Kadena FARP team fuels mission

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachelle Coleman
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Military members know the difficulties of conducting basic tasks in a challenging environment; for certain career fields, there are even units that train specifically to face those challenges.
For the logistics readiness squadron fuels Airmen, these Airmen are known as forward area refueling point teams.

Special teams of fuels Airmen provide a critical capability for wartime and humanitarian missions as FARP operations expand the role of special operation forces around the world. They provide a means of "hot" refueling from a tanker aircraft to various types of fixed and rotor-wing receiver aircraft.

Recently, tryouts were held to test potential team members here on a gauntlet of tasks that imitate an actual FARP mission.

The FARP challenge course requires the members to drag out three 100-foot fuel hoses, return to the starting point to pick up a five-gallon canister of water, a 20-pound fire extinguisher and a squeegee, then returning to the 300-foot marker. At this point they hook up the squeegee to the hose and the individual pulls the squeegee back to the starting point, to simulate pushing fuel back to the aircraft.

Once the individual is back at the starting point, they turn around and go back to the 200-foot mark and grab a 125-foot hose that is rolled up weighing about 45 lbs. They pick it up and carry it back to the starting point.

To finish the challenge they hold the hose over their head for 10 seconds, without it resting on their head. After 10 seconds, they drop the hose and do 20 push-ups. Their time stops after the 20 push-ups.

The physical portion of the tryout process is only a third of the challenge. Contenders also take a written test to find out their general knowledge of FARP. The last and final portion of tryouts is an interview in front of the current FARP team members in a question-and-answer type of forum.

According to Tech. Sgt. Jason Vike, a FARP team lead, the tryout gives interested Airmen hands-on experience of how missions will go, what to anticipate when they're out there and what it's going to take to complete the mission.

"It's a very dynamic type of job, so this gives the guys training that they're not used to," Vike said.

Members work together as a team, pushing each other to finish the process and complete the mission--bring back every piece of equipment that is laid out on the tarmac.

FARP missions are flown at only five bases around the world: Kadena Air Base, Japan; Royal Air Forces Mildenhall, England; Hurlburt Field Air Force Base, Fla.; Charleston AFB, S.C.; and Cannon AFB, N.M. Between all the bases, there are only 46 total members from the fuels career field, which has about 3,700 personnel, who are part of this special team.

"Our tryout process is the most physically demanding tryout between the five bases," said Senior Master Sgt. Jerry Wright, 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels superintendent. "Even (Air Force Special Operations Command) has come down and asked for our tryout process to incorporate it across the other four bases to make it uniform Air Force wide."

Kadena is home to the only Pacific Air Forces FARP team -- with the largest area of responsibility in the Air Force. The team consists of eight members, who come from different work centers in the fuels career field.

"As a FARP team member, we take pride in what we do," Vike said. "We push each other hard and we love this. Only the best do this in the (fuels) career field."
FARP first came about after the 1980 Iran hostage rescue attempt. After this event, the Air Force realized the need for a highly-efficient way to transfer fuel from one aircraft to another, in non-standard and hostile environments.

"It is the best feeling in the world after the FARP to see those choppers take off feet from you to go back into the fight to accomplish their mission," Wright said.