Edwards AFB News

Haven't run out of gas yet - Ordinary Heroes: Cliff Cunningham, 95th Mission Support Group Fuels and Testing

  • Published
  • By Kate Blais
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Latin for "toward the unexplored," AD EXPLORATA appears on the Air Force Flight Test Center crest and passes through the air of Edwards Air Force Base. Day in and day out, the men and women of Edwards AFB push the envelope on behalf of the United States military in support of the warfighter, working to deliver tomorrow's capabilities, today.

Many moving parts ensure that the mission of Edwards AFB is carried out, none more important perhaps than the part that delivers the lifeline to aircraft; the base fuels system.

Atop a hill, in the middle of the desert, five miles from the flightline, sit the remnants of a 1950s bulk fuel storage area. These remnants, however, are not treated as such. They're still in use today, despite their age.

The infrastructure of the base fuels system is in constant need of repair, and only through ingenuity and patience, is it maintained enough to support the base's primary mission; flight test.

No one knows the Edwards fuels system better than Cliff Cunningham, the fuels testing and technical advisor with the 95th Mission Support Group. With over 10 years experience with the Edwards fuel system, in addition to an Air Force career in fuels, Mr. Cunningham is considered an expert in his field.

Being totally honest, "Edwards is the worst base fuels system I have ever encountered in my 37 years with Air Force fuel systems," Mr. Cunningham said. "We are making progress, but it's going to be five years before we ever have something really good and new. And that's what's frustrating. We do so many workarounds every day on just little stuff."

For 22 days this past January, Mr. Cunningham was faced with a planning puzzle in the form of a failing fuel hydrant and vital test missions. Forced to prioritize and work with limited fuel capabilities, Mr. Cunningham and his team worked with the 412th Test Wing each night to coordinate a flight and fueling schedule.

"The only thing supporting this base was one tank and two fill stands. Everything went down, it was really bad timing," Mr. Cunningham said. "That's definitely a bad thing for a fuels guy."

According to Mr. Cunningham, the current fuel system is barely able to support today's test mission. With upcoming developmental and operational testing for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the KC-X next generation tanker, projected annual fuel requirements will nearly double from the fiscal 2010 total of 16.5 million gallons to an estimated 31.3 million gallons by fiscal 2013.

But what makes the outdated system work, is the ability of Mr. Cunningham to devise workarounds despite repeated failures.

Hard work and resourcefulness seem to permeate the system, and making it work despite itself seems to be the mantra of the fuel team.

Mastering the ability to prioritize, be flexible and modify ideal plans, Cliff Cunningham has developed several possible strategies in the Fuel Contingency Plan.

"We've gone from everything working to nothing working, so we think we've thought of every scenario and now we have a plan for it," he said.

Despite the challenges, or perhaps because of them, Mr. Cunningham enjoys coming to work.

"I love it. I did 28 years in the military before I came here, and I loved it then. I always said I'll quit when it stops being fun, and it hasn't stopped being fun yet."

"It's frustrating, but it's always a challenge," continued Mr. Cunningham. "The good thing is everybody counts on me to figure out how to do it."

For a man who admits that it's frustrating "when you can't do, what you need to do," Mr. Cunningham remains optimistic and has faith that his job will continue to be fun.

"Oh yeah, I'm optimistic. I think we'll be OK," he said. "I've been doing this for 38 years and I've never run out of gas yet. I have faith we'll keep doing it."