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Show r a tf C, v V, V... i Air Forte Reserve pays to sew stripes on BDUs. Lr! See story, Page 3a. Supplement to the Hilltop Time slllll AFB, QUhOct. 25, 1991 Safety is watchword Fuels spedblosfis help keep efts ISC : 1 - ' rr t Monitoring the flow Tote that hose Abbott carefully watches the dials on his fuel truck while he holds a deadman device that can shut off the flow of jet fuel immediately. Fuels specialist SSgt. Alan Abbott, a member of the 419th Tactical Fighter Wing's Combat Support Squadron, pulls a long, heavy fuel hose from his truck to an F-1- 6 Pumpers share y . deadly mission with crew chiefs afety is the watchword for Air Force Reserve fuels specialists in the Combat Support 'Squadron of the 419th Tactical Fighter I Iswiipf iisii;M :, III; j - I Wing. The fuels specialist unit delivers jet engine fuel to on the flight line. the 419th TFW's The group also brings liquid oxygen to the planes which the pilots breathe while in flight and manages the storage and dispersal of heating oil and the gasoline and diesel fuel used by the 419th's ground vehicles. In addition, the fuels specialists monitor the quality of the fuels they disperse. "We have an important job," says TSgt. Rodney L. Smith, a 419th TFW fuels specialist. "But the most important part of that job is safety. "The flash point of jet engine fuel is minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, so the danger of fire and explosion is always on our minds. We have safety briefings every day we are on the job," he said. Smith said the fuel trucks his unit uses carry from 5,000 to 6,000 gallons of jet engine fuel and can refuel an with 900 to 1,200 gallons of fuel in six minutes or less "even when the plane's engine is still running." Crew chiefs are responsible for placing the fuel trucks near the planes on the 419th flight line. Crew chiefs also man the fuel nozzles while the jet fuel is being pumped into the planes. Fuels specialists, standing beside the fuel trucks, make sure the proper pumping pressure is maintained while the fuel is being delivered and man a special device that can immediately stop the delivery of fuel in case of an emergency. "Refueling the jets is a big team effort," Smith said. F-1- 6s F-1- 6 Fill j:,:J. 'er up Assistant crew chief SSgt. Daniel Reese connects the fuel nozzle to an lons of jet fuel can be delivered to an mi ... F-1- 6 in F-1- 6. six minutes or less. . t v ik Ullltnn rimu nnhlleharl - hv MnrMarlifl Inc..i - nrivfltA r is a nasenr uph,0,,,w"1 firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written contract with the OgdenALC Public Affairs Office. This commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publi-not cation for Air Force Reserve members of the U.S. military services. Contents of headsOp are of Defense U.S. Government, the Department necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the neadsup "'""''f V W Photos by TSgt. Bruce Hills From 900 to 1,200 gal- nr tha naruirtmant nl fh Air FnrrA i Unless otherwise indicated, all photos are U.S. Air Force photos. Advertisements contained here- in do not constitute an endorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or Hill AFB, Utah. Everything advertised is available without regard to race, color, religion, sex or other nonmerlt factor of the purchaser, user or patron. |
