Where did the airlines park their airplanes? // WOW!!!

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Published 2020-04-15
Victorville California is currently one of the largest airplane parking lots in the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this video, in coordination with air traffic control (ATC), I fly a dramatic low approach in my Grumman Tiger over the closed runway that is currently home for over 400 unused jets. After that, we fly over the peak bloom of the Antelope Valley poppy fields to see an explosion of color in the Mojave Desert.

Background:
Global airline travel has been dramatically affected as a result of the corona virus and as a result, the airlines have been temporarily storing their fleet at select locations to wait out the current crisis. Southern California Logistics Airport (KVCV) in Victorville, California is one of the primary storage depots for Delta, Southwest and FedEx. It is also one of the largest airplane boneyards in the USA. ComAv is the company that stores and manages these aircraft. It is home to dozens of Boeing 737 Max jets as a result of their recall in 2019. In addition, you can find many other jets, including Boeing 747, 757, and 767 aircraft. There are also Airbus A310, A320 and McDonnell-Douglas MD-10 and MD-11 aircraft. KVCV was recently also the home for the next generation Air Force One Boeing 747-8 jets.

SuperBloom
Every spring in the deserts of Southern California, many colorful flowers bloom and present an amazing display across the desolate and rugged landscapes. While usually an extremely popular location for selfies, many of these locations are closed down because of the corona virus and unable to be seen by many.

I want to give a big shout out to the tower controllers at KVCV that were kind enough to let me do a flyover on the closed runway to see all the airplanes.

MUSIC
Halation by Evolv
Boundary by Kevin Graham
A Light in the Attic by This Patch of Sky
Invincible by Loya

All Comments (21)
  • @deovalente
    As a Southwest Airlines crewmember, I got very emotional watching this. Just when I thought I'd seen all of the parked planes, more would pop up. These are my babies.
  • @bernadethhh
    As a grounded flight attendant, this breaks my heart. To most people, the sky is the limit, but to us, the sky is home. I hope everyone is staying safe during this time. Take care.
  • @laurena7616
    As a flight attendant from Southwest, it is sad to see so many of any aircraft sitting out there, no matter what airline or company they represent. Like you said, they hold so many stories within the wingspan of each and every one and have so many more to make. They just need to take off and have the opportunity to do so. I have faith that will happen. That is all we have. Thank you so much for doing this and sharing this with us. As surreal as it is to see, it is beautiful as well.
  • Thanks for the tour! Incredibly sad to see thousands grounded all over the world. I’ve been a Flying Aggie for 56 years, and I find this terrifying that there is no commerce conducted by air left in the world right now. That’s scarier than the virus. Birds gotta fly, people gotta work.
  • @Twobarpsi
    "Would the owner of a white 737, please move. You parked me in!"
  • @eldiablo8019
    And that's just a drop in the bucket, compared to the number that are parked world wide.
  • Imagine the mechanical attention every single plane is going to require before take off again and the enormous TRAFFIC JAM!
  • @brimopm
    As a pilot for one of the majors who just deposited a jet to the now full KSBD, thank you for your video. The music overlay and cinematography with controller audio was perfect. I really liked your poetic description of all the idle jets at KVCV. Airline pilots like myself whom often complain about long days, unruly east coast controllers, bad weather, and the hazards of being on the road half of every month suddenly have an appreciation for what we took for granted. Air travel is a true modern marvel and should be cherished.
  • @varunretro
    Man that background music and those planes on ground just standing there...how temporary is our existence. Love you all.
  • @shahinshanavas
    This one is very sad. I almost shed tears while watching this. You can imagine how many jobs are kept on ground along with these aircrafts.
  • @eliohfreire
    As a Brazilian airliner employee, this was the saddest video i have seen showing how our industry was affected... stay strong, everyone. We will hopefully be flying again soon...
  • @rajdey2887
    This has brought tears into my eyes. I am a big fan of aviation and seeing how this industry has been brutally hit by this pandemic its just shocking. Hopefully one day they fly and everyone will travel again.
  • @markinbellevue
    Well produced ... fantastic editing, choice of music and voice over ... actually brought a tear ... I saw my jet down there !
  • Fun video! I shared the San Andreas Fault video with a friend, and he shared this with me. I took my family out to see the poppies one spring and it had snowed the night before. It was like the scene in The Wizzard of Oz with snow on the poppies. Beautiful! Love the doors closing at the end; nice effect. Thanks!
  • @mischellyann
    The logistics of finally moving all of those back out will be mind boggling.
  • I’m a Southwest Flight Attendant and I hurts my heart to see all of those planes grounded. 💔💔
  • That was so cool that the air traffic controllers were so helpful, so accommodating, so welcoming, and so willing to share information. Thanks to you and to them for this awesome video.
  • @SndyMun
    It’s like something out of a movie I can just imagine a fallout type setting where these planes are rusted and everything is grown up