Hydraulics technicians make it move Published Sept. 21, 2015 By Shawn J. Jones 514th Air Mobility Wing public affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Every time a 250-ton, fuel-laden airplane gracefully soars among the clouds while it simultaneously extends a refueling boom into the receptacle of a trailing aircraft, a hydraulics systems technician can be satisfied by a job well done. The KC-10 is a versatile weapon in America's air-mobility arsenal, capable of serving as a cargo plane, a passenger plane and an airborne tanker, but that versatility is rendered useless if the aircraft's hydraulic systems fail. Generally speaking, hydraulic pressure provides the power that moves the landing gear, flight control surfaces and the air refueling systems. Reserve hydraulic specialists of the 714th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, along with their active-duty counterparts, spend much of their duty-day chasing down hydraulic leaks, maintaining the hydraulics systems and training so that the KC-10 can continue to contribute to global mobility for U.S. armed forces.