– Aircraft are sold off whole or in parts AMARG employs approximately 500 DoD civil servants and 200 contractors. The facility is adjacent to the base. On average, AMARG annually returns approximately $500 million worth of spare parts to military, government, and allied customers. Congressional oversight determines what equipment may be sold to which customer. An aircraft going into storage undergoes the following treatments: Ejection seat charges and classified hardware are removed. All aircraft are carefully washed with fresh water to remove environment residue and then allowed to dry. The fuel system is protected by draining it, refilling it with lightweight oil, running engines to coat fuel system plumbing and engines, and then draining it again. This leaves a protective oil film. The aircraft is sealed from dust, sunlight, and high temperatures. This is done using a variety of materials, including a high tech vinyl plastic compound that is sprayed on the aircraft. This compound is called Spraylat after its producer the Spraylat Corporation, and is applied in two coats, a black coat that seals the aircraft and a white coat that reflects the sun and helps to keep internal temperatures low. The plane is then towed by a tug to its designated "storage" position. On average the Group annually receives 300 aircraft for storage and processes out about the same number (with 50 to 100 of those returning to flying service). Aircraft that fly again either return to the U.S. military, U.S. government agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Forest Service, and NASA, or are sold to allied governments under the Foreign Military Sales program. Accessibility AMARG is a controlled-access site, and is off-limits to anyone not employed there without the proper clearance. A bus tour conducted by the nearby Pima Air & Space Museum has been discontinued indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bus tours were conducted Monday through Friday. From April 2013 onwards the base had hosted an annual 10K/5K run/walk which was open to the general public. Use in film and TV production AMARG has been used as a filming location in several films and television productions, despite security. The most recent and notable of these is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The exterior scenes of the Smithsonian set were actually filmed in the Boneyard. AMARG was featured in an episode of TNT's The Great Escape. See also Pinal Airpark References Notes Bibliography Further