AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar – The 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron provided a training opportunity for fuel systems technicians conducting operational checks for a gravity transfer valve on a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker on April 24.
While fuel systems technicians do receive the basic information about the inner workings of an aircraft fuel system at technical school, the deployed environment offers new learning opportunities and the opportunity to fine-tune their skills.
“It is my job to troubleshoot, identify and repair problems associated with any aircraft fuel system,” said U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Hayley Prato. “In a deployed environment, a fuel systems technician may have to help out on another aircraft when the workload becomes too great.”
One of the challenges facing the fuel systems technicians in the deployed environment is the high operational tempo. Having fellow fuel systems technicians from different airframes step in to help is a great relief.
“The hardest part of all the repairs is that they are done in confined spaces that are extremely hazardous due to limited entry and exit points and the atmospheric hazards that exist,” said Staff Sgt. Jared Thiems, a fuel systems technician with the 379th EMXS.
The preventive maintenance these fuel systems technicians do allows the KC-135 Stratotanker to maximize its mission effectiveness by providing safe and reliable aerial refueling to a wide range of coalition aircraft throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
“Working with other fuel systems technicians has helped me gain knowledge on their aircraft and become more versatile when they need a hand,” said Prato. “Learning the information has also opened me up to different systems knowledge, in turn making me a more versatile and reliable airman in the maintenance field.”