History of the Boneyard

04/28/2013
04/28/2013: An inside look at where Air Force planes go after they’ve flown their last mission. 

Recycling is not a new concept for the Air Force.

In fact the USAF has been doing it throughout its history, and getting new life out of old aircraft is the main purpose of the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis Monthan Air Force Base.

Seen from the air, this sprawling 2,600 acre facility is filled with rows of neatly arranged aircraft, many of which look almost ready for takeoff.

But on the ground, it’s a different story.

With all sorts of planes in various stages of disassembly, many of them several decades old, it’s easy to see how this place got the nickname that most people know it as… The Boneyard.

TSgt. Nicholas Kurtz explains how this program got its start.