Arizona basketball player teams up to improve Tucson’s Boneyard storage

When Will Menaugh joined five additional students on Interdisciplinary Capstone Team 25010, he brought valuable experience as a Wildcat basketball player.

“A team is people working together toward one goal. Being able to do that effectively and learning how best to work with teammates is something you carry over, as well as the work ethic that goes into it,” said Menaugh, who presented his project and completed his BS in mechanical engineering in May.

A valuable teammate on and off the court

Menaugh, a walk-on center, fit in three hours of practice a day, six days a week, during the basketball season and preseason while completing his capstone project.

“Thankfully, a lot of people helped and supported me, and the basketball team has been understanding,” he said.

Menaugh was a valuable practice player, according to an Arizona Daily Star article. Yet teammates and coaches accommodated him the few times he needed to miss a practice for an important class or activity.

Thanks to that flexibility – and strong time management skills – he helped design aircraft storage modules for Davis Monthan Air Force Base’s 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), a Tucson landmark where decommissioned aircraft are stored and stripped for replacement parts. Popularly known as the Boneyard, AMARG is the world’s largest aircraft storage and preservation facility.

The sponsor asked Menaugh and his teammates to investigate and propose a replacement for the wooden blocks the planes currently rest on. The students conceived a novel, 3D-printed module made from acrylonitrile styrene acrylate, a thermoplastic.

“We selected it because it can withstand the weight, and it also has a very high UV resistance. These blocks would be sitting out in the sun all day at Davis-Monthan,” he said.

The team’s overriding goal was to create a Boneyard storage model with a lower lifetime cost than the current one. Menaugh said he found it helpful and eye-opening to devote an entire academic year to a team project, and he gained valuable experience with 3D printing.

Sticking it out in Tucson

Menaugh grew up in Tucson and was the Arizona 5A Player of the Year in 2020-21, leading Catalina Foothills High School to its first state championship. Though the son and grandson of University of Arizona alumni, he didn’t expect to play for the Wildcats. He planned to join a team at a smaller school where he would get more playing time. However, when the opportunity arose, he took it.

“It's hard to pass up the chance to play for your hometown team, stay close to home and be part of a high-caliber, special program,” he said.

With design experience and a degree under his belt, Menaugh will begin working as a mechanical engineer at Raytheon, an RTX business, in August. He told the Star he’s content to remain in his hometown for the time being.

He looks back fondly on his time with the basketball team, appreciating the opportunity to travel across the United States – including Hawaii – as well as to Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the Bahamas.

“I feel very lucky to have been a part of that. I got to see the world a little bit.”