Australian plane 'boneyard'

[Hvr]

Alice Springs has been selected to be the first aircraft "boneyard" outside the United States.
Similar to the massive Pinal Airpark in Arizona, it will take planes being decommissioned from service, which will be stripped of parts like engines, electronics and wiring to be re-cycled.
Airlines will also be able to store aircraft as big as the A380 when they are not being used.

I reckon this would be awesome to visit when it starts to fill up. Maybe worth an MR.

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[docjames]

AFF meet? 2013 (once it's got some aircraft)?

 

[Saab34]

Lets hope they offer tours or something, been to some in the USA and they were not keen on people getting up and close.

 

[UP4014]

Who would have thought Alice Springs would become a plane spotters mecca.

 

[ButFli]

It isn't going to work though, is it? It gets crazy-wet in Alice at certain times of the year.

 

[Mal]

It isn't going to work though, is it? It gets crazy-wet in Alice at certain times of the year.

I presume they've done their calculations. But it isn't my issue if they haven't!

Agree that in a few years (assuming the concept flies or at least gets off the ground <lol>), then it would be very nice to go for a tour around.

 

[Bolthead]

Can't wait.............. drove past the one in the states and I was mesmerised.

In a few years it definitely would be worth a trip.

 

[medhead]

This sparked my interest, thinking about the aircraft types that could be landed in Alice Springs. So I compared Alice, runway length 2438m, with some "nearby" potential facilities - Woomera (2372m) and Maralinga (2500m). All pretty similar. What types of aircraft can operate into Alice?

Woomera would probably be inaccessible, but could do with the activity to support the town. Maralinga also could do with a revamp to keep it alive (so to speak). The Maralinga village and airport is amazing for something built in the 1950s - all mod cons. Massive runway, with the british flying directly into Maralinga. Runway and aprons set up (flow to central underground storage) to collect some massive amount of water (enough for a year's supply) from an annual average rainfall of 220 mm. Oh and the weapons test area is remote from the village, so no technical problem either.

 

[docjames]

2438m should be enough to get a 744 in and out.

(St Maarten is 2180m with steep departure I believe, albeit they go out under max loading needing a fuel stop en route to Europe from there).

YouTube - ‪St. Maarten 747 Landing‬&rlm;

YouTube - ‪St. Maarten 747 Takeoff‬&rlm;

Edit: the takeoff here is over water, its the departure the other way that requires steep departure / has less margin in an "engine out" scenario.

 

[ButFli]

Alice Springs will take an A380. The runway is 150m longer than 09-27 at Melbourne and A380's land there. QF and SQ use Alice Springs as an A380 alternate.

Taking off might be a different story!

 

[TheStudent]

It will be interesting to see if this proposal flys or not. With all the aircraft in Asia that will retire over the next 10 years or so, I would expect that this could become a huge collection of obsolete aircraft. However I wouldn't expect the public would be allowed in, but would be interesting to visit if tours were conducted.

 

[docjames]

If it's "attached" to ASP, that would create logisitcal/security issues presumably for tours, but not insurmountable.

With the right design for the start, tours could be easily done, and an adjunct source of revenue I would have thought.

 

[NM]

This sparked my interest, thinking about the aircraft types that could be landed in Alice Springs. So I compared Alice, runway length 2438m, with some "nearby" potential facilities - Woomera (2372m) and Maralinga (2500m). All pretty similar. What types of aircraft can operate into Alice?

2438m should be enough to get a 744 in and out.

Only need to be able to fly them in .... they typically go out in little pieces by road for delivery to the recycling processing plant

 

[tuppaware]

Only need to be able to fly them in .... they typically go out in little pieces by road for delivery to the recycling processing plant

I thought often it was a storage location for planes on-hold as well?
Awaiting lease etc?

How long is the Avalon runway ? I remember that an empty 747 can land and takeoff from avalon with ease.

 

[nlagalle]

I thought often it was a storage location for planes on-hold as well?
Awaiting lease etc?

How long is the Avalon runway ? I remember that an empty 747 can land and takeoff from avalon with ease.

Avalon is 3000m+ from memory (don't have my ERSA here) but it'll handle it no problems

 

[tuppaware]

Avalon is 3000m+ from memory (don't have my ERSA here) but it'll handle it no problems

Wikipedia says 3,048m .. Answered my own question.
Just comparing it to ASP

 

[el_rooto]

Avalon is 3000m+ from memory (don't have my ERSA here) but it'll handle it no problems

18/36 3,048 10,000 [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphalt"]Asphalt[/URL]

 

[el_rooto]

Wikipedia says 3,048m .. Answered my own question.
Just comparing it to ASP

12/30 2,438 7,998 [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphalt"]Asphalt[/URL]   17/35 1,133 3,717 Asphalt

 

[nlagalle]

18/36 3,048 10,000 [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphalt"]Asphalt[/URL]

Well I was only 48m out .. MEL in case you were wondering is 3657m (16/34). the east west (09/27) is 2286.

 

[NM]

I thought often it was a storage location for planes on-hold as well?
Awaiting lease etc?

How long is the Avalon runway ? I remember that an empty 747 can land and takeoff from avalon with ease.

While there have been some aircraft stored in the US bone-yards during down-turns, its not common for them to follow in Lazarus' shoes. For most, its a one-way journey, the final resting place, the end of the road (tarmac), retirement etc.