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Most of the work carried out by AMARC can be broken down into 3 distinct processes:
These series of pages will describe in detail what is carried out during each process. Hopefully this
information will dispell any thoughts of AMARC being just a Boneyard and will convey the
specialist and skilled nature of the work that is carried out by its personnel.
The Reclamation process is why the 'Boneyard' reference has been pinned on AMARC by so many people,
including the US military officialdom. On first sight the RIT (Reclamation Insurance Type) area appears
to contain a mass of broken aircraft in various stages of dereliction. Many are supported by wooden
cradles due to their undercarriage being removed, others are missing major components like wings and
vertical stabalizers, some aircraft that are still listed on the AMARC inventory are little more than
a pile of unrecognizable metal.
However, the reclamation undertaken at AMARC is done in a very controlled, deliberate manner and many
of the 'carcases' in the RIT are still worth a considerable amount of dollars if broken down into their
constituant parts. Reclamation is one of the main reasons AMARC remains viable as a facility, it
has the skills to extract the very last tax dollars from aircraft that have reached the end of their
useful operational lives.
Reclamation is carried out according to one of two schedules:
- Perform Programmed (Routine) Reclamation
Programmed reclamtion is peformed on an ongoing basis.
The owning service Weapons System Manager is responsible for maintaining a save list which
specifies the range and quantity of spares required, the information from these lists is fed
into the overall reclamation schedule to ensure the required timescales are met.
As components are removed from the donor aircraft they pass through cleaning and inspection
workshops to ensure they are of a serviceable quality. After this the components are packaged
and shipped according to directions specified by the owning service.
- Perform Priority Removal
The owning service of an aircraft can contact AMARC to arrange a priority removal of a component to
satisfy an urgent requirement. A removal request can be made under on of two priorities. Priority
A requests should be completed within 10 days, priority B requests within 30 days.
A removal notice is prepared containing all of the relevant information
required by the reclamation team. Once removed, the parts are routed through cleaning, inspection or other
shops for testing as required, then packaged and shipped. After the removal of the component the donor aircraft
is resealed using Spraylat so that component deteriation is kept to a minimum.
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When there is no reclamation potential left for an aircraft, AMARC will obtain permission
to dispose of the remaining airframe from the owning service. When permission has been granted
AMARC Technicians remove all hazardous or dangerous materials from the aircraft. These materials
can contain asbestos and radioactive materials which have to be carefully disposed of.
Finally engines are removed and the aircraft is dismantled.
After this work has been carried out the aircraft is turned over to the Defense Reutilization
and Marketing Office (DRMO) for it's disposal. The DRMO performs the disposal and sales function for all
of the US Military Services and returns the proceeds of sale back to the U.S. Treasury.
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Reclamation
