With the tank all the way aft there is room to reverse the rear seatback hinge and it will then rest against the mid cockpit brace.Īn email with all the listed parts and links. The tank is strapped down in the baggage comp and via the rear seat belt. The vent line is in the aft baggage wall. The standard Vans fuel selector valve has an unused port that is now used as the Aux position. Dry break fittings on the hoses allow quick disconnects for fuel feed and venting. It sits on a ramp to clear the flap actuator tube. It's a 16 gallon circle track racing tank. This tank is my adaptation shamelessly stolen from fellow teammate Robert Gibbons. L/R USAF AF MacDill AFB U.S.Anyone tried to put an auxiliary fuel tank in the rear baggage area in the RV-8?Īny ideas? How can I get the fuel into the engine from there? Through strength and flexibility, MacDill AFB’s Tank Divers maintain the hearts of all 24 KC-135s assigned to the base, ensuring the blood is pumping right for every mission, day and night. ![]() “It feels great working together to figure out what is wrong with a jet and seeing the outcome of it being out and ready to fly again.” “My favorite part of my job would be fixing the jet myself and knowing I did something to fix what was keeping the jet out of the sky,” Kozicki said. There’s a sense of pride amongst the Tank Divers about their careers they are the chosen few to do a unique job that puts them in tight places no one else gets to see or experience. “To mitigate going back and forth, our team here designed a trailer that would house everything we need to be out on a job and take shelter from the elements.” “Since we’re considered a back shop, we also go out to our alternate location on the opposite end of the flightline,” Williamson said. Though the Tank Divers call the hangar their home, they also must complete facets of their work on MacDill AFB’s flightline. Our hangar is set up to be 100% safe and fireproof.” “People don’t really get to see much of what we do or where we go because when we open that tank up, we can’t have anything that produces a spark or is not intrinsically safe (nearby). “The process of opening a fuel tank is very dangerous and can present an explosive environment,” Williamson said. Before climbing into the aircraft fuel cell, Tank Divers don personal protective equipment such as coveralls, head covers, gloves and air respirators to avoid harm from the chemicals they encounter. “We make sure all components are working as they should be and fix anything that would keep it out of the sky.”Īs with any job involving harmful chemicals, fuels comes carefully procured safety regulations to ensure the Airmen are safe when they go diving. “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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