I watched a little of the video from today’s private space launch at Majove Airport in California. On some of the wide shots, large commercial aircraft were visible. I thought this was odd – Mojave being a large airport but without the population to support that kind of service.
Then I remembered.
Mojave Airport is a kind of storage yard/graveyard for big planes that are no longer needed. Because of its climate with little humdity and less rain, it’s the perfect spot for rust free storage.
There’s a cool site with lots of photos of Mojave. I’d love to have the chance to snoop around that place. It’s a guy thing.
I drove thru Mojave,Ca. years ago.
While driving thru the desert looking at sand…you come upon this little town out of nowhere.
It has about a 1 mile stretch of road for the main street.
If you look in back of the McDonalds parking lot(the towns hot spot) you can see the huge fenced off airfield with hundreds of airplanes out there.
I didn’t go to the visitor center but just looked thru the fence(no trespassing!)
Interesting place to see.
Over the years, planes have become quieter and more fuel efficient. There are a lot of loud gas guzzlers there – DC10’s, L1011’s, 727’s. Lots of planes you don’t see in the air anymore.
Thanks for writing.
There are also newer 777’s, 744’s and many other military aircraft. The newer planes are a sign of the economic conditions of the airline industry.
Very interesting indeed.