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January 23, 2021Davis-Monthan Air Base – Spotting Guide
Davis Monthan Air Force Base (DMA/KDMA) is a military airport run by the United States Air Force, which is located in the southeastern suburbs of Tucson. It was opened in September 1927 as landing field after the US army decided to open the new military air base close to Tucson here. It was named in honor after two pilots (Samuel Howard Davis and Oscar Monthan), which both crashed and died while serving the forces in th 1920s and both of them went to High School in Tucson. After its “second opening” after some first extensions to a “real air base”, the airport was still extended in the 1940s in order to allow it hosting B29 trainings and extensions continued in the 1950s, then the airbase was rebuilt for the new B47s. The military facilities were extended for new aircraft types several types later on (In the 70s for example for the A10s and U2s), but since the Tactical Air Command was liquidated in 1992, Davis-Monthan Air Base is now only used by the Air Combat Command. That is the reason for the traffic at DMA, which mostly consists out of fighters like the A10, F15/16 and F22, but also several reconnaissance aircraft and sometimes you can also see bigger transport aircraft like “normal” C130s or C17s.
In addition, the airport is famous for its huge (the world’s biggest) boneyard area in the northeast. Due to the climate, the AMARG (Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group) stores hundreds of airplanes and other equipment here in the dry desert. They can be seen and astonished well from spot #5.
Furthermore, the Pima Air & Space Museum is also located just a few meters south of the base. You can see some pictures HERE (click on the museum icon) featuring the displayed planes, but it also offers tours through the above mentioned boneyard.
Written by Severin Hackenberger in cooperation with Christian Preinl and Patrick Weis. Last Update: 2020
Rating | |
Movements | |
Photo Locations | |
Weather | |
Airport Information | |
Runways | |
12/30 | 4158m / 13643ft – Asphalt concrete |
Spotting Information | |
Ladder | Not tolerated along the air base’s fence, but allowed and needed in the boneyard (spot #5). |
Car/Public Transport | Car needed as transport vehicle and shadow. |
Restrooms | There are some malls/restaurants a bit away in the west/north. |
Drinks/Food | There are some shops/malls/restaurants a bit away in the west/north. |
Hotels | No hotels around nearby. |
Season | Summer is crazy! Hot and hazy, absolutely not good for spotting. Winter is perfect with nice temperatures, no haze and beautiful weather. |
Security | Spotting at the fence is only allowed in the boneyard (spot #5). Apart from that, spotting is only okay in the approach, so just sky shots possible. Dont’ photograph the base infrastructure! You should keep a low profile and adjust to the common “military spotting rules” in general. Do not be at the fence all the time, carry an ID with you, greet the stuff friendly and always just explain asking people what you do honestly. |
Runway Usage | |
General Info | Single runway operations without any preferences. You can just look what they fly at TUS and then you will also know in calm times, which direction is probably going to be used here at DMA. |
12/30 | Used in both directions. |
Spot #1 – S Wilmot Rd – Morning aproach 30 | |
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WHERE | This spot is at the T-junction of S Wilmont Rd and El Drexel Rd next to the industrial buildings and can be reached best from the south (from E Valencia Rd). The car can be parked on the side of the road and then just shoot from the roadside. |
WHAT | You only can take pictures of planes landing on runway 30. |
TIME | The best time is from sunrise until 10:00 (onlyuseable in summer months). |
MISC. | Bring what you need, no restrooms, no food, no drinks directly here. You can get drinks and food at the local gas stations or you can take a break at the Pima Air & Space Museum in the south. |
FOCAL LENGTH | XXX |
We cannot provide any examples yet. Please contact us, if you have some!
Spot #2 – Pima Air & Space Museum – Afternoon aproach 30 | |
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WHERE | This spot is to the right of the Pima Air & Space Museum. The car just be parked on the field along E Valencia Rd and then just shoot from the field. |
WHAT | You only can take pictures of planes landing on runway 30. |
TIME | From early noon till sunset. |
MISC. | Bring what you need, no restrooms, no food, no drinks directly here. Keep a low profile as many cars pass by here especially! You can get drinks and food at the local gas stations or you can take a lunch break at the Pima Air & Space Museum. |
FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm KC10 = 150mm / C130 = 210mm |
Spot #3 – S Alvernon Way – Afternoon aproach 12 | |
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WHERE | This spot is on next to S Alvernon Way in the field just a few meters east of the roadside. The car can be parked on the side of the road or in the field under a tree, so you can comfortable shoot from the shadow there. |
WHAT | 12 Arrivals only. |
TIME | From noon till sunset. |
MISC. | Bring what you need, no restrooms, no food, no drinks directly here. Therefore you have shadow directly here. Keep a low profile as many cars pass by here especially! You can get drinks and food at the local gas stations. |
FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm C130 = 200mm |
Spot #4 – Golf Links Rd – Morning aproach 12 | |
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WHERE | This spot is located right off the exit from the E Aviation Pkwy leading on(to) Golf Links Rd. Just quickly pull over to the side, simply park on the right side of the road or in the nearby field. |
WHAT | You can only see 12 approaches. |
TIME | The best time is from sunrise until 10:00 (only useable in summer months). |
MISC. | Bring what you need, no restrooms, no food, no drinks. You can get drinks and food at the local gas stations. Keep a low profile as many cars pass by here especially! |
FOCAL LENGTH | XXX |
We cannot provide any examples yet. Please contact us, if you have some!
Spot #5 – Streets NE – AMARG Boneyard | |
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WHERE | This spot is no exact location, it is rather the area all around the streets around S Kolb rd. Just follow the streets and look for possible motifs/interesting aircraft which are parked behind the airport fence. |
WHAT | You can find machines parked along the fence in almost the entire area here and the aircraft are mainly C130, but also some 707s (some civil aircraft are left in the southeasternmost corner). |
TIME | From morning to evening, depending on which area of the boneyard you want to take pictures of: The left area (C-130s, P-3s and B-52s) can best be used from morning to noon. Right area (Fighter, P-3s, C-135er and C-130er) can be used from noon to evening. |
MISC. | A small step ladder (2-3 steps) is recommended. Bring what you need, no restrooms, no food, no drinks. You can get drinks and food at the local gas stations. Plan enough time! If you wanna shoot every plane, it can quickly take more than two hours! This is the world’s biggest boneyard! |
FOCAL LENGTH | 50-200mm Area overview = 70mm |
Where do you park for the areas around Spot 5? I can’t see any possible parking areas along Kolb Rd.
These are no positions where you stay a long time so park by the roadside, make the photo and leave.
I’m wonder to know that Davis Monthan Air Force Base is still open for common people or not
Spotting from inside the base is allowed, but very heavily monitored. If you are allowed access to Davis-Monthan from the inside, don’t take photos of ramp aircraft tail codes, and be very careful taking photos of the aircraft on the ramp at all. I was approached by an armed guard while taking photos of the HC-130s and visiting aircraft and was told to refrain from tail photos, and be careful with general photos of the whole aircraft. However, photos of AMARG is fine, a security officer said that you’re allowed to take all the photos and videos you like. If you don’t work in AMARG, don’t enter the boneyard premises, although that should be obvious. Wilmot spotting is probably the easiest form of DM spotting. Every once and a while you’ll get a hang loose or a wave from the 355th pilots, and as long as you aren’t doing anything suspicious or questionable (eg. pictures of departing traffic from the DM gate, photos of cameras or signs, etc), base ops will let you take all the photos you like. Pima spotting is fine too.
Dont’ photograph the base infrastructure. It is illegal. And dont do anything unsafe for you or passing cars. Local police and base security are getting increasingly uptight about spotters, esp the really aggressive Europeans.
Not all Europeans are aggressive, we Brits tend to be rather restrained in comparison.