Photo By Mark Olsen | Aircraft fuel systems journeyman Senior Airman Herbert L. Grant, 108th Wing, New...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - The sign in front of the maintenance hangar says it all: Open Fuel Tanks Unauthorized Personnel Keep Out.
The smell of Jet Propellant-8 (JP-8) is noticeable in the air. Exhaust tubes - long hoses hang down from hangar’s ceiling. One is currently connected to a fuel bladder pumping air through it to dry it out before it is folded up and sent away for repair.
It’s time to drain a KC-135R Stratotanker so the fuel cell bladders can be checked for leaks.
Aircraft fuel systems supervisor Master Sgt. Eugene D. Fletcher, along with aircraft fuel systems journeymen Staff Sgt. Delonte A. Williams and Senior Airman Herbert L. Grant are responsible for a broad range of fuel-related maintenance and repair functions, covering everything between the engine and the refueling boom.
“If it is connected or contains fuel, we keep it operating,” said Fletcher.
Part of their job means climbing inside the fuel tanks. Wearing coveralls, special boots and forced air respirators; they have to scramble through tight spaces to reach locations in the aircraft wing that require maintenance. At day’s end, they are often covered from head to toe in fuel.
It truly is a dirty job. So much so that the McConnell Air Force Base fuel systems Airmen were featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.
For today’s job, all three Airmen wear sweats, safety glasses and forehead lamps.
A KC-135R’s fuel system is a highly integrated and inter-connected network of fuel lines and fuel cells, containing 50 valves and 15 pumps to guide the fuel flow and pass tons of fuel in minutes for air refueling work.
While the maximum fuel load of a Stratotanker is 200,000 pounds, fortunately, for Fletcher, Williams and Grant, there are probably only a few hundred gallons at most left in the plane.
Unlike your car with its one tank, a KC-135R has many fuel tanks - tanks in the wings, tanks in the fuselage - you get the picture - and all of them need to be emptied.
Inside the tanks are fuel cell bladders, which are made of nylon fabric less than 1/16 of an inch thick. A bladder weighing 80 pounds will hold seven tons of fuel. In the wing tanks, the fuel is pumped directly into the wings, filling nearly the entire wing structure.
For today’s job, all three Airmen wear sweats, safety glasses and forehead lamps.
A KC-135R’s fuel system is a highly integrated and inter-connected network of fuel lines and fuel cells, containing 50 valves and 15 pumps to guide the fuel flow and pass tons of fuel in minutes for air refueling work.
While the maximum fuel load of a Stratotanker is 200,000 pounds, fortunately, for Fletcher, Williams and Grant, there are probably only a few hundred gallons at most left in the plane.
Unlike your car with its one tank, a KC-135R has many fuel tanks - tanks in the wings, tanks in the fuselage - you get the picture - and all of them need to be emptied.
Inside the tanks are fuel cell bladders, which are made of nylon fabric less than 1/16 of an inch thick. A bladder weighing 80 pounds will hold seven tons of fuel. In the wing tanks, the fuel is pumped directly into the wings, filling nearly the entire wing structure.
Once the tanks are drained, the bladders will be removed to check for leaks, but that is for another time. Today the aircraft needs to be empty of fuel.
That means maneuvering around a fuels bowser - a large wheeled fuel tank for the JP-8 - to various points under the plane, unscrewing panels, hooking up hoses and emptying the fuel into the bowser.
After Williams and Grant drain the port wing tank, the hangar reeks of fuel.
Fuel systems Airmen advise on aircraft fuel systems removal, repair, and installation maintenance procedures and policies. They also diagnose fuel system and component malfunctions and recommend corrective actions.
In short, Fletcher, Williams and Grant’s duties, like that of all aircraft maintainers will determine whether the KC- 135R flies or sits on the flight line.
| Date Taken: | 01.12.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.14.2015 16:20 |
| Story ID: | 176002 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 208 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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