Victorville Aircraft Storage - VCV started this crisis with many airplanes already stored around its sprawling grounds, but just how many planes have joined their ranks is astonishing. Keep in mind, that the airfield already had a mass influx of Boeing 737 Max jets that have been grounded for over a year before the epidemic struck.
On November 7, 2017, United Airlines flew a Boeing 747 jetliner for the final time with passengers. The airline recreated the first 747 flight operated by United in 1970 for the historic farewell journey. Flight UA747 departed from San Francisco with service to Honolulu with more than 300 customers, employees and distinguished guests onboard.
Victorville Aircraft Storage
In satellite images that The War Zone obtained from Planet Labs, the first taken on May 20th, 2019, and the second taken on April 14th, 2020, you can see the throngs of airliners that have been put into storage at the big Mojave Desert airfield
Riding The Wave
. "So we hire a lot of the students, and they work for us while they're students. For instance, if they are in school on day shift, they'll work for us on evening shifts. And if they're in school on evening shifts, they'll work for us on day shift," concluded Christine.
MROs like ComAv have been at the forefront of Covid-19's industry effects. During the onset of the outbreak, the company received so many airplanes that they were forced to close a runway in collaboration with the local airport authority.
This added plenty of additional space for aircraft parking ComAv Technical Services, located at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, is one of the largest aircraft storage facilities on the globe with total capacity for over 500 commercial aircraft.
The largest leaseholder on the property, the company just about reached its capacity in 2020 and has been riding the waves of the Covid-19 pandemic ever since. The Airplane Boneyards website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Inside Victorville Airport Pandemic-Stricken Airliners Face An Uncertain Future
Amazon offers a commission on products sold through their affiliate links. There is no additional cost to you. "However, most aircraft that arrive at ComAv are here for transitional maintenance and will be re-deployed," noted Lisa Christine, ComAv's Director of Corporate Initiatives.
In Victorville, as one airplane leaves, another arrives to face an uncertain fate. "It's been happening for about the last three months. Some of the airlines have called people back and we have had to hire directly.
We do a lot with veterans. We do a lot here locally," says Tollison. It remains totally unclear when the airline industry will rebound or just how much long-term damage has been done by the pandemic, but it is almost impossible to imagine a situation where it won't take years to recover.
The Southern California Logistics Airport (VCV) in Victorville, California is an interesting aviation landmark, to say the least. It was once George Air Force Base, which hosted rows of fighter jets up until it was closed in 1992. It then morphed into a fairly unique multi-use airport that supports everything from jet engine development to flight testing exotic aircraft.
Touring The Southern California Logistics Airport Area
What it is best known for is for being a place where operators and manufacturers can store airliners where they'll be dry and safe. So, when COVID-19 swept the planet and airlines needed space to store their soon to be mothballed fleets, VCV was at the top of their lists.
"ComAv has been a big part of the airport for all of those years, actually, ComAv is the company on the airport that does all of the storage on the airport," added Tollison. "There are no other companies that do storage at the airport.
It is only ComAv. We currently have 450 airplanes on-site and we do a lot more than just storage.” USAF may purchase Boeing 747-8 jets stored at SCLA Victorville as new Air Force One (Defense One -
08/01/2017) Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) is a 2,200 acre aviation center located in Victorville, CA. SCLA is home to world-class companies such as Boeing, General Atomics, International Aerospace Coatings, and General Electric that specialize in a variety of aerospace services.
Dynamic Staffing To Meet Demand
SCLA offers several advantages over other locations in the region such as a fully functioning airport, low utility costs, and close proximity to western markets. SCLA also has one of the nation's largest runways to accommodate wide-body aircraft.
Aerospace sectors currently doing business at SCLA include aircraft storage, aircraft parts warehousing, jet engine testing, flight testing, unmanned aircraft services (UAS) pilot training, aircraft painting, and maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) services. The base was again activated by the U.S.
Air Force at the beginning of the Korean War in November 1950. It remained a base throughout the Cold War, primarily for training Tactical Air Command pilots, until being closed in 1993. The War Zone also obtained exclusive aerial images from pilot Gabriel Zeifman of VCV that were taken on April 19th, 2020, showing a whole new perspective on the mass migration of airliners to Victorville for storage during the pandemic:
The Australian airline parked its A380 fleet at the Victorville airport while international flying remained in a downturn. On July 6, 2020, the Qantas Airbus A380-842 “VH-OQE Lawrence Hargrave,” operating as “QF6001,” left Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport and flew nonstop to Victorville.
Accommodating The Superjumbo
"During the entire pandemic, we were actually having to hire pretty much every month to meet the demand of the aircraft coming in and inducting them into storage and then maintaining the storage during that timeframe," Christine said in an interview with AirlineGeeks.
A pattern has emerged as demand takes off in an industry desperate for continued recovery. According to the company, narrowbody jets have largely been placed back into service first. Widebody aircraft — primarily used on long-haul international flights — have remained on the property, awaiting the ease of border restrictions and the ensuing return of demand.
"It's big, but it's not the heaviest because its gear is so spread out. So I mean, it is a heavy, big aircraft and the wingspan is quite large, but it's not the heaviest aircraft. But our soil-cement is rated for our widebody types 100%," Tollison said.
Head through the Mojave Desert and up Interstate 15 just north of Los Angeles, and you'll find a relatively small, unsuspecting airport with no commercial air service. Airfields such as this one aren't uncommon in California, but this particular one stands out.
The Air Force was reported to be in negotiations with Boeing in August of 2017 to purchase two 747-8 jets which are completed and which have been in storage at SCLA in Victorville since February of 2017. These aircraft were built for the Russian airline Transaero,
which went into bankruptcy in 2015. The airline never took delivery of the 747s. SCLA is also a popular destination for the movie and television industry. Dozens of movies, television episodes and commercials have been filmed at the locale over the years.
SCLA offers a wide variety of desert scenes, open spaces, runways, warehouses and other venues easily accessible to the film industry. With over 18 years of experience at Victorville, ComAv operates a storage facility at SCLA with a capacity of over 500 aircraft, and offers ramp and hanger space that can host over 20 aircraft for transitional maintenance.
The A380 faces an uncertain future being virtually entirely grounded during the pandemic. Even prior to Covid-19, airlines were opting towards twin-engine aircraft that move to be more efficient. The pandemic was simply the nail in the coffin for the worldwide A380 fleet.
The airport is about 7 miles northwest of downtown Victorville, and about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles. It is located just north of Air Base Road (Air Expressway). While you can drive through some of the streets and roads at SCLA, most business and industrial areas are restricted.
No organized tours are available. Tollison also noted that the A380 may join other older aircraft in that they may not fly again. "Some of the older widebody aircraft — some of the 747s, 777-200s, some of the A380s, things like that — I think you won't see a lot of those go back up because [the airlines] are buying newer aircraft,
he said. "So initially — when COVID first hit back in early 2020 — the airlines were parking essentially their entire fleets, their narrowbody aircraft and their widebody aircraft, especially the larger carriers that do not just [fly] domestic but overseas or international," says Tollison
. Of course, maintaining an airplane during its storage program is a necessity. Tollison's team is tasked by airlines to do a variety of activities that keep the airplanes in a healthy condition during their desert stay.
These activities include running engines, turning the landing gear, inspecting for wildlife, and a variety of other tasks. Amid airline layoffs and furloughs, many aircraft mechanics were at a loss. Despite this, ComAv was one of the few aerospace companies hiring during the pandemic.
The company's staffing doubled when Covid-19 hit back in 2020. Owned by the U.S. Air Force until 1992, the airport shifted to civilian use. ComAv was the first maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) supplier on the property.
The company is approaching its 23rd year at the airport, meaning it has seen industry downturns before, including the aftermath of 9/11. Ryan Ewing Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector.
His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he worked in roles pertaining to airport operations and customer service while pursuing a bachelor's degree in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University.
Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Although Southern California Logistics Airport is just one of a vast number of airports around the globe that have disused airliners littering their aprons and runways during the COVID-19 nightmare, it appears to have received the most aircraft by a substantial margin.
ComAv saw 470 parked aircraft on its property during the peak. The company says they still have over 400 parked today. According to Cirium data, 2,047 aircraft are in storage in the U.S., meaning they haven't moved in over 30 days.
There are not many movements and you can photograph mainly the parked aircraft. But check Flightaware before you are going there in case something "new" is arriving so you might be able to catch on final approach or on the ramp.
Don't use Flightradar!
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