Tech. Sgt. David Sparkman, 171st Air Refueling Wing non-destructive inspection inspector, cleans off the boom strut of a KC-135 Stratotanker April 12, 2011, to prepare it for a magnetic particle inspection. A member of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Sergeant Sparkman is deployed with 313th Air Expeditionary Wing supporting Operation Unified Protector, a NATO-led mission in Libya, to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack. The 313th AEW provides aerial refueling to U.S. and coalition aircraft with KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-10 Extenders. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ethan Morgan)

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Tech. Sgt. David Sparkman, 171st Air Refueling Wing non-destructive inspection inspector, magnetizes a boom strut bolt of a KC-135 Stratotanker April 12, 2011, during a magnetic particle inspection. A member of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Sergeant Sparkman is deployed with the 313th Air Expeditionary Wing supporting Operation Unified Protector, a NATO-led mission in Libya, to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack. The 313th AEW provides aerial refueling to U.S. and coalition aircraft with KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-10 Extenders. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ethan Morgan)

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Airmen deployed from the 171st Air Refueling Wing, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, check the ruddervator panels of a replacement boom for a KC-135 Stratotanker April 12, 2011, after attaching it to the plane in support of Operation Unified Protector. Assigned to the 313th Air Expeditionary Wing, the Airmen are supporting Operation Unified Protector, a NATO-led mission in Libya, to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack. The 313th AEW provides aerial refueling to U.S. and coalition aircraft with KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-10 Extenders. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ethan Morgan)

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When a boom goes bust

Published April 14, 2011
By Senior Airman David Dobrydney
313th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

WESTERN EUOPE -- A KC-135 Stratotanker can carry 200,000 pounds of fuel, but it relies on its boom, which can extend up to 47 feet, to get that fuel to the aircraft that needs it.

One aircraft assigned to the 313th Air Expeditionary Wing, deployed from the New Jersey Air National Guard, needed a boom replacement recently.

"Everything on the boom is hydraulic, so we handle it all," said Tech. Sgt. Kris Smith, an aircraft hydraulics craftsman deployed from the 92nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.

Sergeant Smith said the boom was being replaced because of a problem with the surge boots.

He explained the surge boots act as small bladders when the boom is retracted following refueling. They prevent fuel from rushing back into the aircraft too fast.

Once the old boom was taken off, the bolts that secure it to the aircraft must be inspected before the new one can be installed.

While the hydraulics team unwrapped the new boom, Tech. Sgt. David Sparkman, non-destructive inspector from the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Pittsburgh, climbed a ladder to check the bolt for cracks.

"If it's got a crack, you don't want to be flying," said Sergeant Sparkman. To detect any fractures, a fluorescent dye containing metal particles is sprayed onto the bolt. Then Sergeant Sparkman uses a particle probe to magnetize the bolt. This turns any cracks into magnetic edges which attract the particles in the dye. Cracks are then visible under a black light.

Having not found any cracks, the hydraulics team is cleared to install the new boom, a process lasting up to six hours.

The old boom, meanwhile, will be sent back to supply here for further assessment.