Airmen with the 188th Fighter Wing conduct "hot-pit" refueling during a Unit Training Assembly at the 188th Nov. 6. The process is required training for Airmen and is a common practice in the Unites States Central Command Area of Responsibility. The objective of the process is to increase the number of sorties by decreasing the number of thru-flight inspections required each time the engines shut down. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hannah Landeros/188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Note: Pictured is A-10C 80-0166.
by Airman 1st Class John Hillier
188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
11/22/2011 - FORT SMITH, Ark. -- Gassing up one's car or truck is a short, simple process that thousands of people do each day. When "hot-pit" refueling an A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthog," however, putting fuel in the tanks becomes a much more complex exercise.
Hot-pit refueling is the process in which an aircraft's engines are not shut down during refueling. This is done so that aircraft are able to generate additional sorties without having to be taken out of service for the inspections and maintenance required upon engine shutdown, which saves valuable time, especially in a wartime scenario.
For Airmen in the 188th, the four to five minutes they spend fueling each jet requires hours of careful preparation and training, said Staff Sgt. Brian Phillips, a fuels specialist with the 188th Logistics Readiness Squadron. In addition to the laboratory testing and storage maintenance required for a typical refuel, Airmen must inspect their fuel trucks from top to bottom for any malfunctioning component, Phillips said.
There are more than 100 items on their inspection checklists, each of which must be in working order before that truck can be used for a hot-pit refuel, he said. Even something as small as a turn signal can cause a fuel truck to fail the inspection, Phillips said.
The most important item on the inspection list is to pressurize the fuel hoses and check them for leaks, Phillips said. There is hot exhaust coming from both the truck and the aircraft, and either one could ignite fuel vapors from a leaking hose, he said.
Philips said that at the refueling pit, everything is organized to minimize safety hazards, especially that of fire. Crew chiefs and ordinance specialists go over the aircraft in a staging area, before they are allowed to enter the refueling pit, said Tech Sgt. Tony Crockett, a crew chief with the 188th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. They ensure that the aircraft's weapons are disarmed, and communicate with the pilot about any issues that may have occurred in flight, Crockett said.
While hot-pit refueling is commonly accomplished to generate additional sorties in the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility, it also allows the 188th's Airmen opportunities to keep current on their required training here at home station, Crockett said.
Guardsmen must meet the same training requirements as active-duty Airmen, which can be an arduous challenge for traditional Guardsmen who only have two days per month to train, Crockett said.
In order to maintain current certifications to accomplish hot-pit refuels, crew chiefs must perform the procedure at least once every 180 days, Crockett said. If they allow the training certification to expire they must complete the entire certification process from the beginning.
Master Sgt. Haden Key said ensuring that training is up-to-date with Air Force standards is paramount as the 188th prepares for another deployment in 2012. Key is a crew chief with the 188th and is responsible for training Airmen on hot-pit refueling procedures.
Key said the quickest possible turnaround on an A-10 after the engines shut down is approximately an hour and a half. Once the engines shut down, a thru-flight inspection must be accomplished and often maintainers must wait on fuel trucks to arrive.
In a hot-pit refuel, fuel trucks are staged and awaiting the aircraft arrival. Key estimates the hot-pit refuel saves more than an hour of downtime per aircraft.
"In a combat situation we need to be able to turn these aircraft and get them back in the air as soon as possible," Key said. "If there aren't any tankers available for our pilots to refuel, this is an important process to get our jets ready to go and back to helping save lives on the ground."
The 188th completed its first combat deployment in the A-10 when it traveled to Kandahar, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2010.
Airmen with the 188th Fighter Wing conduct "hot-pit" refueling during a Unit Training Assembly at the 188th Nov. 6. The process is required training for Airmen and is a common practice in the Unites States Central Command Area of Responsibility. The objective of the process is to increase the number of sorties by decreasing the number of thru-flight inspections required each time the engines shut down. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hannah Landeros/188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Note: Pictured is A-10C 78-0647.
Airmen with the 188th Fighter Wing conduct "hot-pit" refueling during a Unit Training Assembly at the 188th Nov. 6. The process is required training for Airmen and is a common practice in the Unites States Central Command Area of Responsibility. The objective of the process is to increase the number of sorties by decreasing the number of thru-flight inspections required each time the engines shut down. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hannah Landeros/188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Airmen with the 188th Fighter Wing conduct "hot-pit" refueling during a Unit Training Assembly at the 188th Nov. 6. The process is required training for Airmen and is a common practice in the Unites States Central Command Area of Responsibility. The objective of the process is to increase the number of sorties by decreasing the number of thru-flight inspections required each time the engines shut down. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hannah Landeros/188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Airmen with the 188th Fighter Wing conduct "hot-pit" refueling during a Unit Training Assembly at the 188th Nov. 6. The process is required training for Airmen and is a common practice in the Unites States Central Command Area of Responsibility. The objective of the process is to increase the number of sorties by decreasing the number of thru-flight inspections required each time the engines shut down. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hannah Landeros/188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Airmen with the 188th Fighter Wing conduct "hot-pit" refueling during a Unit Training Assembly at the 188th Nov. 6. The process is required training for Airmen and is a common practice in the Unites States Central Command Area of Responsibility. The objective of the process is to increase the number of sorties by decreasing the number of thru-flight inspections required each time the engines shut down. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hannah Landeros/188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Source
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment