Question for the locals: I do not live in the USA, but I would love to visit someday and jump into some planes to take pictures. Is it open to the public? Does it require permission?
Depends. Taking pictures in front of or around the planes is no problem, but majority are pretty much sealed off. That said, most of the bigger aerospace museums have several planes and helicopters with cockpit and cabin access.
Also if you’re talking specifically about the planes in the boneyards, would not recommend doing that in the desert. You will find some other “visitors” like rattlesnakes, scorpions etc. that have made the plane their habitat.
You may also enjoy Cockpit Casual from Nomadic Aviation Group. Their amazing COVID-era videos often ended at these storage airports.
https://www.youtube.com/@CockpitCasual
If you’re ever in the Tucson area, highly recommend Pima Air Museum.
Would not recommend visiting between May-September as it feels as if you’re walking around in an outdoor blast furnace.
https://pimaair.org/
I’ve been there, it’s a great museum. There’s an SR-71 there for one thing.
That's pretty much all of Arizona from late April through October.
Not the mountains. They are great in summer.
Question for the locals: I do not live in the USA, but I would love to visit someday and jump into some planes to take pictures. Is it open to the public? Does it require permission?
Depends. Taking pictures in front of or around the planes is no problem, but majority are pretty much sealed off. That said, most of the bigger aerospace museums have several planes and helicopters with cockpit and cabin access.
Also if you’re talking specifically about the planes in the boneyards, would not recommend doing that in the desert. You will find some other “visitors” like rattlesnakes, scorpions etc. that have made the plane their habitat.
https://www.holloman.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/31...
According to the site, many airplane boneyards are limited access sites and do not provide tours. You can always call or email them and ask though.