Jabba29 Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 I am not sure if this is in the right place as I could not find a relevant section about travel. Myself and SWMBO are looking at going to the US next year and one of the places that we are wanting to go to is the bone yard at Davis Monthan. I know that they did bus tours around the yard, from which you can not get off but are still interesting. Whilst looking into this the other day I read somewhere that this tour has now been stopped and is not likely to be restarted. Is this correct or was I reading the information wrongly? If this is correct this is going to put an end to what we are looking at doing unless anyone knows of something that is just as interesting to do in this area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southwestforests Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 (edited) Would expect that given current world tensions, the following still holds true, https://www.visittucson.org/listing/davis-monthan-air-force-base-aircraft-boneyard/1134/ Quote Due to changes in U.S. Air Force security considerations, the offsite bus tours of the 309th AMARG (AKA “The Boneyard”) are no longer available, with no plans to restart. And ... To really get the answer, why not call the base, https://www.dm.af.mil/About-Us/Library/Community-Relations/ And ... while unknown whether it would be just as interesting, the remainder of what was quoted above says, Quote However, the Pima Air & Space Museum will provide an opportunity to learn about the history of AMARG and have a very similar experience viewing rare aircraft outdoors in a desert climate while immersing yourself in aviation history. Learn more at Pima Air and Space Museum. Edited October 24, 2023 by southwestforests Quote Link to post Share on other sites
P-38 guy Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 You can't go in but can drive around and see in from different areas. We did that plus the bus tour and air show in 2000. One of the scrap dealers had an area set up with stuff for sale that your run of the mill aviation collector might want. I picked up a couple of things but that was 23 years ago. Not sure if they are still around. Guy there tried to sell me an Arkansas ANG F-4 Phantom forward fuselage that was complete for $15K. Newly divorced, child support equaled no money for fun stuff like that.😑 Pima is a great museum. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 A few years ago Jake and I did an aerial tour of the Boneyard, pilot circled the facility for a good bit while we photographed from the air/ We also over flew Pima for similar views. Here's a shot I took of a C-141 at Pima Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jabba29 Posted October 25, 2023 Author Share Posted October 25, 2023 Thank you all for the information. As SWMBO and I are travelling from the UK and there are no direct flights to Tucson, we were going to start and end our holiday in a major city in southern California, with a few days in Tucson. We were going to visit the museum at Pima along with doing a bus tour of the boneyard, but as the tour is more than likely dead in the water would it be worth the extra travel and cost to go to Tucson just to go to the museum at Pima? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southwestforests Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 2 hours ago, Jabba29 said: would it be worth the extra travel and cost to go to Tucson just to go to the museum at Pima? That may ultimately depend on factors in your life and being which we do not know. Looking at the following, I'd make the choice to go, https://pimaair.org/ (actually, I made that choice to go long ago but have neither the health nor income now to do the travel) (which gives rise to the thought that it might be smart to go while you can go) (and while it is there to go to) Page has downloadable maps in PDF form of which aircraft are where, might be a thing to do to browse those maps and see which aircraft of those that are meaningful to you it has. Quote Featuring about 400 historic aircraft, from a Wright Flyer to a 787 Dreamliner. Sitting on 80 acres the museum opened its doors to the public in May of 1976. Over the past forty years, the museum has grown immensely and today encompasses six indoor exhibit hangars (three dedicated to WWII). Quote Update: SOFIA is now on display! This Boeing 747SP flew for Pan Am, United, DLR (German Space Agency) and NASA. Not only is it a unique addition to the collection as one of the only SP variants on display, it also made scientific discoveries that no other instrument could. All this was made possible with its nearly 20-ton infrared telescope flying high above 99% of the infrared blocking atmosphere at 45,000 ft. Outtakes included. Video by Boneyard Safari. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 (edited) There are lots and lots and lots of museums in southern California. My personal opinion is your time here would be better spent visiting several places on the west coast than spending the time and $$$ traveling just to see Pima. Pima's great but, for instance, March Field in Riverside and the San Diego Air & Space Museum are well worth seeing. Plus, aviation-wise, once you've been to Pima there's not a lot else to do in the Tucson area. https://www.marchfield.org/ https://sandiegoairandspace.org/ Not aviation, but this museum in Los Angeles is on my personal bucket list https://www.petersen.org/ . Edited October 25, 2023 by habu2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spook498 Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 Just to add to this a bit.... If you cant get into the boneyard, there are a few recyclers in the area right next to the base that you can look at. Dont know whats all left as I havent been there since '17. However, just south of Tucson is the Titan Missile Museum, a mostly complete Titan missile complex. https://titanmissilemuseum.org/ On the way to Phoenix there is the Marana Valley airport which has a small boneyard of A-4 Skyhawks and a few other things. I dont know if you can get to them but they are right up against the fence if not. The CAF also has a small museum in Mesa near Phoenix. I havent been there though. https://www.azcaf.org/ In Palm Springs there is also a small museum. https://palmspringsairmuseum.org/ Planes of Fame has a very nice museum in Chino in the LA area. https://palmspringsairmuseum.org/ There is the USS Midway museum in San Diego. https://www.midway.org/ As Habu noted, there is the museum at March Field, The San Diego Air and Space Museum. https://sandiegoairandspace.org/museum/museum-history The CAF also has a small museum up the coast from LA at Camarillo. https://www.cafsocal.com/museum/ Lastly there is the commercail airliner storage facilities at Mojave Airport, and SCLA Victorville. https://www.airplaneboneyards.com/southern-california-logistics-airport-victorville-boneyard.htm (that link may have other points of interest) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jabba29 Posted October 29, 2023 Author Share Posted October 29, 2023 Thank you all for your input. The main reason that we wanted to go to Davis Monthan is because I had heard of it when I started to get interested in aviation as a child and could not believe that there were so many aircraft packed into the area and how big it must be. My wife got intrigued about this when she to saw some pictures of the area. So we only want to go to this place and now know that there are no tours. When we travel to the USA we usually take in 2 places that are quite close to each other and be got to by air from the UK. We also do not hire a car and rely on public transport and our own feet. Although we do like the idea of San Diego, we have nowhere else to go to as we have visited the mojority of the big cities that are on the western coast. Is it possible that someone could suggest somewhere to visit that will keep us both entertained for about 4 days and is not too far from San Diego? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 39 minutes ago, Jabba29 said: Is it possible that someone could suggest somewhere to visit that will keep us both entertained for about 4 days and is not too far from San Diego? Tijuana ??? (just kidding) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Beary Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 San Diego Zoo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 Yes SD Zoo is recommended. Also take the bridge over to Coronado Island, check out the Hotel del Coronado where "Some Like It Hot" was filmed and Coronado Beach is right under the approach/departure for North Island NAS runway 11/29. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spook498 Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 You can also land in LA and eventually take Amtrak (the national passenger train service) up the coast to San Francisco. (it also goes down to San Diego) That said, San Francisco is a very beautiful place but with the ongoing homeless epidemic in the area, plus the change in laws regarding crime and prosecution, I would be wary of going there. The train stops in Jack London Square in Oakland and you can take BART across into the city. There is the USS Hornet museum in Alameda, as well as the former NAS Alameda museum. There is also the former Navy base at Treasure Island, which is in the bay between Oakland and SF. On the wharf in SF is Pier 39, Alcatraz, the liberty ship Jeremiah O'Brien and the submarine USS Pampanito. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jabba29 Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 Thanks for that suggestion, but we have already been to San Francisco when it was good. We have also been to LA (did not like too big), Seattle and Vancouver, so that is why we are looking at San Diego along with somewhere else. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fulcrum1 Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 (edited) Castle AFB museum near Atwater, CA is fantastic. Edited October 31, 2023 by fulcrum1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Geoff M Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 (edited) Castle AFB museum near Atwater, CA is fantastic Ditto That one! Edited October 31, 2023 by Geoff M Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eraucubsfan Posted January 3, 2024 Share Posted January 3, 2024 I was just in Tucson and went to Pima while I was there. All I can say is wow. We spent nearly 4 hours there and didn't even see everything. I'd say it's worth seeing if you have the opportunity. Plan on a lot of walking etc... And to confirm, no more Boneyard tours. Although when we departed TUS we turned and flew right over the base, we got a great view of the base. As @habu2 mentioned, there isn't much else aviation-related in Tucson. It was a nice place to stay, eat good food, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The AZ ANG is pretty active at TUS and while waiting for our flight to depart, we watched F-16s from the terminal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Da SWO Posted January 3, 2024 Share Posted January 3, 2024 57 minutes ago, eraucubsfan said: I was just in Tucson and went to Pima while I was there. All I can say is wow. We spent nearly 4 hours there and didn't even see everything. I'd say it's worth seeing if you have the opportunity. Plan on a lot of walking etc... And to confirm, no more Boneyard tours. Although when we departed TUS we turned and flew right over the base, we got a great view of the base. As @habu2 mentioned, there isn't much else aviation-related in Tucson. It was a nice place to stay, eat good food, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The AZ ANG is pretty active at TUS and while waiting for our flight to depart, we watched F-16s from the terminal. Titan II Missile Museum is south of the city. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted January 5, 2024 Share Posted January 5, 2024 2 hours ago, Reggieros said: .... reported Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted January 5, 2024 Share Posted January 5, 2024 Lol, I guess the AI chatbot took the term “boneyard” literally, referring to it as a “grisly cemetery tour”. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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