Helicopter Dumping

[nicolewhitephotography]

Hi we are off to LA/ Los Vegas in September and I asked for some interesting

places to take photos. Someone mentioned something about a helicopter dumping

ground in the desert either near LA or Los Vegas.

This sounded really interesting - does anyone know where I can find more

information about this????????????????

[craig_gillette]

Not sure about helicopters but there are several airfields in the dry desert areas where "surplus" or old aircraft are stored, perhaps to be used again. I think the Air Force had a lot in storage at Davis-Monthan near Tucson - many of the bombers were chopped up for arms control purposes and other older planes just finally scrapped. I believe there are some older commercial liners stored at Mojave. Google Earth: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and it will take you right to the boneyard (there look to be a few choppers).. Mojave California, then zoom ip a bit to find the airport. These are the only two I can think of of the top of my head.

 

If Google didn't turn information up, I'd maybe call something like the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California (Google them) and see if they had some info.

[b_hall1]

The high desert trip is Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond, and Mojave. Willow Springs racetrack is in Rosamond while Edwards AFB (which is the original Space Shuttle landing strip) is East of Rosamond. Scaled Composites is located at Mojave Airport and there should be some daytrekers at the airport. Also, old commercial airliners at Mojave...

[charles_stobbs3]

They were using a helicopter to dump the toilets at the tea house above Lake Louise (in Alberta) when I was there. I don't know how good a photo oportunity it makes. I was able to resist.

[nicolewhitephotography]

Thanks for all the feedback guys :-)

[john falkenstine]

LA to Vegas and the desert in between is a very large Geographic area, in which a large section of Europe could fit. There are no "dumping" grounds of any kind, but there are storage facilities. Storage or dismantling is a controlled affair. Most "dumping" and melting down takes place in Arizona and especially around Tucson, because we have weaker environmental laws than California, so we can run small smelters and mess around as if its the fifties. The large storage area is Davis-Monthan (AMARC). The back side of DM has the "civilian" area which also participate in storage and dismantling and sales, of course supervised by Uncle Sam. Ask before taking pictures.

[kelly_flanigan1]

Cinematographer Gregg Toland in the The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) shot some cool boneyard full of B-17's. The B&W scene looks like dozens of acres of B-17's being scrapped for aluminum, post WW2. Gregg Toland also shot Citizen Kane in 1941.<BR><BR>The Boneyard/scrapyard scenes were shot in Chino California at the Cal Aero Field.

[robert becker]

On your way from LA to Las Vegas, you will pass through Victorville on I-15. There is the old George Air Force Base in V-ville where you can see hundreds of retired and/or mothballed airliners. If you travel the perimeter roads with a long lens, you are bound to get some great shots of old machines. R