Davies Monthan

[burnsy133]

Hi All,

After a bit of help if I can, we are thinking of visiting DM next year and I have seen the tours available, my question in how much of the stored equipment can be seen from the Coach tour they advertise ??

Thanks for any advice.

Thanks

[Sparky 119]

Hi burnsy133, when I did this a few years ago we went round quite an area on both sides and whilst you can’t guarantee seeing everything quite a lot can be seen. Best advice if you can and they still do it is to try to book two tours one for each side of the bus to maximise photo opportunities. I believe that you now have to book in advance unlike when I visited when we booked the tours the same day. HTH

[Malcolm]

I did it twice a month ago. Initially I was disappointed, but from a number crunching point of view by looking at my photos I've managed to tie up about 1200 frames so far from the 3500+ currently listed as stored there.

You have to book the tours with Pima museum at least 2 weeks in advance for security vetting. There is a charge - $20 IIRC and they run a morning and afternoon trip Monday-Friday. No weekend tours. You get on a bus at the museum, and they drive you to the DM main gate where you all troop off, and security 'vet' your passports again and search the bus. Then all back on the bus. Photos are not permitted on the DM base itself, and you'll get grassed up by other's on the bus if you try it. Doesn't matter much because you go nowhere near the active A-10 or C-130 ramps. You can see the HH-60's but chances are you won't be able to id any. The only stuff you get close to on the active base is the freedom park/gate guard stuff - about 10 preserved frames. Then the bus goes to the entrance to AMARG and you can start taking photos.

You basically drive very slowly down "Celebrity Row"/Coolridge Street where one of each type in AMARG is displayed. Either side of Celeb Row there are dozens of P-3's and C-130's. Then you drive down Wickenburg Avenue past more C-130's and an area full of F-16's and the arrivals ramp. Next over Kolb Road to the reclamation areas - Areas 22, & 24 where there are rows and rows of dead P3's S-3s C-135's, RAF Harriers, B-1's C-130's F-16's, F-15's T-38's etc. You can see all the C-5's but you don't go very near them, and can't see anything behind them (coz they're big and obscure the view!). Then it's back past the arrivals ramp and off the base.

We didn't go down Willmot Road or Yuma St, so there are large areas you don't see well. If it's your first visit to AMARG, then I'd say definatly do the tour. It's not great for photos because you'll have to shoot through double glazed bus glass (the widows don't open) but with a modern digital camera you can 'machine gun' areas of interest and then tie up the serials later from the lists published on various sites.

[StevenR]

Depending on how much it is these days, it is normally easier to 'fly over the top' with a company called Double Eagle Aviation who are now based in Tucson, having 'moved back' from Avra Valley. If you are on your own this may be expensive but two or more occupants in a Cessna reduces the cost, and you see everything!!. Their address is 6961 South Apron Drive, Tucson, AZ 85756, United States. Tel: +1-520-294-8214. Hope this helps

[ZappaFan]

We used Double Eagle in September. Did a couple of circuits of AMARG/Pima etc and then two approaches at Marana/Pinal for the US Army choppers. Cost $375.

Cheers, ZF.

[roger4]

Second vote for Double Eagle - used them in March: half an hour overhead DM making multiple passes allowed everything to be seen and most things to be photographed, for $220.

[dotwatcher01]

Double Eagle are the sole licencee now AFAIK. Go for early morning Sat or Sun when the base is inactive and you'll get more time overhead. Their C172s are weight limted so unless you are all very small, forget 3 up. You can read A-10s off with good lens/optics from the Pima Cty museum car park (subject to wind direction) & the based C-130s can be read from your aerial shots