The AMARC Experience - Aircraft Profiles

Random Images

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About AMARC Experience

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IMPORTANT: The AMARC Experience is an unofficial site and that the information is not provided as a service of the United States Air Force or AMARC. The official AMARC Site can be found by clicking HERE.

Web Site Aims

This web site has now been running since the year 2000. Its primary aim is to provide an insight into the important work that AMARG carries out on behalf of the various US military services and information on the various aircraft that pass through the facility. Our database is an ongoing project which is used to capture the known aircraft arrivals and dispositions, their previous units and ultimate fate. One important aim of the web site is to capture memories and experiences that visitors have of individual aircraft, aircraft types and units. This can be done by looking up aircraft in the database and then accessing the comments web page by clicking on the underlined tail number in the list.

Browser Compatability

We try and keep this web site available to everyone, irrespective of what Internet browser they use. We do not have the ability or time to test the web site for compatability on all browsers and their different versions but accessing it using the one of the browsers listed below should not cause an issue. If you find an issue using your particular browser/version please let us know and we will look into what can be done to improve this. If you are using another browser not in the list above and confirm that it is compatible please let us know so we can add it to our compatability list.

Google Chrome
Microsoft Internet Explorer - V9.0, V10.0, V11.0
Microsoft Edge
Mozilla Firefox - V17.0

Policies

- If you would like to use pictures or information from this web site please let me know beforehand so that I can ensure that material not belonging to me is not used without permission from the rightful owners. Thank you. - Comments submitted onto this web site must be approved by the Administrator before they appear to other visitors. Spammers and nuisance submissions have prompted this change to come about, we're sorry for any inconvenience this causes but we feel that it is a neccessary step to take. - We try and respond to all messages received as soon as possible but sometimes due to work or other commitments there may be some delay in replying. Please be patient and please send a chase up message if you think you have been forgotten. - This site has been designed to look its best with your computer screen resolution set to 1024x768 or higher.

Where is AMARG?

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AMARG is located in the city of Tucson, Arizona, USA. Arizona is a south western state which borders Mexico. One of the reasons that the facility was developed here is the dry, arid environment which exists in the area all year round.

Tucson is located in the very south of Arizona, approximately 70 miles from the Mexican border.

Sitting at the base of the Santa Catalina mountains, Mount Lemmon at 9,157 feet high dominates the views and can be seen in many of the pictures on this web site. Inevitably the mountains attract the rains and thunderstorms, especially in the monsoon season (July/August) during the afternoon. Although the rains during this period can be heavy they are usually short in duration.

Apart from AMARG, Pima Air & Space Museum and the aviation scrapyards there are many other things to see and do in the Tucson area. If you'd like to find out more about Tucson and Arizona we would recommend using the Visit Tucson web site or the Google search engine.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Here are some of the more frequent questions that I have received from visitors to this web site with information that, hopefully, answers them. To jump to a particular question click one of the options in the list below, otherwise you can just scroll down the page and read the lot.

Is the AMARG FOIA Inventory now available?

Yes. It is available from the FOIA Reading Room. Click on 'FOIA Reading Room'. Then de-select all the document types except for 'Procurement History'. Click 'Search' and a list of inventories will be listed, along with other documents which MAY be of interest.

Is the Pima tour still being run?

At the moment yes. Due to the increased security many have asked this question and to date I have not heard anyone say that they have not been able to go on a tour of AMARC. Having said that the tour schedule can be running at a reduced frequency and it can be stopped at anytime due to operational requirements. As always its worth checking with Pima before a long trip and it's well worth booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

Is it worth going on the Pima AMARC tour?

Yes, definitely. It does provoke some people to say that it is not the tour that used to be available when it was run by the US Air Force but it is still a worthwhile experience. You are unable to leave the bus during the tour, the windows of the buses used are usually tinted (extremely bad for photography) and the duration of the tour never seems enough. Having said this it is the only opportunity that most people have of seeing the aircraft without peering through fences, the tour guide provides very interesting pointers to the sights shown and it is very reasonably priced. It may be a disappointment to those who have been on the old tour but not to those who haven't.

Are there any civil aircraft at AMARC?

Yes. In the 1980's and the beginning of the 1990's nearly 200 Beoing 707's and 720's were purchased from civil owners and delivered to AMARC. AMARC designated these aircraft C-137's and this is how they appear on their inventory, using their manufacturer construction number as their serial number. Engines from these aircraft were removed and used in the upgrade of the KC-135 fleet. All other useful parts were also stripped and these aircraft are now in the process of being disposed of to local scrapyards.

Are there any other aircraft boneyards?

The era of the large military aircraft boneyards has unfortunately gone. There are however some airports that are used to store substantial numbers of surplus aircraft, many of them in an airworthy condition. Some of these storage sites contain military examples, for example Mojave, CA. where a couple of C-133's and several A-3 Skywarriers can be found. Some examples of 'boneyard' airports are ...

Greybull, WY.
Kingman, AZ.
Marana - Pinal Air Park, AZ.
Mojave, CA.
Phoenix-Goodyear, AZ.
Tucson IAP, AZ.
Victorville, CA.

Hawkins & Powers at Greybull had a large number of ex. military aircraft but after the company folded the items in the collection were either sold off or scrapped.

IMPORTANT: Access to these airports is restricted and permission should be sought before making a visit. Marana, as an example, is extremely difficult to see from the outside and is difficult (impossible) to gain access to without prior permission.

Visit the excellent Cactus Wings web site at to see lists of civil aircraft being stored at various airports throughout the Western USA.

Why are many of the KC-135 and Boeing 707 missing their tails?

The engines of these aircraft have been reclaimed and were returned to service to support the active KC-135 fleet. When the engines were removed the centre-of-gravity of the aircraft was affected, the vertical stabilizers were removed to prevent the aircraft from tilting back onto their tails.

Can I buy an aircraft from AMARC?

No. Aircraft that are surplus to requirements are signed over to and disposed of by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO). Sales of surplus equipment are frequently carried out but purchases can only be made if you are a company or individual who possess a licence to do so. Sales contain not only whole aircraft but also other aircraft parts for use as scrap metal, components, tooling, etc.

Combat aircraft that are sold are 'de-militarized' before sale, this consists of cuts being made to various parts of their structure to ensure they never fly again. There are a few exceptions to this but these usually involve agreement from the higher US authorities. Other aircraft types that are suitable for civilian operation can be purchased in one piece.

AMARG Tour - Maintenance Area

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More information.

Storage Areas - West Side Reclamation Areas - East Side

Notes
Click the red markers which are available at the top lefthand corner of each featured area to see more information, pictures and a link to the current inventory for it. To close the pop-up windows click the 'X' available on their top righthand corner.

Home Page

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Welcome the AMARC Experience website!

The purpose of this site is to provide a comprehensive source of information to all those interested in aviation on the important job that the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) carries out in support of the various branches of the US Military and other Government agencies. If this is your first visit a good place to start is our About AMARC Experience page accessed using the 'User Guide' menu at the top of this page, followed by the pages under the 'About AMARG' menu.

We hope you enjoy your visit.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Please note that this is an unofficial site and that the information is not provided as a service of the United States Air Force or 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group . The official 309 AMARG web Site can be found by clicking HERE.

Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II 81-0987

Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II 81-0987 was flown into AMARC on September 18, 2003 onboard a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy from Almed Al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait. It was dismatled on pallets but damage that could be seen to the rear of its fuselage made it instantly recognizable as one of the most famous A-10 Thunderbolts to have ever been in service.

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AMARG Areas

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Database Help.

AMARG is divided into numerous areas which are used for a variety of different purposes. The west side (to the west of Kolb Road) of the base contains mainly storage and maintenance areas, while the east side (to the east of Kolb Road) contains the RIT areas.The storage areas tend to contain large numbers of the same aircraft types for longer periods of time. The maintenance areas are more volatile and aircraft tend not to stay in one place for very long. The RIT areas usually contain a mixture of types, with individual aircraft in various states of completeness and they are much more volatile with a lot of regular re-organiszation and disposals.

West Side - Non-Maintenance

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Area 1

Area - 1

Inventory

Long term storage area.

Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt
Grumman A-6E Intruder
Gumman EA-6 Prowler
North American T-2 Buckeye

Previously contained;

General Dynamics F-16 Falcon
Lockheed D-21 Drone
Lockheed S-3 Viking
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle

Area 2

Area 3

Area 4

Area 5

Area 6

Area 7

Area 8

Area 9

Area 10

Area 11

Area 12

Area 13

Area 14

Area 15

Area 16

Area 17

Area 18

Area 19

Area 20

Celebrity Row

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West Side - Maintenance

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D Row

Area - D Row

Inventory

Parking area on main Arrivals Ramp.

Many Various

E Row

G Row

Flight Lines

Flush Farm

Kolb Road

Lube Rack

Maintenance Shelter

Maintenance Shelter - South

Wash Rack

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East Side - RIT (Reclamation Insurance Type)

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Area 21

Area - 21

Inventory

Reclamation Area.

AMD HU-25A Guardian
Beech T-34 Mentor
Bell AH-1 Cobra
Cessna T-37 Tweet
Convair C-131 Samaritan
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark
General Dynamics F-16 Falcon
Grumman A-6 Intruder
Hawker Siddeley TAV-8A Harrier
Kaman SH-2 Seasprite
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Lockheed P-3 Orion
Lockheed S-3 Viking
Martin B-57 Canberra
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom
North American T-39 Sabreliner
Northrop T-38 Talon
Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant
Vought/LTV A-7 Corsair

Area 22

Area 23

Area 24

Area 25

Area 26

Area 27

Area 27HOLD

Area 28

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AMARG Tour - East Side

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More information.

Storage Areas - West Side Maintenance Area

Visitor Guide

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AMARG, as it is called these days, has long been legendary in enthusiast circles. After all, where else in the world can you see close to 5,000 aircraft in a single day? For those of us who have been fortunate enough to visit AMARG it's a sight we'll never ever forget, but for our friends to follow what can they expect? Just what can you see from the outside? Where are the best vantage points? What's the best way to prepare for this awesome experience? While much has been written about the contents and activities at AMARG , this is a personal account intended to prepare newcomers for the experience so that they can take away as many great memories with them as possible!

Introduction

AMARG, or the Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Group to give it its formal title, is located on the edge of Davis-Monthan AFB just to the southeast of Tucson, Arizona. While adjoining the active base (home to A-10's and EC-130's of the USAF's 355th Wing) AMARG is in fact a separate entity to which even regular Air Force personnel are not normally authorised to enter. Dotted around the outside are a number of scrapyards - surplus stored airframes are sold off by the pound, often to spend many more years in these yards making perfect homes for rattlesnakes and scorpions! Also on the southern edge is the world-class Pima Air & Space Museum which, in addition to being home to several hundred historic aircraft (many of which originally came from AMARG), is the pick-up point for the popular AMARG bus tour which runs every couple of hours during the week.

'How do I get there?'

Don't even think about planning a visit to AMARG without a car! Not only is it in a fairly remote desert location, but also its sheer size makes a car essential to get from one vantage point to another. Rental cars are readily available (but reservations strongly recommended) at Tucson International Airport, which is about 5 miles to the southwest along Valencia, but for folks who are already visiting Arizona (already a mecca for enthusiasts even without AMARG!) it's about a 2 hour drive down I-10 from Phoenix. Take exit 267 southeast of Tucson and follow the "Pima Air & Space Museum" signs.

'How much time should I plan on?'

Ask five different people and you'll probably get five different answers to this question! My personal recommendation is at least two days for an initial visit - one day for fence crawling etc. then a second day to take the bus tour from the museum. Don't forget also to allow time to tour the excellent museum itself. And then there's all those perimeter scrapyards! Bottom line is that even if you planned three to four days in the Tucson area I doubt very much whether you'd have much chance to get bored!

'When should I go?'

Depending on your tolerance for heat, the best time of year is probably October through April. Remember that this is the desert and the summer can be pretty unforgiving with typical daytime temperatures upwards of 105 degrees…. and don't expect to find any shade! Regardless of the season, however, if you encounter anything but cloudless blue skies you've been pretty unlucky.

'Where should I stay?'

Fortunately there are numerous, reasonably priced motels in the Tucson area, and again I'm sure each person you ask will have his or her own personal favourites. There are quite a few new ones on the edge of Tucson International Airport, so one of these might serve as a good base-camp during your stay. As with rental cars an advance reservation is strongly recommended, and also might get you a better room rate. If you're planning to visit in the early part of the year (January-March) in particular a reservation might be essential since this is high season for tourism, culminating in the popular Major League Baseball "Spring Training" games throughout March.

'What should I bring?'

Three things immediately spring to mind that are essential to get the most out of your first AMARG experience (apart from the usual cameras, binoculars etc.) and most important of all is sunblock! Even if you prefer to get started as soon after sun-up as possible, the chances are you'll be as red as a beetroot without it before you even get halfway through the day - and this applies to wintertime just as much as in the blistering summer heat!

Second is an adequate supply of bottled water. If you're hiking the perimeter make sure you've got plenty in your backpack, with replenishments for when you get back to the car. I know this sounds like common sense, but it's easy to head off for a "five minute hike" and before you know it you're about three miles away from your car! There's a new "Diamond Shamrock" gas station and convenience store on the northeast corner of Kolb and Valencia, so this is an ideal location to stock up at the beginning of each day.

Third, but equally as important, is a stout pair of shoes. Not only will you find yourself walking a lot further than you were expecting to, but also you're never quite sure what you're going to meet along the way! I mentioned earlier that this area is home to scorpions and rattlesnakes - add to that the black widows, tarantulas etc. and you need to be prepared for pretty much anything! Luckily, most of these hide away during the daytime - but be careful where you're stepping nevertheless!

'Am I going to get arrested?'

We certainly hope not! Luckily the Air Force folks, as well as the local authorities, are well used to us aviation buffs making the pilgrimage to AMARG by now, so the sight of a telephoto lens or a telescope pointing in the direction of the stored airplanes should not arouse undue attention. The usual caveats apply, of course, and we expect and assume that all AMARC Experience readers will stay within the law and not screw things up for those of us that follow!

Please make sure when hiking the perimeter that you park your car well off the road (for example, there's an open area on the south side of Irvington just east of Kolb which is an ideal central parking location for your hiking expedition) and obey all traffic and security signs. Also be aware that many of the scrapyards can be pretty unreceptive to visitors, they are after all serious businesses carrying out their daily duties, so be careful how you conduct yourself around these areas and make sure you head straight for the office (or call ahead) if you plan to ask for permission to enter!

'What can I see from the outside?'

In order to best explain this I'm going to assume that you're already familiar with the general layout of AMARG, as depicted on the map elsewhere on the AMARC Experience website. As you'll see, Kolb Road runs north-south through AMARG - but what's not immediately apparent is that the section of Kolb south of Irvington Road is actually below ground level meaning that nothing can be seen, at least from a vehicle! The secret is to walk the fence line atop the embankment - this is possible on both sides of Kolb, giving excellent views of areas 21, 22 and 27 to the east and area 20 to the west, but extreme care needs to be taken climbing both up and down (particularly when needing to traverse under the three E-W overpasses) to avoid an embarrassing (and potentially deadly) tumble into the path of oncoming traffic!

The main vantage point on the east side of Kolb used to be a dirt track which runs parallel to Irvington Road along the northern perimeter of areas 21, 23, and 25. It used to afford unobstructed views of the inmates in those areas, as well as the northern parts of 22, 24, and 26. However, during 2001 a high earth bank was constructed within the base right next to the fence which effectively blocks any view of these areas. Note that the southern sections of 27, 24, and 26 are relatively inaccessible and difficult to see from the outside.

Moving to the west side of Kolb, it is possible to walk the entire length from atop the embankment adjacent to area 20 north past the Flight Lines (FLA and FLB), Flush Farm (FFxx), and the Wash Racks (WRxx), and on to excellent views of areas 13, 14, 10, and 6, where a turn to the west along Escalante will enable you to view the entire contents of areas 5, 4, and 3. The numerous P-3's in areas 8 and 9 are also easily visible in the distance from this area. Unfortunately, the remaining areas to the west are not clearly visible from outside the base - but there's another possibility...

'What else can I see from the bus tour?'

Ah, the much-maligned bus tour. OK, it's not the tour it used to be before the museum assumed responsibility for it, but it is nevertheless a very worthwhile experience (it's reasonably priced too, although it is in addition to the normal museum entrance fee.) The bus enters AMARG at the Irvington Gate, and approximately half the time on base is spent along Celebrity Row. From there the bus moves slowly between areas 2 and 7, 11 and 12, 15 and 16, then back past the Maintenance Shelter (MSxx) and North Maintenance Shelter (NMS) parking area. From here it crosses over Kolb on one of the overpasses and drives between 21 and 22, 23 and 24, turning back around between 25 and 26 before returning back to the museum via the Irvington Gate.

So there you have it - one person's perspective at least of what it's like to visit AMARG. As I've emphasized throughout, there'll be folks you'll talk to with differing perspectives, and that's great too! In fact we openly invite others to provide their comments and advice so that we can all benefit from them - the more views we receive the more we all learn!

Have a safe journey to sunny Arizona, and don't forget that sunblock!

AMARG Tour - West Side

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More information.

Reclamation Areas - East Side Maintenance Area

The AMARC Experience - Aircraft Profiles

Random Images

About AMARC Experience

Web Site Aims

Browser Compatability

Policies

Where is AMARG?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the AMARG FOIA Inventory now available?

Is the Pima tour still being run?

Is it worth going on the Pima AMARC tour?

Are there any civil aircraft at AMARC?

Are there any other aircraft boneyards?

Why are many of the KC-135 and Boeing 707 missing their tails?

Can I buy an aircraft from AMARC?

AMARG Tour - Maintenance Area

Home Page

Welcome the AMARC Experience website!

Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II 81-0987

AMARG Areas

West Side - Non-Maintenance

Area - 1

Long term storage area.

Area - 2

Long term storage area.

Area - 3

Long term storage area.

Area - 4

Long term storage area.

Area - 5

Long term storage area.

Area - 6

Long term storage area.

Area - 7

Long term storage area.

Area - 8

Long term storage area.

Area - 9

Long term storage area.

Area - 10

Long term storage area.

Area - 11

Long term storage area.

Area - 12

Long term storage area.

Area - 13

Long term storage area.

Area - 14

Long term storage area.

Area - 15

Long term storage area.

Area - 16

Long term storage area.

Area - 17

Short term storage area.

Area - 18

Long term storage area.

Area - 19

Short term storage area.

Area - 20

U.S. Air Force Museum storage area

Area - Celebrity Row

Display lines viewable from Pima Tour bus.

West Side - Maintenance

Area - D Row

Parking area on main Arrivals Ramp.

Area - E Row

Parking area on main Arrivals Ramp.

Area - G Row

Parking area adjoining main Departure Ramp.

Area - Flight Lines

Aircraft flight preparation area.

Area - Flush Farm

Preservation preparation area.

Area - Kolb Road

Display area at Kolb Gate entrance.

Area - Lube Rack

Aircraft lubrication area.

Area - Maintenance Shelter

Main covered maintenance area.