AIRCRAFT BONEYARD Tuscon, Arizona Fly-In February 20, 2020

corcoran

corcoran

Orbiting Earth
This is a heads-up message as tickets must be purchased online and well in advance.
---- On January 26th only 28 tickets were available for this tour ----

Tour of the Davis Monthan Air Force Base aircraft boneyard. This is a commercial operation and you must buy tour tickets yourself from the Pima Air Museum. (About $20 each)

Details at http://pimaair.org/plan-your-visit/available-tours/

Getting to Davis Monthan and the tour will be on your own. Choose the 2:00pm bus tour. Then BAC will host dinner later at a local restaurant.

More info to be posted. A mystery local high profile Tuscon BAC member is to be official host of this fly-in.

Tom Corcoran
 
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I wish this were Feb 9! I could join you. We have to get our coordination down better! I'd love to take some SW Region money too!
 
It is now official, Marty Vanover will be our official Tuscon host. He has promised to give a personal tour to the BAC group of the Pima Air Museum prior to (or after) the boneyard tour on February 20, 2020.

Claudia, (Mrs. Marty) will be the event hostess and will be selecting the restaurant for the BAC dinner. That will be decided as the event unfolds.

Remember: Space is limited and tour tickets must be purchased NOW!

Tom Corcoran
 
Dang! I'd love to go, partly because I always thought Claudia was a figment of Marty's imagination!
 
BAC when all of y'all were in short pants, my father and I went on a father/son multi-base racket ball tourney. One of the hosts was DM, and we got a personal tour. Pop saw his F86 from Korea there and went quiet for the rest of the day. His F-100F is at Dayton. The T-Bird lead and his son beat the pants off us at Nellis, but the tour was astounding. I still have the autographed pix.

Google Buck and Bill Patillo and see who flew L and R wing for the Comets, and who they became. 5 stars between them. Pop flew slot (zero stars).

Yep, my hero.

Rap
 
Update as of 7:30am Saturday February 1, 2020.

BONEYARD TOUR Tucson, Arizona
Event Type
BAC Fly-In
Tucson, Arizona at Davis Monthan Air Force Base
Fee for tour and museum.

Tickets Must Be Purchased Online Way In Advance meaning NOW!
18 seats were available as of 7:30am Saturday February 1, 2020.

http://pimaair.org/plan-your-visit/available-tours/

Arrange the tour (2:00pm) on your own and join BAC for dinner at a local restaurant.

If flying land at Marana AZ Regional Airport by 10am. Go to Tucson Aeroservice FBO.

https://www.aopa.org/destinations/airports/KAVQ/details

Call for a ride to Pima Air Museum:
Tom Corcoran 781 843-4321 or Marty Vanover 480 882-8750.

Marty lives in Tucson and Margie and I will be staying at the Hampton Inn, Marana.

Tom Corcoran
 
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Everybody who shows up should have a great time. Last year when I convinced Marty to RR my donuts, I managed to find half a day to visit Pima. I also did the boneyard. In my case, having only half a day, I’d have been better off skipping the boneyard. I think I rushed through about 3/4 of the Pima displays. Didn’t catch all of it, and the boneyard had less interest for me. I was actually surprised I felt that way at the end of it. Lots of cool sites in the bone yard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
BAC Boneyard Fly-In February 20, 2020 Tucson Arizona

Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson was the place to be for lucky BACers. This is the location of the famous desert storage facility for the United Sates Air Force and its allies. Perfectly good airplanes are flown there to be stored or repaired or to be euthanized and dismembered for parts.

The bus tour of DMAFB begins at the Pima Air Museum a short distance away. It is here you buy your ticket and vetted for entry onto the base. Think vetted and vetted and vetted. By the time the Air Force has looked you over you’re paranoid and actually think you may actually be a very bad guy.

BAC Boneyard fly-in Feb 20 2020 general view.jpg

The big surprise is the Pima Air Museum. Yes, there are a dozen buildings with restored airplanes; but there are acres of planes outside that you can walk around and under. Think B42, Globemaster, the huge Guppy, an Air Force One, 747, 707, 7-everything and one-of-a-kinds.
The beauty of the outdoor displays is that the planes are not yet and maybe never will be restored. There is a more friendly connection to the aircraft.

BAC Boneyard fly-in Feb 20 2020 Marty Vanover at Pima.jpg

Officially attending were Tom and Margie Corcoran from Boston and Marty and Claudia Vanover of Tucson. Kevin Eaton a professional pilot, BACFest attendee and former Sundowner owner joined the quartet.

BAC Boneyard fly-in Feb 20 2020 dinner .jpg
l-r... Kevin, Claudia, Margie, Marty, Tom

Marty was the official tour guide for BAC at Pima. Trouble was, everyone visiting the museum would ask Marty a question and he always had an answer. A l-o-n-g answer. From time to time he had to be dragged forward. He knows so much stuff that you have to take notes if you are with him. It’s one situation where calling him a know-it-all is a compliment. He does know it all.

BAC Boneyard fly-in Feb 20 2020 Tom and Margie Corcoran at Pima.jpg

Someone who has been with him for a long time is his wife Claudia. She is a saint. Both she and Margie gave up their day to let their husbands immerse in aviation. Neither craves the urge to fly. But from time to time they do.

It was a great fly-in. Thousands of aircraft; light adult beverages; delicious Mexican meal and wonderful company.

Tom Corcoran, Region Director Northeast US
 
I still don't think Claudia exists. No pictures, no Claudia...

Kinda like pretending you have an airplane - no pic, no plane.

Seriously, it looks like it was a lot of fun.
 
We didn't think Claudia was real either.
Imagine a nice lady like Claudia with a guy like Marty.
Seeing is believing.

Claudia Vanover.PNG
 
Tom,

Thanks for the write-up and photos. Very nice.

Currently in Montana with the grand kids - - so missed the boneyard trip. Maybe next time .....
 
Tom,

I'm not a know-it-all. I just worked on some of the airplanes. You do pick up a few things by doing that. You only had to drag me away once... you wouldn't let anyone talk to me after that. Claudia does exist! I've been trying to tell you! She is just careful about not letting any of her DNA find it's way in little airplanes.
 
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