Fueling the mission

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Cody Smith, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels operator, prepares to fuel an aircraft at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 12, 2014. The 455th ELRS POL shop provides clean, dry quality TS-1 aviation fuel for the aircraft using R-11 refueling trucks with 6,000 gallons of fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kayla Newman/Released)

Fueling the mission

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Cody Smith, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels operator, fuels an aircraft at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 12, 2014. The 455th ELRS POL shop provides clean, dry quality TS-1 aviation fuel for the aircraft using R-11 refueling trucks with 6,000 gallons of fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kayla Newman/Released)

Fueling the mission

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Arnel Ledesma, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels operation section chief, fuels an aircraft at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 14, 2014. The 455th ELRS POL shop provides clean, dry quality TS-1 aviation fuel for the aircraft using R-11 refueling trucks with 6,000 gallons of fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kayla Newman/Released)

Fueling the mission

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Adrian Leyba, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels operator, prepares to fuel an aircraft at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 12, 2014. The 455th ELRS POL shop provides clean, dry quality TS-1 aviation fuel for the aircraft using R-11 refueling trucks with 6,000 gallons of fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kayla Newman/Released)

Fueling the mission

An R-11 Oshkosh refueling truck sits on the flight line at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 14, 2014. The 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron petroleum, oil and lube shop uses the R-11 Oshkosh and the R-11 Kovatch refueling trucks to fuel the aircraft at Bagram. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kayla Newman/Released)

Fueling the mission

Published Feb. 18, 2014
By Senior Airman Kayla Newman
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- As the busiest single-runway airfield in the Department of Defense, the aircraft at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, must be prepped and ready to go at a moment's notice.

But, in order for the aircraft to fly their mission, they need fuel.

The mission of the 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron petroleum, oil and lubricant shop is to provide high quality TS-1 aviation fuel for the aircraft at Bagram.

"The refueling operation here supports real-world cargo movement, supports our food supply, our personnel rotating in and the fighter jets," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Arnel Ledesma, 455th ELRS fuels operation section chief. "Providing fuel is critical to the aircraft."

The 455th ELRS POL shop uses R-11 refueling trucks with 6,000 gallons of fuel to respond to aircraft in need of fueling.

In order to receive the fuel, the maintenance operations center calls the fuels dispatch to request an operator and truck to the aircraft.

"The fuels control center makes sure the proper qualified operator gets on the proper truck," said Ledesma, deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va., and a native of Sacramento, Calif. "The fuels operator will then receive their proper equipment and respond to the aircraft."

According to Senior Airman Adrian Leyba, 455th ELRS fuels operator, the operators have approximately 30 minutes to respond to the aircraft requesting fuel.

"Once we arrive at the aircraft we wait for the crew chief to marshal us in, we then get the equipment set up, the crew chief hooks up the equipment to the aircraft and upon their direction we begin fueling," explained Leyba, deployed from Kadena Air Base, Japan, and a native of Glendale, Calif.

A fuels operator at Bagram can fuel between eight and ten aircraft during their shift.

With the amount of aircraft that Bagram has and the frequency in which they fly, the fuels operators must remain vigilant while out refueling.

"The refueling operation at night poses a lot of potential hazards," said Ledesma. "Personnel have to be aware of aircraft taxiing. If they hear aircraft engines running but don't see the lights, that aircraft could be coming from any direction. So, they have to have their head on a swivel when they are out there doing the refueling mission."

Getting fuel to the aircraft is vital to the mission at Bagram. Without the fuel operators and the entire 455th ELRS POL shop, the aircraft would not be able to effectively perform their jobs.