this process begins with a preservation team applying a wide black plastic tape similar to electricians tape to prevent the liquid compound from entering these areas and making removal difficult engine inlets and outlets are covered with aluminized cloth material called barrier paper which is taped into place canopy's di sur boots and ray domes are waxed to simplify removal of the dry strippable compound a coat of white acrylic compound similar but more flexible than roof coating is sprayed over a layer of the black latex rubber emulsion as much as necessary to obtain a good seal and opaque enough to keep the heat out the white strippable compound serves as a temperature control without it the temperature inside each aircraft would soar during the hot summer months with the white cover the inside temperature remains within 10 to 15 degrees of ambient temperature a mark is the expert in reactivating all types of aircraft and returning them to flying status to meet our nation's warfighting needs and those of our allies the group's 5 76th aerospace maintenance and regeneration squadron currently regenerates from storage the smaller more maneuverable f16 aircraft for air combat commands missile evaluation and pilot training program using the a FSC way or process improvement techniques fostered by the air force sustainment Center a Marg has both improved the quality and cut the delivery time of these future f-16 full-scale aerial targets by half a majority placed into storage less than ten years ago each f-16 undergoes a three to four month reactivation cycle and when complete the aircraft undergo a minimum of two functional check flights performed by a Marc's flight test pilot Boeing in Cecil Field Florida converts the airframes into targets prior to delivery to Tyndall and Holloman Air Force bases the goal is to regenerate twenty eight f-16s per year a critical contribution sustaining our flying forces combat superiority a mark is a key force enabler allowing the United States to rapidly adjust to the global environment and provide world-class aircraft maintenance and logistic support as part of the larger AFSC enterprise that supports the DoD and other government agencies April 2016 saw the first delivery of two former marine kc-130 T aircraft to the Philippine Air Force under the foreign military sales program these aircraft will provide this country with additional airlift capability should they face a future devastating typhoon or natural disaster currently working with the US Coast Guard the group is assisting this department of homeland security operation and standing up to c-27j flying units to allow for a full operational capability nationwide thus far a mark has regenerated seven of the 13 aircraft initially placed into storage in 2013 late 2014 a marked personnel filled a support role for an integrated air force team of maintained errs from tinker and Barksdale Air Force bases regenerating ghostrider a b-52 H for the Global Strike Command the aircraft was flown to Barksdale in February 2015 after nearly seven years in storage transcending its traditional role of storage a mark is a proven source of repair refurbishment and modification for weapon systems worldwide aligned under the Ogden Air Logistics complex at Hill Air Force Base in Utah a mark is performing limited depo level maintenance in support of the Air Force sustainment Center the numbered Air Force for readiness the five 77th commodities reclamation squadron employees experienced aviation mechanics to provide airframe structural repair non-destructive testing of critical components avionics repair and new Daleks repairs a mark began work on the c-130 outer wing overhaul project in 2015 applying the AFS Seaway production methodology for operations management and process improvement a team of sheetmetal fuels and non destruction wing inspection and repair workers partially disassembled outer wings for non-destructive inspection TC teo performance and repair of discrepancies the first seven c-130 outer wing sets was completed and configured for shipment to Robin's Air Force Base Georgia ahead of schedule and a mark continues to remain on track for future on-time deliveries a mark services are often employed to find cost-effective solutions to temporary shortages of capacity and capability for inspection test modification and repair of aircraft aircraft engines and commodities aircraft not reactivated continue to serve the United States and our allies as sources of spare parts supporting operational aircraft in many cases 309 a Marg is the only place to obtain parts to keep certain types of aircraft flying a cross-functional team of experts also assigned to the five 77th commodities reclamation squadron are skilled in the delicate removal of critical weapons systems components or precision removal of a whole aircraft fuselage repairable bench check parts delivered within a 24 hour turnaround threshold are effective stop gaps enabling the operational fleet to remain fully mission capable in many cases a Marg is the only source of parts for older airframes and a critical resource for items considered EMS or diminishing manufacturing sources as an example in 2015 629 b1 B bomber assets were removed and shipped to prevent the fleet from grounding a Marg accelerated the delivery of critical my cap and reclaimed parts to deployed forces in support of operations noble Eagle Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom with notable results especially coded 9 GF and 9 GJ in theater parts valued at one point one six nine million dollars were delivered to the warfighter in 2015 late summer 2005 a Marg mechanics with technical assistance from US Marine Corps squadron personnel removed to the rotor heads and transmissions from three ch-53 Super Stallion helicopters for shipment to MCAS Cherry Point North Carolina for complete regeneration a Marg assisted in loading the three ch-53 s into c 5s and completed the project two and a half weeks ahead of schedule the Marine Corps estimated the time to return the first helicopter to operational service would be 18 months the first helicopter returned to service just 10 months later eight months ahead of schedule a testament to a Marc's preservation methods this facility returns between 1/4 and 1/2 a billion dollars worth of parts to the warfighter annually certain types of aircraft like the kc-135 and at the b-52 G may be utilized for structural teardown or specific repair studies entire airframes and small sections or components are recovered and used in new design development projects as well as structural evaluations to define weapons system longevity issues and design repair plans and even aircraft stripped of parts have value in terms of salvageable metal when no longer required to support operational requirements a mark coordinates the disposal of aging and excess airframes a Marc's 578 storage and disposal squadron expertly removes hazardous or radiological materials military type components and demilitarize --is the aircraft prior to museum transfer use as a range target or final elimination disposal teams also recover any valuable or precious and strategic metals once the aircraft are free of hazardous materials they are transferred to the Defense Logistics agencies disposition services which coordinates their sale as scrap a remarkable and environmentally sound recycling effort 3:09 'the a Marg also serves as a heavy bomber storage conversion and elimination site under the new strategic arms reduction treaty ratified in 2011 by both Russia and the United States to reduce offensive strategic arms and strengthen our national security a Marg is one of 17 facilities in the u.s. subject to Russian inspections a mug's employees are a motivated team of world-class experts with the varied experience necessary to support an incredible inventory of war reserve aircraft providing America and its allies with the quality products and services they deserve as the DoD continues to adjust national security threats and fiscal realities a Mars mission will continue to evolve embracing new and innovative techniques necessary to sustain American ally and coalition war fighters enabling them to fight terrorism conduct humanitarian relief drug interdiction and defend their respective nations [Music] you

Channel: Vintage Aviation News

Views: 56,263

Keywords: Boneyard, 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Id: 4hdWaX6vHWk

Length: 19min 45sec (1185 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 19 2018