Sigh…

A nice little video of AMRG, better known as the ‘Boneyard’…

Sadly, there are WAY too many P-3s in there now… I saw a couple of familiar tails among the birds.

I figure this is a better post than yet another bitching session about the crap going on, so I’m going to stop and send you over to Lawdog, for an announcement… HERE. 🙂

Comments

Sigh… — 21 Comments

  1. During my active Navy Reserve time I served aboard the USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) and she is still in commission. My three active duty ships are gone, the other ship I served on as a reservist is gone, every ship I worked on as civilian yard worker at the Philly shipyard is gone.
    So, yes, I understand.
    And mid September of this year will mark my twentieth year of being retired from the Navy. That means someone could have enlisted on the same day that I retired and then served twenty years and they can retire in September of this year.
    Where did the time go?

  2. I enjoyed the video. The satellite view of the boneyard on google maps is interesting to see.

  3. Boneyard rocks. Along with your P-3’s, there’s too many F-16’s, C-5’s and all of the EC-130E’s that I used to serve on.
    And now the F-16’s are being turned into flying targets.
    Sigh.

  4. Hey Old NFO:

    I have mixed emotions seeing the boneyard, too many airplanes are scrapped but some are redone to fly again. I would love to sneak one home with me…I know…Pipe dream.

  5. And then there’s the Pima Air and Space Museum to soak up many hours, and the Titan Missile Museum off to the south (the only Titan II launch complex left in the world). 50’s-60’s technology in it’s biggest size!!

  6. Been to the White Sands boneyard near Alamogordo, NM. Sad & magnificent at the same time…

  7. All- Thanks, and yes, that IS our history sitting there. Just proves we’re OLD… sigh

    Posted from my iPhone.

    • The entire movie is outstanding. There is just so much history that passes through the bone yards. In the link below, scroll down to mission #74 on 3/23/45. That is my dad listed as pilot. The last photo is at Kingman.

      http://www.447bg.com/43-37797.htm

  8. Yeah, Boeing pretty much proved out the flying laser theory, but then the Kenyan and democoms were elected and that was the end of that.

    • The laser, mirrors and targeting system worked as tested. But lasers have gotten much better since the program started, the ABL had a very limited number of shots based on the amount of chemicals on board, and the chemicals themselves were very nasty.
      Solid state lasers are the way to go. Just need electricity to fire. The rail gun out of Dahlgren is pretty cool too

  9. There used to be a street in Pima county that went along one end of the boneyard. Always an interesting drive.

  10. Well, you can’t blame the Air Farce for blowing the budget on new toys. They are still flying C-130s, C-135s, and B-52s that are eligible for Social Security. Can’t send those old girls to the boneyard, they are flying missions!

    • Hell, I thought the B-52’s I wrenched on in the mid-60’s were worn out then. It just shows that with “enough maintenance” anything can keep flying !!

  11. I never thought the Navy would replace the P-3. I flew on a few that were older.than the pilots, even one that was older than I was! Sure, the Boeing 737 is a fine airframe for the P-8, but it doesn’t make the twinge less, um, twingey.

    I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the Charlie Birds, trash haulers, and Skypigs despite all the hours I spent freezing or roasting in their cursed metal tubes.

  12. Neat video, it is nice to remember history and where we have been. I like how they know the stories and achievements of many of the aircraft.
    I wonder if the EP-3 that landed in China is there?

  13. An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who had been doing a little homework on this.
    And he in fact bought me dinner simply because I found it
    for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!!
    But yeah, thanx for spending some time to talk about this subject here on your site.