The Desert Odyssey in Photos – All Good Things...

Fri Dec 30, 2011 11:21 pm

While photographing the aircraft at United Aeronautical I turned the corner onto Drexel Rd. I was recently told Drexel Road was once a runway for the local scrap yards, it was no surprise to me as it is one wide road! Anway, the next stop along the way was Specialized Aircraft Maintenance...

Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Specialized Aircraft Maintenance - 10 airframes
...there are two yards, one on the south side of Drexel and the other on the north side. These are on the south side...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - UC-45J Expeditor, s/n 51090 USN, c/n 3920

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - UC-45J Expeditor, s/n 12356 USN, c/n 4266, c/r N6283

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - Expeditor 3T [D18S], s/n HB108 RCAF, c/n 5824, c/r N7829

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - RL-23D Seminole, s/n UB090 AMARC, c/n RLH.35

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - T-28C Trojan, s/n 5T0124 AMARC, c/n 226-152, c/r N575FL

These are on the north side...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-131D-CO Samaritan, s/n CS0087 AMARC, c/n 216, c/r N8447H

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-131E-CO Samaritan, s/n CS0084 AMARC, c/n 476

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - UF-1 Albatross [G-111], s/n 1U038 MASDC, c/n G-278, c/r N7026N

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - HU-16E Albatross [G-111], s/n 7223 USCG, c/n G-303, c/r N712RV

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - HU-16C Albatross [G-111], s/n 1U003 MASDC, c/n G-314, c/r N7024Z

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - HU-16E Albatross [G-111], s/n 42019 MASDC, c/n G-353, c/r N333CV

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - HU-16C Albatross [G-111], s/n 1U0016 MASDC, c/n G-385, c/r N70270

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - HU-16C Albatross [G-111], s/n 1U017 AMARC, c/n G-397, c/r N7028C

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - T-28B Trojan, s/n TA0207 MASDC, c/n 200-75, c/r N262FM

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - SH-3D Sea King [S-61B], s/n 9H064 AMARC, c/n 61-352, c/r N697WC

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - SH-3D Sea King [S-61B], s/n 9H028 AMARC, c/n 61-370, c/r N705WB

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - SH-3D Sea King [S-61B], s/n 9H031 AMARC, c/n 61-403, c/r N113WR

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - SH-3H Sea King, s/n 9H0024 AMARC, c/n 61-404, c/r N114WH

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - SH-3G Sea King, s/n 151523 USN, c/r N523AW

Fri Dec 30, 2011 11:22 pm

My last stop of the day was at Minden, at the end of Drexel Road...

Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Minden Corp. - H-25 x2, P-2 x3

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - P-2E Neptune, s/n 1P0082 AMARC, c/n 5337, c/r N88484

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - SP-2H Neptune, s/n PA014 AMARC, c/n 726-7184, c/r N720AU

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - DP-2H Neptune, s/n 1P433 AMARC, c/n 726-7236, c/r N148RR

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - UH-25B Retriever, s/n 128528 USN

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - UH-25B Retriever, s/n 130027 USN, c/r N91330

So Minden was the last stop of the day. I headed off to the hotel to do some laundry and wash off the desert dust after a long day. It was then off to dinner with Bill Preble, who posts occasionally here on WIX. He took me out to Pinnacle Peak...
http://www.pinnaclepeaktucson.com/lp.html
...for one of the best steaks I have had in a long time. It was the perfect end to great day.

I am already working on Day 6 photos, which included a trip to the Pima Air Museum. What a place! Many planes, many photos so it may take me a few weeks to get them ready.

Last edited by mrhenniger on Sat Dec 31, 2011 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sat Dec 31, 2011 8:42 am

Hi Mike,

I am so happy you got the scrap yard pics. I am as thrilled as a kid in a candy store. I often look at these on google map. It is great to see them at a better view. :supz:

I am curious about the C-117's. In google map the gaggle of C-117's there was one that was still in day glo. Was that still there? LOVE....ALL the scrap yard shots! I love them yet kinda depressing. Maybe a few will be saved someday. Wishful thinking! I want my own boneyard! :wink:

Thanks Mike,
Nathan

Sat Dec 31, 2011 1:53 pm

mrhenniger wrote:No far away at the same airport a large portion of the Lauridsen collection is parked...
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Lauridsen Aviation Museum - 10 airframes
...it was getting to be late in the day and the light was excellent, so I quickly snapped some photos.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-45H Expeditor [D18S], s/n 52-10687 USAF, c/n AF-617, c/r N6365T

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-1A Trader, s/n 7C0005 MASDC, c/n G-96-05, c/r NX71456

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-47A-15-DL [DC-3], s/n 42-23385 USAAF, c/n 9247, c/r N243DC

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - HU-16C Albatross [G-111], s/n 1U0052 MASDC, c/n G-333, c/r NR216HU

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - A-26B-61-DL Invader, s/n 44-34520 USAAF, c/n 27799, c/r NL126HP

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - TB-25J Mitchell, s/n 44-86797 USAAF, c/n 108-47551, c/r NL3438G

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - C-119G Flying Boxcar, s/n 22130 RCAF, c/n 10955, c/r NX15501

Last edited by cooper9411 on Sun Jan 01, 2012 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sun Jan 01, 2012 2:37 pm

These are great pics Mike. BTW, the F9F at Quartzsite has been there for years. Before that, it was a park display at Pioneer Park in Mesa Az since the 1960s. Lots of F9Fs were gate guards and park displays over the years and may have had bogus serials painted on them.

Sun Jan 01, 2012 3:29 pm

cooper9411 wrote:I lived in Glendale Az. back in 1995-96, and from your pictures it doesn't look like most of these planes have moved since then. I seem to recall them sitting in pretty much the same place. I'll try to locate my pictures from back then and see. Anyways thanks for the pictures. Everybody I know here in Ohio always wants to know why I want to go back to visit Arizona, these are why.

All of the Lauridsen owned aircraft pictured are fairly recent transplants to Buckeye and would not have been there, or even owned by him, back in the mid 90's I'm afraid.

Sun Jan 01, 2012 4:54 pm

[quote="mrhenniger"]The next stop was simply next-door. The gent from the jump school took me on a tour along the ramp to view a number of aircraft in storage. It is my understanding they are stored with an organization called Central Air Service...

Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Central Air Service - 8 airframes
...although I didn’t see an office or any hangars. This stop was one of the highlights of my trip as the aircraft parked there are very interesting and photographed very well. Think about it... How many places in the world can you see two Lockheed Connies parked together? Dayton maybe? Marana is one of them. It was suggested to me that these airframes may not be kept there much longer. Apparently there is pressure to clear out the “old planes”. I have a good idea what that means. :-(

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - VC-121A Super Constellation, s/n 48-0610 USAAF, c/n 749-2602, c/r N9463

Didn't President Truman (or was it Eisenhower) have a presidential plane named "Columbine". Could this be one of them?

Sun Jan 01, 2012 5:57 pm

Yup, that's one of them.

Sun Jan 01, 2012 9:54 pm

Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:57 pm

Nathan wrote:I am so happy you got the scrap yard pics. ... I want my own boneyard!

I call dibbs!

Chris wrote:These are great pics Mike. BTW, the F9F at Quartzsite has been there for years. Before that, it was a park display at Pioneer Park in Mesa Az since the 1960s. Lots of F9Fs were gate guards and park displays over the years and may have had bogus serials painted on them.

Thanks for the tip. I revised the airframe dossier to link it to both locations.

67N20 wrote:Didn't President Truman (or was it Eisenhower) have a presidential plane named "Columbine". Could this be one of them?

Fouga23 wrote:Yup, that's one of them.

It is a heck of a fate for a former Presidential C-121 isn’t it? Oh well, they all can’t be saved. There is a Columbine at Dayton, and one at Pima in Tucson. Stay with this thread to see pics of the Pima bird. Also keep checking back with this thread as there is a VIP Connie at the Planes of Fame in Valle, which I got photos of as well.

Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:57 pm

I spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the Pima museum, then it was on the road with the destination Phoenix. The review of my journey continues! To view my route for this day go to...

Aerial Visuals – Trip Tool – Desert Odyssey, Tucson to Tempe

If you would just like to kick back and relax you can watch a slideshow of the pictures I took that day here...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Gallery Slide Show - Desert Odyssey, Tucson to Tempe

Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:58 pm

So this day I could afford to sleep in a bit as the museum did not open until 9 AM, so I had a late breakfast and took my time getting there...

Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Pima Air and Space Museum
...Now, keep in mind, I am a Cunuck. As I write this it is cold outside and there is snow everywhere. The day I visited Pima it was 100 F when I got to the museum at 9 AM. It rarely gets to that temperature here in Ottawa. The museum has approximately 300 planes in the collection and I had planned only four hours to photograph them all. No time to waste. Up one row, down another, drink some water. Repeat. Go, go, go. The whole time I was sweating and hoping I would not spontaneously combust.

It is not practical to post all of my photos from Pima in this thread. If you would like to see them all I recommend the slide show...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Gallery
...so grab a cup of coffee, put your feet up and enjoy.

Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:58 pm

You don’t get to see too many of these, and no, even thought it may quack it is not a Duck...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - XJL-1, s/n 31400 USN, c/r N54205

There are not too many B-18s around, so this one deserves a mention...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - B-18B Bolo, s/n 38-0593 USAAF, c/n 2643, c/r N66267

I never get boards of the F9Fs...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - RF-9J Cougar, s/n 3F0093 MASDC, c/n 110

How many places have a D-21 on display? There is one in Lancaster, CA, another in Seattle and one in Tucson...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - D-21B, s/n 90-0533 USAF, c/n 90-0533

Of course you can’t mention the D-21 without mentioning the big bird...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - SR-71A Blackbird, s/n 61-7951 USAF, c/n 2002

This one is very cool, and is very big so it is difficult to photograph...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - PBM-5A Mariner [162G], s/n 122071 USN, c/r N3190G

Here is another rare bird, I remember seeing one at Dayton...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - YF-107A-NA, s/n 207 NACA, c/n 212-1

This is one of the best looking F-84s I have ever seen...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - RF-84F-15-RE Thunderflash, s/n FA085 MASDC

The Tomcat is still the coolest looking fighter ever...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-14A-100-GR Tomcat, s/n 1K0069 AMARC, c/n 303

This Lockheed Electra is a FAH veteran...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - UC-36A [L-10A], s/n 104 FAHo, c/n 1011, c/r N4963C

There are no too many Owls around, so this should be included here...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - O-52 Owl, s/n 40-2746 USAAF, c/n 14279

I NEED AN ID FOR THIS A-10!!! There is another in the collection, 75-298, so which airframe did this cockpit section come from?...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - A-10A Thunderbolt II

So here we have a T-33 painted as one once used in a movie to represent a Yak...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star, s/n 51-16992 USAF, c/n 580-7111

...it is a cool paint job anyway.

I don’t think I have seen one of these before!

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - HUM-1 [MC-4], s/n 133817 USN, c/n 1001

I am a Canuck, so I had to include this one!...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - CL-13 Sabre, s/n 23147 RCAF, c/n 937, c/r N72491

Wicked WACO!

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - ZKS-6, c/n 4512, c/r N16523

More wickedness.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - RNF, c/n 3392, c/r N11206

Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:59 pm

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F7F-3 Tigercat, s/n 80410 USN, c/n C.152, c/r N7627C

One of these things doesn’t look like the other...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - Gnat T.1 [Fo-144], s/n XM694 RAF, c/n FL504, c/r N694XM

The MiG family is also well represented, but in the interest of brevity I will just keep it to my favourite here...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - MiG-29 Fulcrum-A (NATO) [9.12], s/n white 22 MoAF, c/n 2960516766

I won’t skip over the Sabres...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-86H-10-NH Sabre [NA-203], s/n FC0010 MASDC, c/n 203-297

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-86L Sabre, s/n 53-0965 USAF, c/n 201-409

These don’t survive in large numbers...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-89J Scorpion, s/n FD0088 MASDC

I know there are some F-84 fans out there...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-84C, s/n 47-1433 USAF

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-84F-40-RE Thunderstreak, s/n FA0003 MASDC

Very rare, but my second one on this trip (Flying Leathernecks), so... yawn...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - TF-10B Skynight, s/n 124629 USN, c/n 7499

Rare as well...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-6A Skyray, s/n 134748 USN, c/n 10342

Rare again...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F3H-2 Demon, s/n 143492 USN, c/n 370

This is getting to be repetitive... rare...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - RA-5C Vigilante, s/n 149289 USN, c/n 269-24

Another favourite of mine...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-104D-10-LO Starfighter, s/n FB0054 MASDC, c/n 483-5035

A vicious Voodoo...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - RF-101C-55-MC Voodoo, s/n FF0385 MASDC, c/n 230

A wild weasel...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - F-105G Thunderchief, s/n FK0016 MASDC, c/n F16

DOES ANYONE HAVE AN ID FOR THIS P-39?

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - P-39 Airacobra

Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:59 pm

This one is way too cool. This is the oldest surviving B-52 in existence!

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - NB-52A Stratofortress, s/n BC108 AMARC, c/n 16493

This Stratofortress participated in the operations of the first night of Desert Storm by flying out of Barksdale AFB to deliver cruise missiles.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - B-52G-95-BW Stratofortress, s/n BC0373 AMARC, c/n 464251

Triple BUFFs!!! How cool is that? Unless you are currently serving in the armed forces and have the right access at the right base you are not going to see three B-52s parked side-by-side anywhere else.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - B-52D-20-BW Stratofortress, s/n BC0309 AMARC, c/n 464019

This is one of those planes the look fast, even standing still...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - B-58A-20-CF Hustler, s/n BQ0050 AMARC, c/n 116

There is a B-29 displayed inside as well...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - KB-50J Superfortress, s/n 49-0372 USAF

A beut of a Boly...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - Bolingbroke IVT, s/n 10073 RCAF

The BIG stick...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - B-36J-10-CF Peacemaker, s/n 52-2827 USAF, c/n 383

Invaders are my fav...

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - A-26A Counter Invader, s/n AD013 MASDC, c/n 7091

Rare, so posted here...