Refueling Maintenance keeps the JP-8 flowing

Published June 21, 2012
By Staff Sgt. Patrick Harrower
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- It takes a special process to turn Jet Propellant-8 into raw airpower for Travis.

Part of that process is for Airmen from the 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron to drive special vehicles out to the aircraft to provide refueling capabilities. Sometimes these specialized vehicles can malfunction and cause a gap in that process. That is where the Airmen from the 60th LRS refueling maintenance shop come in to save the day.

There are two types of trucks that refuel Travis aircraft: the R-11 and the R-12 trucks. Each has different and distinct capabilities, but both are absolutely critical to the Travis mission.

The R-11 is a tanker-style truck that holds up to 6,000 gallons of JP-8. It can hook directly up to an aircraft to refuel it. Those who work on the R-11s have given them the moniker "Big Green."

The R-12 is a hydrant servicing vehicle that pumps JP-8 from underground hydrant areas on the flightline onto the aircraft.

When a discrepancy is found on one of these crucial vehicles, it must be taken for maintenance.

"My personal favorite part of the job is seeing something come to us in disrepair and then seeing it leave in working order," said Staff Sgt. Ricky Anthony, 60th LRS refueling maintenance supervisor. "Oftentimes, a truck will come in for one thing and we discover something that may have been overlooked. In those cases, the truck won't leave the shop until that problem is fixed."

As with most jobs that involve JP-8, there are hazards and dangers that must be carefully dealt with. Safety is the No. 1 priority.

"There are plenty of hazards that come with working in refueling maintenance," Anthony said. "Being that we work on the pumping system quite a bit, we run the risk of coming in contact with JP-8 on a daily basis. Many of the items we repair involve draining the system of as much fuel as possible in order to minimize the risk of getting splashed, doused or dripped on."

Sometimes the challenges are not to deal directly with the JP-8, but to deal with the vehicles themselves, Anthony said.

"The most challenging part of our job is the troubleshooting aspect of it," he said. "With the new refueling trucks coming out, many of their components are computerized, which makes them much more difficult to diagnose than their mechanical predecessors."

Even though troubleshooting may be the most challenging part of the job, the maintainers still enjoy working with their hands, said Senior Airman Landon Sester, 60th LRS refueling maintenance technician.

"I really enjoy the opportunity to be doing something mechanical and hands on," Sester said. "I would rather be doing this than working in a desk job."

When working with more and more varied metals, electronics and other parts, it can be interesting to see how JP-8 breaks down different materials, Anthony said.

"This fuel breaks down many materials that it comes in contact with, while at the same time having no effect on others," he said. "It's fascinating."