Parabolic Arc’s Holiday Trivia Challenge: The Mojave Boneyard


The Mojave boneyard. (Credit: Google Maps)

The picture above shows the Mojave Air and Space Port’s boneyard, a large aircraft recycling facility located north of the spaceport’s three runways. It’s an impressive sight for anyone who visits the airport and looks out at the 747s and other large aircraft sitting in various states of dis-assembly. Yet, it’s even more interesting in this overhead view, which shows just how many aircraft are actually out there. This is something that is impossible to see with a ground level view.

Mojave Boneyard Quiz

So, my eagle eye readers, test your Mojave trivia mettle by answering the following questions:

  1. Just how many aircraft are in this picture?
  2. An aircraft procured from this boneyard was used in which popular television series?
  3. What model of aircraft was it?
  4. What was the name of the airline in the TV series?
  5. During a severe windstorm earlier this year, a plane with no engines attempted to “take off” from the boneyard. What model of plane was it?
  6.  Which company’s name was on the plane?
  7. What did the company do after the video of the plane appeared online?
  8. Which Christmas holiday film classic was shot in Mojave?
  9. The boneyard holds a scale model used in a Kevin Costner movie. What is it a model of?
  10. Name the movie it used in.
  11. Who played Costner’s nemesis in the film?
  12. Extra Credit: Where in the picture is the scale model located?

Good luck!

  • Gary

    Unfortunately I don’t have time today to play the whole quiz, but the tanker from Waterworld is in the image center left, parked right at the nose of that 747.

    It took months to build. Many years ago, I was driving out to my test site and the tanker, then positioned near the flight line, was framed in my rear view mirror…when it exploded. Effects people had rigged a propane “explosion” device and I was in just the right spot at the right time. Over the next few weeks, it went off again and again, but never with that unique juxtaposition.

  • John Griffith

    1) 75-85 (I may have missed a couple)
    2) LOST
    3) L-1011
    4) Oceanic Airlines
    5) Boeing 747
    6) Southern Air
    8) Die Hard 2
    9) Exxon Valdez
    10) Waterworld
    11) Dennis Hopper
    12) By the 747 on the middle-left side of the picture

  • All right! We have a winner!

    Congratulations to John Griffith for winning the first annual Parabolic Arc Holiday Trivia Contest. John correctly answered 10 of the 12 questions, including the bonus question worth 5 million points.

    Coming in second is Gary Hudson, who answered three of the questions due to time constraints. (We’ll make the contest shorter next year.)

    So, here are the final tallies:

    John Griffith: 5,000,009
    Gary Hudson: 5,000,002

    Better luck next year, Gary.

    As for Question No. 7, we would have accepted any of the following three answers:

    (1) Demanded that the video be taken down from the Internet
    (2) Painted over the company’s name on the plane (apparently in case something similar happened again)
    (3) Went bankrupt*

    * Not related to the wind storm incident

    As for the number of planes in the picture, I’m not even sure. But, John’s estimate is a pretty good one.

    Thanks to John and Gary for playing. See ya next year!

  • Gary

    Hey, I think I get two more points for “tanker” and “Waterworld”, eh?


  • Right you are, Gary. One point each for “tanker” and “Waterworld”, 5 million points for describing its location accurately.

    Fixed my addition.