Aberdeen Proving Grounds c 1957 ...

[Mark Allen M]

"These shots are closeups of Aberdeen Proving Ground from a 1957 aerial survey, in which you can see close to 250 surplus Boeing B29 Superfortress's as well as a smattering of smaller planes".
Source: Paul Faatz posting from a 1957 aerial survey.

[quemerford]

Is that an XB-48 in the final shot?

[Mark Allen M]

Sure looks like it.

[quemerford]

Awesome shots Mark: thanks as ever. Let's hope some ground-based shots turn up too

[Larry Kraus]

Sorry about the poor quality of these shots. They were scanned from 4x5 prints. This was circa 1981 from a Twin Beech departing Aberdeen.

Express Airways 110 by tanker622001, on Flickr

Express Airways 108 by tanker622001, on Flickr

Express Airways 109 by tanker622001, on Flickr

Last edited by Larry Kraus on Tue Jan 06, 2026 10:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

[JohnB]

Sad to see the C-124s there.
A big part of my childhood.
I have some slides of them at DM in 1976...

[Larry Kraus]

John, one of those C-124s ended up at the Travis AFB Museum.

https://www.travisafbaviationmuseum.org/c-124c

There are some good videos concerning the overhaul and delivery flight on the linked page above

IMG_0154 by tanker622001, on Flickr

Last edited by Larry Kraus on Wed Jan 07, 2026 1:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Richard W.]

So many B-29s...

Were all of them there to be used as targets?

[phil65]

N.E.A.M.'s B-29 came from there..

Phil

[Warbird Kid]

I see four B-24s and numerous B-25s also. Shame they didn't make it.

[JohnB]

And the practice of using retired types seems to continue...fairly recently.
Several USCG HH-52s were sent there after retirement.
I'm sure more recent types as well.

[Chris Brame]

From Leon Cleaver (Woodsy Airfield); storage area near Aberdeen from February 15, 1978:

[Hooligan2]

Excellent if rather sad thread... assume those are three B-47s in the first pic as well. One of the B-29s nearby appears to have tip tanks, assume that's some kind of anomaly or something on the ground...

[JohnB]

In the final photo...I believe the blue H-21s were VIP machines based at Andrews...(possibly to evacuate leadership in war), there was a similar machine at one of the salvage yards outside AMARC, (across from Pima) for years.

Also, A lot of Navy HUPs, a few H-19s.
And also in the last photo, what looks to be a 1963-64 Rambler Classic 550/660 station wagon. If it is former military, I have never seen a Rambler staff car of that period...

[quemerford]

Excellent if rather sad thread... assume those are three B-47s in the first pic as well. One of the B-29s nearby appears to have tip tanks, assume that's some kind of anomaly or something on the ground...

Certainly B-47s, and that B-29 probably does have wingtip appendages (possibly the Tip-Tow aircraft?). I also see B-24s, B-45s, folded-wing Navy types, at least one F-89, F-86/F-84F and lots of other stuff which just makes you long for a time machine and a modern digital camera.

One of the three XP-86s was sent to Aberdeen and it's long been a wish that one day they'll have a major clearance and 'find' it.

Incidentally large parts of this area seem to now be in deep undergrowth/trees (compare with Google Maps), so I do wonder what might be left in those locations.