“It’s important to maintain the cells and make sure they’re in the best condition they can be,” said Airman 1st Class Brendon Kozicki, a 6th MXS fuel system journeyman. Airmen remove the bladder from a hole not much bigger than a shoebox, pump it up with air pressure and then test with either a chemical or bubble solution to uncover any impairment. Fuel is intended to remain in the bladder, so if it is found in the aircraft body cavity, Airmen perform tests to inspect for damage. When a fuel leak is reported, fuels technicians must assess the damage to the cell, like a medic triaging a patient. You can’t have a well-oiled machine without it, so without us, you can’t fly.” “I like to say the fuel is the blood of the system and all of its workings are its veins. Dakota Williamson, a 6th MXS fuel systems craftsman. “We’re well-trained and well-versed in how to do anything on the fuel system,” said Staff Sgt.
Maintaining these cells takes a special group of Airmen willing and capable to contort and fit themselves into the body of this aircraft. The system is made up of massive, black bladders that hold jet fuel within the wings and run down the bottom of the KC-135 fuselage. “Tank Divers,” as the technicians of this shop are called, work day and night to ensure MacDill AFB’s aircraft are always ready to fuel the fight.įuels technicians handle all operations involving the pumps, valves, manifolds and all aspects that encompass the fuel cell, which the Tank Divers view as the heart of the aircraft. This hangar is the home of the 6th Maintenance Squadron’s fuels systems section. On a given day, peeking out of that hangar will sit a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft seemingly out of place in the considerably smaller maintenance shop, but surely, it’s in the right hands. Central Command and MacDill Air Force Base’s traditional hangars lies a hangar originally built to house fighter jets.
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