Ability of the Utilities Shop

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Colby L. Hardin
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  There are many pieces to the puzzle that make up Team McConnell.
 
The 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron liquid fuels shop is one of those pieces. Their days consist of checking and controlling the fuel that gets pumped intoKC-135Rs on the flight line.

"We maintain the fuel systems" said Samuel Brenizer, 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron water and fuel maintenance apprentice. "We have to make sure we get clean usable fuel to the aircraft on the flight line whenever they need it and as fast as possible."

Not only do they have to ensure that good fuel is running through the pipes, sometimes unusual problems happen to which they must adapt and adjust the best way they can.

"We've had to pump out and drain 58,000 gallons of fuel out of the east fuel system over a weekend," added Brenizer. "We had to work 12 or 13 hours each day, and it had to be drained over the weekend."

Sometimes working 12 hours out of the day can be tough. Even tougher when you have multiple units that need service and also have to go through inspections on the different systems getting used.

"I'd love to be out there and just working every day," said Staff Sgt. Shane Pentheny, 22nd CES WFM craftsman. "But somebody has to stay in and manage the systems."

Liquid fuels are an important part of the overall mission here at McConnell and its Airmen must do their jobs to the best of their abilities. Without their support controlling what goes into the tanks, it makes it that much harder to support service members who are in deployed locations.

"Without us there is no fuel that gets to those planes," he added. "You see the direct impact of this job every day, every time a jet takes off you know it couldn't have happened without the work we've done."