Fuel isn't red

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Morgan
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  When a C-5 or a C-17 has liquid leaking on the external parts of the airplane's wings, there are steps the maintainers on the flightline must go through to make sure the plane's refueling system is functioning.

Jet-A fuel, used by both planes, is a transparent fluid with a yellowish tint. This is often confused on the flightline with hydraulic fluid, which is red.

Both fluids leak on occasion, however, the 436th Maintenance Squadron's Fuel Cell only handles the transparent yellow-tint fuel. These technicians are the first step in the Air Force's refueling mission.

The process in the fuel cell is like any other maintenance shop, on a larger level. When a problem is found and the aircraft is towed to Building 945. A rigorous safety inspection, including lots of technical processes of sucking fumes out, and blowing clean air in, is checked-off and the work begins.

The active-duty, reserve and civilian members of the fuel cell are aircraft-fuel-systems technicians. They work with every part of an aircraft's fuel system, from 12 tanks on the C-5, to six tanks on the C-17. This includes the universal aerial refueling receptacle slipway installation.

The UARRSI ensures a connection between refueling airframes and the C-17 or C-5 fuel systems. It has a 4-inch diameter fuel intake manifold that connects to a boom from a refueling airframe, and this connection happens in mid-air.

"This UARRSI is a vital system to the Air Force's global reach," said David Hand, 436 MXS aircraft-fuel-systems technician.

In the case of a UARRSI, the replacement is tougher than the acronym.

The UARRSI weighs more than 120 pounds and is maneuvered by one member of the two-man team. The other member is inside the plane making sure it fits correctly. The apparatus includes a receptacle outside the plane, with hydraulic systems, and an inside-the-plane system that has hundreds of parts.

Replacing one of these UARRSI's takes more than 12 hours, said Staff Sgt. Steven Mills, 436 MXS aircraft-fuel-systems technician.

When the job is done and the plane is towed out of the hangar, the second aspect of the refueling mission, the flying, begins.