420th ABS fuels, moves RIAT

  • Published
  • By Capt. Brian Maguire
  • 501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs
RAF FAIRFORD, United Kingdom --  Editor's Note: This article is the third part in a three-part series about the support the 420th Air Base Squadron at RAF Fairford provides to the Royal International Air Tattoo.

The 420th Air Base Squadron maintains RAF Fairford as a contingency operating location capable of receiving deploying forces within 48 hours of notification. Every year the 420th ABS hosts a different sort of deployment as they turn the airfield over to the Royal International Air Tattoo, the world's largest military airshow.

To support deploying forces, the 420th ABS has an air traffic manager and airfield manager receiving inbound aircraft and guiding the crews around the airfield. The 420th ABS chief of security works closely with the Ministry of Defence Police in securing RAF Fairford during regular operations and with security forces squadrons within the 501st Combat Support Wing for various aircraft during RIAT.

The 420th ABS civil engineers work with RIAT planners in lying out and erecting temporary structures on the showground, as well as ensuring RAF Fairford's permanent structures are ready for occupation. The 420th ABS also maintains contingency dormitories capable of housing approximately 1,500 people and a dining facility with the capability of serving 500 meals per hour.

Logistics

From aircraft loading and ground equipment to transportation vehicles, the 420th ABS logistics section maintains the equipment and fuel required to keep RAF Fairford open and available for aircraft.

As the vehicle fleet manager, Trevor Smith is responsible for the government vehicles at RAF Fairford - everything from aircraft-loading equipment to ground equipment, including buses and forklifts. Smith's team prepares RIAT's approved vehicles by bringing them in for maintenance, inspecting the vehicles, documenting the condition the vehicles are in, and then issuing the documents and signing the vehicles over to RIAT, a process similar to what they do during contingencies.

"We basically do the same thing for U.S. Air Force aircraft deploying that we do for the RIAT aircraft deploying in," said Smith. "It's the same equipment, the same vehicles are needed - it's just a few more aircraft during RIAT."

Moving personnel and equipment isn't the only responsibility of the logistics section. With the need to support aircraft for both RIAT and contingency operations, the 420th ABS maintains the necessary ground support equipment for aircraft found at most Air Force installations. In addition to the equipment, Gary Fultz and his crew in the aerospace ground equipment section provide an on call capacity throughout RIAT.

"During RIAT, we provide them about 95 percent of the ground support equipment for the aircraft," said Fultz. "We're also here on call, so if they have any breakages for the U.S. Air Force equipment that we give them, we provide maintenance service to repair those items."

Providing the equipment for RIAT allows the crews to test preparations for contingency operations, as well as ensuring the equipment works.

""It helps with training for the guys - it gets them used to pulling the equipment out, getting it prepped and ready, then pull it back in at the end of RIAT, and getting it reconstituted and put back into a storage status," said Fultz.

Vehicles and aircraft won't run without fuel and RAF Fairford, with storage capacity for more than nine million gallons of fuel, has plenty to spare. The fuels section, run by Samantha Pike, 501st Combat Support Wing fuels manager, oversees all aspects of the fuels operations.

The fuels personnel ensure all the equipment is ready to go at all times, by keeping the equipment in use, fuels flushed, and transferring fuels around the tanks on the installation. As part of the fuels procedures, Pike's team is responsible for sampling the liquid oxygen and aviation fuel systems, from the tanks to the filters to the gas, to ensure the quality of the fuel.

Even passing enormous amounts of gasoline, such as 53,000 gallons in a three-hour window the morning of July 4, the entire fuels team keeps safety and procedure in mind.

"Whether it's a real-mission, real word to RIAT, our principles are exactly the same - they have to be," said Pike. "We have to be strict on that - the T.O. [technical order] is the T.O., the AFIs [Air Force Instructions] are the AFIs and we don't deter from that."

Team Effort

Slightly more than 200 personnel are assigned to the 420th ABS and serve as the focal point for the wing's support to RIAT; however it takes Airmen from across the 422nd Air Base Group to provide the requested support at the world's largest military airshow.

"The 422nd Air Base Group plays a key role in the success of this airshow," said Tim Hershberger, 420th ABS site director. "The group provides additional manpower and expertise from areas as diverse as security forces guarding U.S. aircraft; FSS providing support to the thousands of airshow participants and volunteers; and the 420th Munitions Squadron helping install matting for walkways/driving paths. It's a team effort across the entire group."

While RIAT isn't RAF Fairford's main mission, the airshow allows the 420th ABS to test many aspects of their ability to support a large number of aircraft and personnel.

"RIAT gives RAF Fairford a unique opportunity to exercise all aspects of our operation," said Hershberger. "We are able to test our skills, identify any deficiencies and improve our overall operation. Of course, being part of a prestigious event like RIAT is just the icing on the cake."