Victorville Storage Aircraft - "Southwest is flying two or three MAX units out a week. So, I think by April, the Southwest MAX aircraft will be gone, and I know Boeing themselves are pushing out a MAX here and there every week or two.
So, I'd say maybe by the summer, you'll see very few MAX aircraft here." "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.
Victorville Storage Aircraft
And if they're in school on evening shifts, they'll work for us on day shift," concluded Christine. "Sometimes the fighter jets or transports will come in and just get fuel for lunchtime. So, you'll see them grab lunch at the airport and fly off.
Riding The Wave
You don't know what you expect at this airport but it's truly a unique experience." Located in San Bernardino County, California, the Southern California International Airport, the predecessor to SCLA, opened in October 1994. The following year, it was granted an FAA Part 139 Certificate to serve passenger and cargo airlines.
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. 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. Nevertheless, despite the planes spending up to a long period at ComAv Technical Services' facilities at Victorville, there is a lot of work for employees to do on the aircraft.
Accommodating The Superjumbo
Onsite activity includes maintenance and completion services, flight testing, end-of-life cycle services, research and development, and plane asset management. "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
. 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 lessee 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.
"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." New up close photos show qantas a380s in us boneyard australian aviation qantas s aircraft at southern california logistics airport in victorville qantas airbus a380 lands vcv for storage you victorville aircraft storage vh ojb pictures photos ojf ojp airteamimages com
Dynamic Staffing To Meet Demand
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 is the only U.S.-based firm that accommodates the world's largest passenger aircraft: the Airbus A380. The company maintains 10 of the double-decker aircraft on its property.
Tollison says they are in talks with other airlines to store additional A380s. Victorville is no stranger to responding to quick transformations in the industry. Following the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX back in March 2019, airlines had to find space to store the narrowbody.
Therefore, the airport was the ideal solution amid the saga. 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.
Inside Victorville Airport Pandemic-Stricken Airliners Face An Uncertain Future
The company's staffing doubled when Covid-19 hit back in 2020. Victorville Airport played a key role during the Covid-19 pandemic, storing over 500 aircraft from all over the world. Qantas, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Delta, and others used KVCV to store their vast fleet, which needed to be grounded for months as the aviation world collapsed to its knees.
It's a great place to see many airplanes, so what's not to like? "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. Formally known as Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA), the site has a rich history, dating back to 1941. The location was a United States Air Force flight training facility up until 1992. It went by the name of George Air Force Base (GAFB
) before converting to offer civilian usage. Other jobs include touch-ups when there has been damage. For instance, Victorville recently had a Boeing BBJ arrive that had some scratches, which required some work. There are also times when operators have sent an aircraft to the site after selling it off, and they don't want their logo to be shown while the plane is sitting there.
So, the workers of IAC cover up the airline's branding. "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. "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.
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! Notably, there are a range of paint jobs conducted at IAC's facilities. In the morning before the call with Kilmer, his team had just received a United Airlines Boeing 777 with the older Continental-style coating.
However, in approximately two weeks' time, the jet will be transformed into its new sky blue livery. The pandemic has had an obvious impact on ramping up operations at ComAv. As well as airlines relocating their grounded planes, many can't take on deliveries of their brand new units.
So, several jets are flying fresh from Boeing after completion. "Southwest brought their entire MAX fleet down here when the MAX got grounded. And not to mention, Southwest is also kind of in a position right now, when each MAX goes out, they also bring in a few of their older -700s to retire.
So, it's always rotating," Kilmer said. 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.
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.
"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.
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 encroaching on its 23rd year at the airport, meaning it has seen industry downturns before, including the aftermath of 9/11.
For this debut scenery for MSFS, Xometry is presenting an accurate representation of Victorville Airport for MSFS. Obviously, with all the airplanes that are usually parked around here, there needs to be special attention to detail to static airplanes, which is exactly what Xometry has done.
With over 150 accurately placed models, KVCV should start to look more like the real thing in Flight Simulator. Deputy Editor & Lead Journalist - Europe. Sumit comes to Simple Flying with more than eight years' experience as a professional journalist.
Having written for The Independent, Evening Standard, and others, his role here allows him to explore his enthusiasm for aviation and travel. Having built strong relationships with United Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Icelandair, and more, Sumit excels in both aviation history and market analysis.
Based in London, UK. With the MAX returning to the skies and the aviation industry looking to get the recovery process going this summer, there will be plenty of aircraft flying off this year. Nevertheless, Victorville and its workers will continue to conduct their duties and will be ready for any twists in the industry.
Today, with "severe clear" weather throughout the year and over 2,200 acres of space, Victorville is the perfect destination for aircraft that need to be stored. There is plenty of open flat land and the warm climate slows down the corrosion of metal. Moreover
, the low humidity offers lower maintenance costs. 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.
Behind Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the Southern California Logistic Airport in Victorville, CA is the second largest aircraft boneyard in the world. The airport is, like many other storage fields in the USA, a former military base.
Most planes are on long term storage on the ramp at the northeast corner of the airport and a lot of aircraft maintenance and storage companies presenting newer and older planes on their ramps and hangars in the south.
Unique operators are based at VCV like Omega Air Tanker with 707/DC-10 and General Electric with their 747 N747GF Propulsion Test Platform. Aircraft are moved from time to time so the google maps images are not really up to date and should not be a reference.
Ramp access or tours are not possible at VCV but another way is to charter a plane and make some air to ground pictures.
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