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Check out these incredible photos from where jumbo jets go to die
The days of the jumbo jet are numbered. Since their debut in the late 1960s, planes such as the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 have been the undisputed queens of the sky.
Unfortunately, the size, four-engine dependability, and range of these big planes are no longer enough of a competitive advantage to justify their operating costs. These relics of the 20th century often end up in places such as the Southern California Logistics Airport – more commonly known as the "bone yard."
The Southern California Logistics Airport is located in Victorville, California — about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Due to its location in the Mojave desert, Victorville's warm and dry climate make it the perfect place to keep aging airplanes for extended periods of time.
Airplanes here have either been retired or declared "surplus" – not needed for immediate operations.
After they arrive, some planes are preserved so they can, one day, return to service with the airline or ...
... be sold to another airline.
Those planes have their windows covered in foil and their fluids drained as they prepare for to sit in the desert for the long haul.
The aircraft's engines — the most valuable parts of the plane – are also removed.
However, others — like this ex-Orient Thai Boeing 747 — are broken up and sold for parts.
After the valuable parts, such as the electronics, interior trim, and other reusable components have been harvested, the remaining pieces are chopped up and sold for scrap.
As of March 2015, British Airways has quite a few 747s at the bone yard.
The airline has a massive fleet of more than 50 747-400s.
