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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif., -- Over the course of a busy day, bulk fuel Marines with Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., can pump more than 40,000 gallons of the precious liquid into aircraft aboard the air station's flight line for various missions.
"We have aircraft taxi into our fuel pits almost every day," said Cpl. Javier Rocha, a line noncommissioned officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron and an El Paso, Texas, native. "Once those aircraft come into our pits, it's our responsibility to see to it they get the fuel they need.”
Once the aircraft has come to a complete stop, Marines like Rocha step into the fuel pits to ensure refueling goes smoothly.
"Depending on which aircraft comes to the pits, we know which pit it has to go to," said Rocha. "If we get a CH-53E Super Stallion, whose primary pit is number nine, we know we have to taxi it to that pit. It's the same for all the other aircraft that come here for fueling."
Fuels Marines must also ensure the safety of flight personnel by disarming ordnance and installing blocks under the wheels of aircraft to keep them from rolling away.
"We can't fuel the [aircraft] until all ordnance and are off of it," Rocha explained. "Safety is the biggest concern here for us.”
Rocha said the bulk fuel Marines don’t actually touch the aircraft itself. The crew chief of the aircraft hooks the fuel hose up to the aircraft.
After a crew chief attaches the hose, one bulk fuel Marine pumps the fuel itself while another mans a water hose called the fire bottle.
"The fire bottle watch position is a first response position," said Rocha. "If the fire isn't out of control, and we can prevent that from happening, we will.”
Rocha and his Marines watch for the “thumbs up” from the pilot while fueling, so they know when the aircraft has a full tank.
Once they have the all clear, the grounding wire is taken away, the fuel hose disengaged and rolled away, the aircraft is cleared to taxi away from the pits to carry out the Marine Corps’ missions.
"On a busy day, we can deliver more than 40,000 gallons to the aircraft here aboard the air station," said Sgt. Zachary Vinson, the assistant operations chief for fuels with H&HS and a Caroline County, VA native. "The F/A-18 Hornets typically average at about 1,700 to 1,800 gallons, where the helicopters average at 900 gallons. We also have fuel trucks that take fuel to aircraft holding ordnance or broken aircraft needing fuel to turn on, so mechanics can find the problem.”
According to Rocha, bulk fuel can be a thankless and sometimes dangerous job but one that is completely necessary to ensure the Marine Corps has its air support.
"We fuel the fight," said Rocha. "Who else gets to be so close to awesome aircraft and equipment but us, and who else gets to make sure they can do their job at the most basic level - we do."
| Date Taken: | 10.24.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 10.26.2012 13:33 |
| Story ID: | 96820 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 300 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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