BeechStarship From United States of America, joined Oct 2002, 72 posts, RR: 0 Posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 3306 times:
Wondering if any of you have "experienced" the airliner scrapyard in Maxton, NC or have any comments about the place. I grew up in Charlotte, and every time we went to Myrtle Beach my dad would drive by Maxton and we'd gawk at the stored/scrapped airliners there. Now I live near LA (toward Mojave...yeah!).
Mojave is such a clean, sanitized place compared to Maxton...which I now refer to as "The Ultimate Redneck Airport". Some examples of what I mean:
Is this your typical NC abandoned pink trailer? Nope, it's a weed overgrown Air Jamaica DC8!
Keep in mind that I use the term "redneck" humorously and in the most inoffensive way possible. I'm a North Carolina native in LA, so I've been called a redneck myself. The way they treat old airliners at Maxton is a shame though. What's next...airliners up on concrete blocks?
IMissPiedmont From United States of America, joined May 2001, 6207 posts, RR: 43 Reply 1, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 3256 times:
Boy, what you talkin' 'bout rednecks for? I'm damn proud to be from dixie an' don' you foget it!
Maxton is indeed an old fashioned junk yard. MHV and my own location, MZJ, are just too damn sterile. I like walking around old aircraft that will, and could never, fly again. Just like looking for parts for my '77 Ford in a junkyard I guess. I wonder about where they've been, the wonder of the first people that climbed abaord and (sentimental) the love that was shared or given for the first time inside those walls of metal.
Sappy sucker aren't I? Us rednecks ain't so bad after all.
What is it with all the "is there a possibilty airline X will.." threads? The answer it'll is possible.
IMissPiedmont From United States of America, joined May 2001, 6207 posts, RR: 43 Reply 2, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 3254 times:
Oh, by the way, yes I've been there many times. I wonder what condition the Il-62 is in. I wish my museum had leadership that would take such a beast.
Are you here Count? Didn't think so.
What is it with all the "is there a possibilty airline X will.." threads? The answer it'll is possible.
Maiznblu_757 From United States of America, joined Mar 2002, 5112 posts, RR: 51 Reply 3, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 3247 times:
How do they get these planes to the airport!?
KMEB Laurinburg-Maxton Airport
Maxton, North Carolina, USA
Runway 5/23
Dimensions: 6489 x 150 ft. / 1978 x 46 m
Surface: concrete, in fair condition
Weight limitations: Single wheel: 25000 lbs
Double wheel: 35000 lbs
Runway edge lights: high intensity
RUNWAY 5 RUNWAY 23
Latitude: 34-47.42210N 34-48.16782N
Longitude: 079-22.31812W 079-21.38842W
Elevation: 216.0 ft. 200.0 ft.
Traffic pattern: left right
Runway heading: 052 magnetic, 046 true 232 magnetic, 226 true
Markings: precision, in good condition precision, in good condition
Visual slope indicator: 4-box VASI on left (3.00 degrees glide path) 4-box VASI on left (3.00 degrees glide path)
Approach lights: ODALS: omnidirectional approach lighting system
Obstructions: 40 ft. tree, 1050 ft. from runway, 480 ft. left of centerline, 21:1 slope to clear 70 ft. trees, 2000 ft. from runway, 25:1 slope to clear
IMissPiedmont From United States of America, joined May 2001, 6207 posts, RR: 43 Reply 4, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 3244 times:
Most are flown in and scrapped on site, 6500 feet is more than enough. Sadly lots of aircraft are, or were, the hulks of crashed aircraft trucked in.
What is it with all the "is there a possibilty airline X will.." threads? The answer it'll is possible.
Maiznblu_757 From United States of America, joined Mar 2002, 5112 posts, RR: 51 Reply 5, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 3243 times:
Can you get advanced notice of an aircraft arrival?
Airlinelover From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 5580 posts, RR: 27 Reply 6, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 3231 times:
Is there a way to get in there just to "gawk" and take pics???
Chris
Lets do some sexy math. We add you, subtract your clothes, divide your legs and multiply
BeechStarship From United States of America, joined Oct 2002, 72 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 3212 times:
I know there's a mailing list that talks about arrival, departures, etc. at Maxton. Do a search for it.
As far as getting in...there's a road around the perimeter where you can see most of the airliners, but getting inside the fence officially is difficult from what I hear. There are sometimes holes in the fence, but I would NEVER advocate sneaking in!
Bruce From United States of America, joined May 1999, 5027 posts, RR: 17 Reply 8, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 3180 times:
6,500 ft is long enough to land an EMPTY 747. But as soon as you hit the thrust reverser, you're done. You can never leave. It's just not long enough to take off from.
There's another boneyard in the southeast for which I have a personal contact, and I plan on going to take pics. They have some big jets (heavies) that have just been retired recently. I'm off work this week and had planned to visit them but this stupid rain just wont stop
and the temperature won't get above 40
Ah, but when mother nature decides to let me go, it'll be worth it!!!!
bruce
Bruce Leibowitz - Jackson, MS (KJAN) - Canon 50D/100-400L IS lens
Gsoflyer From United States of America, joined May 2001, 1090 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 3197 times:
The runway length are well longer than what is in the books. I know two aren't used because that is where I used to take my car to test before rallies.
Anyway, lots of neat aircraft out there. I haven't been back since I saw the plane a friend of mine died in by accident. I do know there are quite a few crashed aircraft that didn't fly in and quite a few neat big planes.
I remember back in 1997 when I was a senior in college, I went down there and saw one of those russian made planes that sort of looks like a DC-9 but with 4 engines on the rear instead of two. Very very weird looking.
BeechStarship From United States of America, joined Oct 2002, 72 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 3176 times:
This is the Illuyshin Il-62 referred to above, and it's still there of course. Supposedly is WAS for a museum that never got off the ground, no pun intended. I've never been able to find out just how in ended up in Maxton.
Of course, they ruined the plane for any future museum. They decided to use it for door installation practice and thus ruined the fuselage. Then they went through the trouble and expense of making two big "British Aerospace VC10" decals (It's a Vickers, not BAe...no, wait...it's neither one!) near the nose. This must be some kind of internal joke amongst the Maxton employees, surely they know what it really is.
Anybody know how long ago it arrived? Would have loved to see that bird land...
United_Fan From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 7175 posts, RR: 8 Reply 11, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 2 days ago) and read 3158 times:
I was there first in Oct 00. I was taking a pic of the NW 741 form the road. When I heard a truck pull up.'What are you doing?' I'm just taking
pitures. 'You know this is private property,who do you work for ?' Ummm, a car dealer... Would you like to get better pictures inside the fence ? Helll yeah!
Follow me . So I followed his white Ford van thru the gate. 'Just don't take anything' Ok. So I got to wander around there for 2 hours. I walked under a NW 747 for the first time. What an earie feeling,standing under that 30 year old 747 creaking in the wind. The forward baggage door was open,so I peared in to take a look . I loved beeing that close - I was reading the maintenance schedule for the nosegear. I also saw the 727 up close .
I went back in August of this year,but nobody was there to let me in,but the gate is only waist high and was unlocked. So I took pics from the fenceline.
I recently read on the Yahoo groups website that Maxton just aquired 2 NW DC-10-30's from the Desert this month. I've read that the guys who run Charlotte Aviation like NASCAR hats,so if you want to get in,bring a few.
And yes,that 727 and 1 of the NWOrient 747's are back next to the tobacco feilds - no kidding.
'Empathy was yesterday...Today, you're wasting my Mother-F'ing time' - Heat.
Chrisair From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1795 posts, RR: 4 Reply 12, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 3141 times:
Now that I remember, the infield is a tobacco field, the perimeter is a tobacco field, and one side is a jungle.
Fanofjets From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 1898 posts, RR: 3 Reply 13, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 3103 times:
The CSA Il-62 arrived sometime around 1986, if not a year or so before. I first saw a picture of the bird in a World Airliners Fleets magazine of that year - needless to say, the plane looked much better then than it does now. I, too, would love to see this plane restored, but that may be just a dream now.
The aeroplane has unveiled for us the true face of the earth. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
IMissPiedmont From United States of America, joined May 2001, 6207 posts, RR: 43 Reply 14, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 3081 times:
Hi Bruce. The runway is long enough to have an empty 747 take off from. On December 24 1995 a 747 landed at Avra Valley near Tucson. It took off 2 or 3 days later for the 4 mile flight to Pinal Air Park with 2000 feet of runway left.
What is it with all the "is there a possibilty airline X will.." threads? The answer it'll is possible.
BeechStarship From United States of America, joined Oct 2002, 72 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week 3 hours ago) and read 3053 times:
United_Fan...I am jealous! All the times I was there taking picture I NEVER had that kind of good fortune! I went to the office once to ask if I could go in and they said no. Of course I was a teenager at the time, so I'm sure they thought I would cause trouble. Anyone else get inside?
United_Fan From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 7175 posts, RR: 8 Reply 16, posted (10 years 6 months 1 week ago) and read 3035 times:
Yep,I couldn't believe my good fortune that day . I'll never forget walking around that deserted airport,it was soooo quiet! I was disappointed that I couldn't go in when I was there in Aug. I talked to one of the owner's daughters but she didn't work there and was the only one there . I want to go back soon to see the DC-10's , hopefully Santa will get me a Sony F707.
'Empathy was yesterday...Today, you're wasting my Mother-F'ing time' - Heat.
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From United States of America, joined Oct 2002, 72 posts, 
Some examples of what I mean:
I'm a North Carolina native in LA, so I've been called a redneck myself. The way they treat old airliners at Maxton is a shame though. What's next...airliners up on concrete blocks? 
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