SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron has successfully delivered fuel to combat aircraft for more than a decade in direct support of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing’s mission: deliver decisive airpower.
“Until March of last year, fuel was delivered using a truck system in a loading and off-loading area, called LOLA,” said Master Sgt. Jason, 380th ELRS fuels operations section chief. “With the recent completion of a new pipeline dubbed Christie, fuel can be transported by the simple flip of a valve.”
According to Jason, LOLA was higher maintenance because there were elements and moving parts to the process that could go wrong and possibly cause fuel to leak.
“There are trucks and hoses and various equipment involved with using LOLA,” he said. “Trucks can have accidents, hoses can wear through and components can break or malfunction. Safety is one of our highest priorities and Christie helps lower the risk of potentially unsafe situations involving people and the environment.”
Christie provides a primary fuel resupply capability that will enhance operational timeliness and embody our mission and effectiveness, Jason said.
Tech. Sgt. Michael, 380th ELRS fuels storage yard boss, supervises all operations at Bertha and said Christie is more accurate than LOLA when it comes to measuring the amount of fuel that comes in.
With LOLA, fuel is transferred from trucks into fuel storage bladders, which are large, collapsible, fabric containers that hold up to 210,000 gallons of liquid. Airmen measure the amount of fuel in them by using a string, stick and level, Michael said.
“The pipeline, Christie, goes straight up into our hard tanks,” he said. “We’re able to clock exactly how much we’re receiving so it’s a more accurate count. It also decreases our receipt times from 20 hours to 8 hours, with zero environmental impact. Using Christie just makes sense.”
Christie was completed in May of 2015 and has been going through a testing phase and quality checks, according to Senior Master Sgt. Joshua, 380th ELRS fuels superintendent.
“We want to ensure that the fuel coming out is clean,” Joshua said. “Even though we’ve been using the pipeline to receive fuel, we’re still making sure the kinks are ironed out.”
Christie’s testing phase ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 16, 2016, culminating more than five years of hard work and dedication by 380th ELRS Airmen.
There are no plans to completely forget LOLA, however. If Christie goes down for any reason the 380th ELRS will still fuel the mission.
“In the event something happens to the pipeline, we can still ensure fuel will get onto base and out to aircraft,” Joshua said.
Though no passing of the guidon took place between LOLA and Christie, the ribbon cutting commemorated one of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing’s most significant changes of command.
(Due to safety and security concerns last names were removed.)