Tag Archives: stored

End of the Line at Abbotsford

My first trip to Abbotsford for the airshow got me there pretty early.  I was hanging around prior to meeting up with my friend and I saw a couple of old S-2 Trackers that were sitting in a field.  These were clearly waterbombers in days gone by but they have reached the end of the road as far as their flying career is concerned.  I understand that they were due to be heading off soon.  I was glad to see them before they went.  Seeing them flying would have been better of course.

Bulgarian L39

I was doing a favor for a guy I know back from Chicago.  He is researching Bulgarian aircraft that have found their way to the US and one of the planes he was interested in is an L39 Albatros that lives up at not too far from me.  I went up to meet with the owner and get copies of the aircraft documentation.  When I was done, he offered to take me to have a look at the plane in his hangar.  It is a lovely looking jet.  It was in amongst a bunch of other stuff in the hangar which made getting nice shots of it a little tricky, but it was still good to get shots of it.

End of the Line for These Jets

I have posted a few shots of preserved aircraft at Kemble, but Cotswold Airport is the end of the line for a lot of planes in a far less graceful way.  It is the base for disassembly of airframes that have reached the end of their operational lives.  A jet doesn’t have to be that old to have greater value in its parts than as an operational aircraft.  If a major check is coming up and it isn’t worth that much post check, it might be worth it to the owner to have it broken down for spares.  As airframes get older, this decision is more obvious.

Kemble is the location where a lot of this happens.  From the airfield or from the road that passes by, you can see a line up of aircraft that are unlikely to ever fly again.  They will be progressively stripped of their most valuable parts.  They may hang around like this for a long time with bits being gradually taken off as they are demanded by other operators.  Eventually, there will be little left of value and the scrap metal will become the most valuable thing that they have to offer.  Then they will be cut up.  It is a safe process for an aviation enthusiast but a normal part of the life cycle of an aircraft.  If you are in the area, head by to see what is there.

Phantoms in Pieces

When I was first into aviation, the Phantom was everywhere.  It was operated by numerous air forces and the RAF had tons of them (including some that had cascaded from the Royal Navy).  At all of my early air shows, there would be Phantoms on static and part of the flying display.  While they had started their RAF career in the strike and ground attack role, by this time they were purely used for air defense.

With the end of the Cold War, the RAF reduced in size and the Phantoms were withdrawn from service far faster than had originally been anticipated.  It wasn’t long before they were all gone.  A bunch ended up in museums and the rest were cut up.  As I was exploring Kemble’s airfield – Cotswold Airport to give it its proper name – I was surprised to come across a bunch of bits of Phantoms alongside the road.  A pair of fuselages including one of a Boscombe test jet that I had a kit of as a kid, some wings, fins and tail planes.  It was all just sitting there so I grabbed a few shots.  I have heard since that the airport was pressuring the owners to cover it all properly and I think it all went under cover shortly after I was there.  A lucky break for me, I guess.

What A Difference A Few Minutes Makes

Paine Field is getting rather full of spare 777X airframes.  They are getting stored in all sorts of locations and a recent spot for them is alongside the main assembly building at the north end of the field.  I was using the long lens and so, rather than change lenses, I shot a few images to make a pano.  It was a little dull but more of a record shot.  A few minutes passed by the the clouds behind me had moved on and the light on the airframes had improved significantly.  I reshot the scene before it changed again.  Looking at the two shots, it is hard to believe that they were only a few minutes apart.  What an impact a change in lighting can bring to a shot.

This Is Not What You Expect To Find in Washington

I was doing a favor for a friend from the Midwest a little while back that involved visiting someone north of Seattle who owned a jet that the friend was interested in researching.  The documentation was the main reason for the visit, but we also took a trip to his hangar to see the jet.  While we were there, he showed me another jet that he has.  If you go to a random hangar in Washington, are you expecting to find a pristine MiG-23?  He had told me he had it so it wasn’t a surprise at that point, but it was in excellent condition.  It hasn’t been re-assembled since it arrived, so the wings are off and the engine is out.  However, it was freshly overhauled before he took possession, and the engine has zero time since overhaul too.

Tucked alongside it in the hangar are the various parts that are removed.  I don’t know the status of any of the weaponry, but I am told it has no hindrance to being made airworthy again.  He has no interest in doing that and I don’t think he has any plans to dispose of it so it may sit there for a while yet.  MiG-23s are impressive jets when airborne and I would love to see this one fly again.  The engine is huge and the only time I saw one fly a display at RIAT many years ago, the plume of the afterburner made quite the impression.  Maybe one day…

Gulfstream Graveyard

I had seen photos from the visits people had made to the airport in California City that showed a lot of old business jet airframes in storage.  I was curious to see this place myself and so headed up there when I had some time one evening.  There is a local business that takes old jets – principally Gulfstreams – and strips them for any components that will be useful in the secondary market.  The owner of the place is welcoming to visitors and a friend was actually already there when I arrived.  A little while later after sorting out issues with the gate opening, I was inside and free to roam around.

There are so many jets, it is hard to know where to start.  Some of them are basically intact while others have had substantial elements removed.  Sides of the fuselage might be cut out, gear may have been removed and engines are definitely a valuable commodity.  Some of the control surfaces will have found a second life supporting an airworthy jet.  Older generation jets like the G-II and G-III are represented but the G-IV is now knocking on a bit and so there are quite a few of those too.  Some very old jets are scattered in amongst the carcasses including one that had been used as a military testbed.

The planes are squeezed in to all available spaces.  As you walk around, you have to pay a lot of attention to make sure you don’t trip over anything or smack your head on part of an airframe.  Also good to try and avoid getting in the shots of other photographers!  I didn’t see any hazardous wildlife which helped make the walking around a little easier.

While most airframes were Gulfstreams, there were occasional exceptions.  I came across a really old HS125.  It was from the days of Viper engines so definitely an old one.  It didn’t look to be in great condition but the dry desert air means that they survive pretty well for a long time.

Argosy Still Hanging On

I bumped into a guy I had met before while at Fox Field outside Lancaster CA.  He had just arranged a ride out on to the ramp with one of the airport staff and invited me to come along.  One of the old airframes stored at Fox Field, near the air tanker ramp, is an old Armstrong Whitworth Argosy.  I have no idea of the history of this airframe and how it ended up here but here it is.  We were free to wander around and get some shots of it.

I understand it has been at Fox Field for a long time.  It isn’t going anywhere in a hurry but, courtesy of the dry climate, it is only decaying slowly.  I have no idea how long it will be before it becomes unsafe to have around any longer but I imagine it will be a while.  Definitely an unusual aircraft to get to shoot these days.

A-4s In Various States Of Decay

Our return trip from Klamath Falls also provided a bunch of opportunities to stop en route and see different aircraft.  We had seen some images on Google Maps of A-4 Skyhawks at Albany in Oregon.  The airport is right next to I-5 so we decided to take a look.  Sure enough, the airframes were on the field but not where they had previously been seen.  However, we had missed that a preserved A-4 was on a pole at the entrance to the airport so we got some shots of that first.

The stored airframes were now along a fence line on the east side of the field.  This did not seem immediately accessible but, it turned out the the next property was an event center and it had a parking area that was open.  We were able to get up to the fence amongst the parked RVs and get some shots of the airframes as they sat on the ground.  No idea what the plan is for them but it doesn’t look like much at the moment.

A Retired Ferry In Storage

I am known to take the occasional photos of ferries.  I have even been known to search them out from time to time.  However, I recently got a photo of one purely by accident.  We were on Whidbey Island and in the town of Langley.  We drove down a side road to a dock area to see what was down there and we came across a retired Washington State ferry.  The MV Evergreen State was in the WSF fleet for decades but was finally retired from service in 2015.  Apparently her disposal did not go smoothly and she was in Olympia for a while before a new owner bought her and moved her to Langley.

Supposedly, the new owner is in the process of converting her to electric power.  Working on a vessel as old as she is sounds hard enough as it is but converting it to new technology seems like a major undertaking.  Maybe it will all work out well but I have a feeling that another troubling time could be ahead.  Meanwhile, she is moored in Langley and this is where I shot her.