747 engine

At the Roswell International Air Center in Roswell, N.M., a Boeing 747-400 that has been repaired and maintained by AAR Aircraft Services-Roswell sits almost ready to be put back into service. The plane's engines haven't been reattached, and they sit on the tarmac in front of the vessel.

The Air Center is an industrial facility on the site of the former Walker Air Force Base. It offers its aviation customers--including air carriers whose planes need to be stored during slow business periods--a large amount of warehouse space, as well as the ability for airplane repairs and other forms of operations.

The facility currently has between 100 and 200 planes in storage, but after the terroritst attacks of September 11, 2001, there were more than 300, as the airline business took a big hit.

CNET News.com reporter Daniel Terdiman visited the Roswell International Air Center as part of his Road Trip 2007 around the Southwest.