Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA)

Brief History and Background

Greetings from Victorville California and the SCLA Airplane Boneyard

The Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) is located near Victorville, California, 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles, in the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert.

Also known as Victorville Airport, it is home to many aviation-related businesses.

The facility is located on the site of the former George Air Force Base, in active service from 1941 to 1992. It was created by the United States Army Air Corps as an Advanced Flying School in June 1941, and closed at the end of World War II.

The base was again activated by the U.S. Air Force at the beginning of the Korean War in November 1950. It remained a base throughout the Cold War, primarily for training Tactical Air Command pilots, until being closed in 1993.

Victorville has long been a popular destination for travelers on Historic U.S. Route 66.

Aerial view of the Southern California Logistics Airport with airliners in storage at north end
Aerial view of the Southern California Logistics Airport with airliners in storage
Detailed view of airliners in storage at the Southern California Logistics Airport
Aerial view of the Southern California Logistics Airport with airliners in storage, Victorville, California


 

FAA Airport Diagram of the Southern California Logistics Airport (VCV)
FAA Airport Diagram of the Southern California Logistics Airport (VCV) in Victorville, California

 

Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA)

Sign at the entrance to the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, CA
Sign at the entrance to the Southern California Logistics Airport
(Photo by the AirplaneBoneyards Staff)

The conversion of the former George AFB to SCLA was designed to provide major corporations with logistics needs and access to a global intermodal logistics gateway to the Western United States.

SCLA has become known world-wide as a major airliner boneyard. However, it also offers globally accessible facilities and services to large aviation and logistics companies.

Victorville is the multimodal transportation hub of Southern California, with its ground, rail and air transportation facilities. An estimated 60% of all goods moving in/out of Southern California travel through Victorville.

Air cargo carriers such as Cargolux, Luftansa, Volga-Dnepr Airlines, and Federal Express are active customers of SCLA.

The Southern California Logistics Centre, immediately adjacent to SCLA, offers a wide variety of new warehouse and distribution facilities. A rail complex is also included on the property.

 

Boeing 747 of GE Aircraft Engines, registration number N747GE, at the Southern California Logistics Airport
Boeing 747-121 of GE Aircraft Engines, registration number N747GE, at the Southern California Logistics Airport (Staff Photo)

The state-of-the-art hangars at SCLA can accommodate projects ranging from aircraft maintenance and repair programs to the painting of large wide-body aircraft including Boeing 747-8s, 777-300s, and 787 Dreamliners.

Southern California Logistics Airport includes a precision instrument runway of 15,050 feet and a secondary runway length of 9,138 feet to accommodate any aircraft flying today.  It also offers 24-hour U.S. Customs service.

SCLA is also a popular destination for the movie and television industry. Dozens of movies, television episodes and commercials have been filmed at the locale over the years. SCLA offers a wide variety of desert scenes, open spaces, runways, warehouses and other venues easily accessible to the film industry.

Companies located at SCLA include Pratt & Whitney, G.E., Leading Edge Aviation Company, Federal Express, Boeing and others.

FedEx MD-11F parked at the Southern California Logistics Airport (Staff Photo)
FedEx MD-11F parked at the Southern California Logistics Airport

 

Airliner Storage, Maintenance and Disassembly

When we last visited the airport, there were dozens of jetliners in storage at the facility, and others undergoing maintenance, upgrades, painting and disassembly.

SCLA is home to ComAv Technical Services, a large transitional facility for commercial aircraft.

The company provides asset management, technical services, integrated aviation solutions, engine management, and airframe disassembly.

With about 20 years of experience at Victorville, ComAv operates a storage facility at SCLA with a capacity of over 500 aircraft, and offers ramp and hanger space that can host over 20 aircraft for transitional maintenance.

The nose section of an Airbus airliner at a scrapping yard near the Southern California Logistics Airport (Staff Photo)
The nose section of an Airbus airliner at a scrapping yard near the Southern California Logistics Airport

 

Boeing 787 of Air Austral out of the Leading Edge paint hangar at SCLA
Boeing 787 of Air Austral ... painting completed at the Leading Edge Aviation Company paint hangar at SCLA, (Photo courtesy of Leading Edge and SCLA)

ComAv also operates a facility at which 12 aircraft can be disassembled simultaneously. Aircraft types recently disassembled include Airbus A310 and A320, and McDonnell-Douglas MD-10 and MD-11s.

A number of Boeing airliners have also been disassembled, including 737, 747, 757 and 767 models.

How Airliners Are Disassembled and Scrapped

Panoramic view of jetliners in storage at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville (Staff Photo)
Panoramic view of jetliners in storage at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville

 

Qantas Jumbo Jets Sent to SCLA in 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Qantas Airlines sent much of its fleet of Airbus A380s to Victorville for storage.

The Australian airline parked its A380 fleet at the Victorville airport while international flying remained in a downturn. On July 6, 2020, the Qantas Airbus A380-842 “VH-OQE Lawrence Hargrave,” operating as “QF6001,” left Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport and flew nonstop to Victorville.

Last United Airlines Boeing 747s Sent to SCLA

United Airlines is retiring the last Boeing 747s from its fleet during 2017.

United Airlines Boeing 747-422, Registration N118UA
United Airlines Boeing 747-422, Registration N118UA

On November 7, 2017, United Airlines flew a Boeing 747 jetliner for the final time with passengers. The airline recreated the first 747 flight operated by United in 1970 for the historic farewell journey. Flight UA747 departed from San Francisco with service to Honolulu with more than 300 customers, employees and distinguished guests onboard.

The aircraft making the SFO-Hawaii flight was Ship 8418, a Boeing 747-422, registered as N118UA, with N121UA remaining on standby in San Francisco in case of a technical problem with the prime aircraft.

Ship 8418 has now been ferried to SCLA, as were several other United 747s in 2017. Ship 8421 has been ferried to Tupelo, Mississippi for storage.

The Future Air Force One in Storage at SCLA

The President of the United States flies most often on a VC-25A aircraft, a modified Boeing 747-200B. Two aircraft are used, with tail numbers 28000 and 29000.

Boeing 747-8 Registration N895BA
Boeing 747-8 Registration N895BA

In January of 2015, the U.S. Air Force announced that Boeing had been awarded a contract to provide two modified Boeing 747-8 aircraft to replace the aging VC-25A fleet.

The Air Force was reported to be in negotiations with Boeing in August of 2017 to purchase two 747-8 jets which are completed and which have been in storage at SCLA in Victorville since February of 2017. These aircraft were built for the Russian airline Transaero, which went into bankruptcy in 2015. The airline never took delivery of the 747s.

The tail numbers of the two 747s are N894BA and N895BA.

On March 27, 2019, N894BA flew from SCLA to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, to begin modifications.

USAF may purchase Boeing 747-8 jets stored at SCLA Victorville as new Air Force One (Defense One - 08/01/2017)

Future Air Force One Flies from SCLA to Lackland AFB in Texas ( TheDrive - 03/27/2019)


Southwest Airlines Temporary Boeing 737-MAX Storage

Aerial view of the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-8 fleet in temporary storage at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville (July, 2019). The fleet has returned to active service.
Aerial view of Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-8 fleet in temporary storage at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville

 

Touring the Southern California Logistics Airport Area

The airport is about 7 miles northwest of downtown Victorville, and about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles. It is located just north of Air Base Road (Air Expressway). While you can drive through some of the streets and roads at SCLA, most business and industry areas are restricted. No organized tours are available.

As always, we recommend obeying all warning signs and avoiding restricted areas.

For driving directions to the airport, see the interactive map at the bottom of this page.

Jetliners in storage in the desert at the Southern California Logistics Airport near Victorville (Staff Photo)
Jetliners in storage in the desert at the Southern California Logistics Airport near Victorville


Southern California Logistics Airport in the News

News Articles Related to SCLA Victorville
Qantas prepares planes for Sydney's international reopening
Reuters - 10/21/2021
Air New Zealand's grounded Boeing 777s spotted at plane graveyard in US desert
Stuff New Zealand 01//26/2021
Qantas’ Airbus A380 Fleet at Victorville – What Is The Latest?
Simple Flying - 10/18/2020
Qantas stores aircraft at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville
Victorville Daily Press - 07/11/2020
Airlines park hundreds of unused planes in California desert
Daily Mail UK - 04/07/2020
As air travel drops, demand for plane storage jumps at Southern California Logistics Airport
Victorville Daily Press - 03/24/2020
Delta and Soutwest start parking planes at SCLA in Victorville amid coronavirus fears
Victorville Valley News - 03/23/2020
CAVU Aerospace Increases Capacity at Roswell. Victorville and Stuttgart for Short Term & Long-Term Storage of Aircraft Amidst Crisis
CAVU Aerospace - 03/13/2020
Victorville residents paint special-edition Disney, Pixar-themed Alaska aircraft at SCLA Airport
Victor Valley News - 10/08/2019
Future Air Force One Flies from SCLA to Lackland AFB in Texas
TheDrive - 03/27/2019
Grounded Southwest MAX8 Jets Parked at SCLA
Victorville Daily Press - 03/25/2019
Boeing leases additional 85,000 square feet at SCLA in Victorville
Victor Valley News - 02/19/2019
Allegiant ends Hawaii operations, retires 757-200s to Victorville
World Airline News - 11/12/2017
He Flew One of the Last Southwest 737-300 Classics to the Boneyard and the new 737-8MAX in the Same Weekend
AvGeekery.com - 10/02/2017
Southwest Sends Oldest 737s to Graveyard as Max Joins Fleet
Bloomberg - 09/29/2017
Southwest Airlines retiring older 737s to Victorville
San Bernardino Sun - 08/23/2017
The last flight of GE's Boeing 747-100 flying testbed, at SCLA Victorville, California
GE Aviation at YouTube - 08/17/2017
USAF may purchase Boeing 747-8 jets N894BA and N895BA stored at SCLA Victorville in California as new Air Force One
Defense One - 08/01/2017


Photos of the Southern California Logistics Airport

Jetliner maintenance facility at the Southern California Logistics Airport (Staff Photo)
Jetliner maintenance facility at the Southern California Logistics Airport


Douglas DC-10, registration N330AU, on the apron at the Southern California Logistics Airport (Staff Photo)
DC-10 on the apron at the Southern California Logistics Airport

Ex-Delta Airlines Boeing 727-232 N518DA at a scrapping yard near the Southern California Logistics Airport (Staff Photo)
Ex-Delta Airlines Boeing 727 N518DA at a scrapping yard near the Southern California Logistics Airport

YouTube Video - Farewell to GE's Boeing 747 Flying Test Bed at Victorville, California (Published 8/17/2017 by GE Aviation)



Links and More Resources about SCLA and Victorville

Official website of the Southern California Logistics Airport

Official website of the City of Victorville

ComAv Technical Services


Visiting the Pinal AIrpark and staying in Tucson? Click for details about Tucson lodging options, attractions and maps

YouTube Video of Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) in Victorville, CA (May 2015)

Special Report: How Airliners Are Scrapped and Recycled

Interactive Map of the Southern California Logistics Airport Area

Map of major aircraft boneyards in California relative to Los Angeles

Map of major airplane boneyards and storage facilities in California


Map of locations of active and post-WWII airplane boneyards and plane storage facilities in the U.S. and worldwide

click to view interactive map of airplane boneyards and aircraft storage facilities in the United States and around the world

 

Need Help Identifying Airliners Stored at Victorville?

Large numbers of various models of airliners are stored at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville. But can you identify them all?

Visit our new website and explore guides to spotting the common jet airliners of the day from Airbus, Boeing, Embraer and Bombardier.

... at AirlinerSpotter.com

Spotting Guides for Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, and Bombardier jet airliners