Dumping fuel

[speedbird591]

I decided to abort a flight in the 747 Classic and put into Bristol. Being a bit heavy I needed to dump some fuel. I hadn't used the jettison valves before and found it very satisfying. It was always spectacular to see it done in flight and I was quite pleased to see it recreated rather well in FS. I don't know what the poor people of North Somerset have done to deserve this lot, but I hope they haven't got their washing out



It's the Project Opensky 747-200 using the Ready For Pushback panel.

Ian

[Tomliner]

Hi Ian,It would have been interesting if the locals had been having barbecues at the time! EricT

[Garry Russell]

Couldn't you make Filton?

[forthbridge]

With the way fuel's going these days can you just imagine the boss if you went in and said 'Couldn't be a**ed - oh, and I dumped a couple of tonnes of A-1..'



This is what sims are all about mind you.

Wonder if you could manage a dump and burn in a JJ? :tab:

[UNIT]

Hi Ian,It would have been interesting if the locals had been having barbecues at the time! EricT

this is something i often thought about fuel dumping over land but looking at the height i would have evaporated in the air. i asume jet fuel is very refined .

i do see your point living near valley and my luck with lighting the BBQ i wish a hawk would dump over my house. lol

[SkippyBing]

I'm pretty sure there are limits for dumping fuel over land to stop the BBQ situation happening, although off the top of my head I can't think what they are, they may even be local/aircraft specific.
Having said that with the flash point of some aviation fuels it may end up putting the BBQ out!

[PeteP]

I'm pretty sure there are limits for dumping fuel over land to stop the BBQ situation happening, although off the top of my head I can't think what they are, they may even be local/aircraft specific.

UK Manual of Air Traffic Services Part 1, Section 5, Emergency Procedures:
12 Fuel Jettisoning
12.1 Pilots of aircraft in flight are permitted to jettison fuel in an emergency. The decision
to jettison rests solely with the pilot but he may request guidance from air traffic
control.
12.2 Controllers are to recommend that jettisoning of fuel should be carried out:
a) over the sea, if at all possible; or
b) above 10,000 feet agl.
12.3 Exceptionally, if a) or b) is operationally impracticable or inconsistent with safety, fuel
may be jettisoned above 7000 feet agl in winter and above 4000 feet agl in summer.
For fuel to be jettisoned below these levels the situation must be unavoidable.
12.4 A vertical separation of at least 1000 feet between aircraft should be maintained.

[speedbird591]

This is such a great forum, isn't it? You can post anything that's totally off the wall but, as long as it has a connection with aviation, it can turn into a far-reaching discussion Thanks for all the interest and the information about dumping fuel.

Just to clarify - it was definitely an emergency. I was flying from Heathrow to Glasgow but with the present Mrs Speedbird demanding my attention immediately after take-off, I had to abandon. I still had time to land somewhere closer so I chose Bristol because the short runway makes it a good challenge in a 747. On the downwind leg I remembered that the RFP panel has jettison valves and decided to give it a try - with the spectacular results that you've seen. I never gave a thought to the legality or political correctness of my actions! It was a just a bit of fun, your lordship

Even so, having read the posts and checked Pete's excerpts from the manual, I'm pretty sure I'll get away with it! It was definitely an emergency and I was at 10,000 feet. I definitely didn't have time to go out to sea, what with the wife getting twitchy and all. And it was at dawn, so I don't think barbecues would be an issue, although in Somerset who knows how many charcoal burners still live deep in the woods waiting for the end of the war!

Finally - Pete seems to have omitted a section of the manual.

12.2 Controllers are to recommend that jettisoning of fuel should be carried out:
c) over Cardiff whenever possible. Pilots approaching Bristol from the North and West are to ensure that there is sufficient excess fuel in their tanks for this requirement.

TRUE!

Ian

[UNIT]

Finally - Pete seems to have omitted a section of the manual.

12.2 Controllers are to recommend that jettisoning of fuel should be carried out:
c) over Cardiff whenever possible. Pilots approaching Bristol from the North and West are to ensure that there is sufficient excess fuel in their tanks for this requirement.

TRUE!

Ian

LOL If i wer the pilot i would think twice about that. nevermind isamic terrorists! the kids on splot would sort out any low flying aircraft with ther own improvised SAMs (Fireworks bought from ther local corner shop) plus they now like to use laser pointers to point at the pilots eyes.

[PeteP]

Finally - Pete seems to have omitted a section of the manual.
12.2 Controllers are to recommend that jettisoning of fuel should be carried out:
c) over Cardiff whenever possible. Pilots approaching Bristol from the North and West are to ensure that there is sufficient excess fuel in their tanks for this requirement.

Brilliant - love it!
Pete