Boneyards

Scattered across the United States are more than thirty aircraft "boneyards." 

These sites serve as holding areas for planes in need of temporary storage, decommissioned airplanes, or those headed to the scrap pile.

Last week I unexpectedly discovered one such facility. I was driving on the edge of the Mojave desert just before sunrise, while the morning mist was still rising. When the sun popped above the horizon, suddenly rows and rows of planes became visible. It was mesmerizing.

The desert climate is particularly conducive to such preservation efforts and thus a good choice for these boneyards. But the vast emptiness of the Mojave lent an air of loneliness and sorrow to scene. All those metal carcasses, still yearning to fly...

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you will always long to return." - Leonardo de Vinci