This 39-by-18-inch vertical panorama documents F-4 Phantom aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base’s “boneyard”—the vast desert storage facility where the U.S. military preserves thousands of decommissioned aircraft in Arizona’s dry climate. The unusual vertical format, over three feet tall yet barely eighteen inches wide, creates an unexpected compositional approach to aircraft documentation.

Created in 1990, the work captures F-4 Phantoms during their transition from active service to storage or scrapping. The F-4 served as America’s primary fighter-bomber from the 1960s through the 1980s, flying combat missions in Vietnam before being gradually replaced by newer designs. The aircraft at Davis-Monthan represented Cold War investment rendered obsolete by technological advancement and changing military doctrine.

The vertical format creates a tower-like view of aircraft normally photographed in horizontal compositions suited to their wingspan. This compositional choice emphasizes the aircraft’s height rather than their spread, perhaps capturing the vertical stacking of stored aircraft or the monuments these machines create as they await final disposition.

The “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan extends across thousands of acres, storing over 4,000 aircraft worth billions in original investment. Some aircraft are preserved for parts, some await transfer to allies, and some are eventually melted for aluminum. The desert setting—the same Sonoran landscape that surrounds Tucson’s museums—makes long-term storage possible.

This panorama documents military hardware in its post-service phase, the machines that once projected American power now parked in geometric rows awaiting administrative decisions about their fate.