Before planes swap fuel in flight, fuels technicians top off tankers on ground

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing public affairs
SOUTHWEST EUROPE --  Before a KC-135 Stratotanker can offload fuel to a receiver aircraft in the air, it must first be loaded with gas on the ground - a task handled by the 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight, based at RAF Mildenhall, England.

The unit deployed in January as part of the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, which is flying KC-135s from a base in southwest Europe supporting French operations in Mali.

Fuels management, formerly known as Petroleum, Oils and Lubricants, is responsible for handling all fuel on base, regardless if it's going in a tanker truck or tanker aircraft. Additionally, they are responsible for other crucial elements, such as liquid and gaseous oxygen and nitrogen used in aircraft operations.

The fuels management flight is made up of four sections; distribution, fuels service center, hydrant and laboratory. Each handles its own critical portion of fuel operations. Moore's job is delivery and transportation of the fuel.

For one Airman deployed with the 351st EARS, fueling aircraft heading out on operational missions assisting French combat sorties is a thrill he doesn't get at home station. Moore, from Reno, Nev., works in the distribution arm of fuels management.

"When you know they're doing what they're doing, that's cool," said Senior Airman Dillon Moore, 100th LRS fuels technician, who said it's a source of pride knowing the gas he transfers from the pumps in the ground will eventually end up in a French fighter over Mali.

Moore operates both in-ground fuel delivery systems and trucks when servicing aircraft, and maintains a half-hour response time.

"It's like ordering a pizza," he said. "We deliver in 30 minutes or less."

Moore's delivery customers are one of the things he loves most about his job. In addition to the KC-135s stationed at RAF Mildenhall, he has passed gas to aircraft used by the first lady, secretary of defense and chief of staff of the Air Force, and is always excited to fuel a plane he hasn't seen before.

With the demanding nature of the job, fuels technicians have to be highly skilled and competent professionals, according to Capt. Dan Churchill, 351st EARS support officer in charge.

"This isn't like driving up to a gas pump and turning on a nozzle," he said. "These are complicated systems, and it's up to these fuels technicians to make sure the fuel is safe for use and delivered properly, and they do just that."

Churchill, from Bangor, Maine, reiterated the importance of the fuels technicians.

"As a refueling wing, fuel is the essence of what we do," he said. "Without gas, we wouldn't be able to do our mission. Without gas, we wouldn't even have a mission."