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More winter, snow problems

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Colby L. Hardin
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Even when the weather is unbearable to some, McConnell Airmen must still get the KC-135R Stratotankers ready to fly.

The 22nd Maintenance Squadron and 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron both have a specialized group of Airmen whose primary duty is to take care of the aircraft and the runways when we receive inclement weather.

"Ice, snow, or even frost can be detrimental to a crew in flight," said Airman 1st Class Mathew Gonzalez, 22nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion journeyman. "We are the last group to see the tanker before it takes off, so there's no room for error. These tankers are on a schedule and have a mission to accomplish."

Temperatures drop, as more and more snow and ice covers the aircraft and runways but the two crews know that this job must get done in order to complete the mission.

"One of the most challenging things is when the rain freezes over," said Senior Airman Orlando Santana, 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron pavements and heavy equipment operator. "When it gets that cold you're just hoping that you get a good piece of equipment where the heat works."

Every year, the 22nd CES must put together a plan for snow removal by 1 Sept. and they also prepare for operations after snowfall using the snow removal crew.

"The runways are our main priority," said Santana. "Our contractors take care of everything outside the flight line. Without them, we wouldn't be able to do our job."

Whenever snow is forecasted, the snow removal crew is automatically put on standby as a precautionary measure.

"Snow 1 is our main truck, and whoever runs it is usually in charge of making the plans," Santana said. "They're in charge of communicating with our Air Field Management and the guys in maintenance to let them know where we will be at and the places that we've already taken care of."

It takes a team effort to make sure the tankers are able to flying during cold winters and the Airmen on the de-icing and snow removal crew are a big reason that they can.

"We're just a small part to the big picture," Gonzalez added. "But without our contribution it would be impossible to complete the mission."