02/27/2024
Lost in the desert horizon on the edge of Maricopa County you will find the deserted Gila River Memorial Airport & its graveyard of superannuated WWII airplanes. These planes sit looking up towards the sky as they beautifully rot away. Their glory days of travel are over, they now sit still as the harsh heated desert breeze chips their paint & memories away. Thanks to vandals, most of these planes are badly destroyed & covered in graffiti. The airport was built in 1942 & called Williams Auxiliary Army Airfield. After the WWII, it was renamed Goodyear Air Force Auxiliary Airfield. In 2007 the Gila River Indian Community took over control, renamed it & looked into turning the land into a casino, which never happened. The airfield holds a few Douglas DC-4 planes, a PV2 Harpoon, & others. I've watched this place over the last 14 years & the last 5 years have been bad. Not sure how much longer these beautiful planes will be around for...