Do jet planes meet in the air to be refuelled?

A tanker jet refuels other planes in midair through a process called aerial refueling or air-to-air refueling. The process begins with the two aircraft closing in on each other midair, with the two aircraft maintaining a distance of 100 feet or less between each other.



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Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft are in flight.

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It would seem strange that pilots would purposefully dump fuel from their aircraft at a time when fuel prices have skyrocketed. What's more bizarre is that they do it in the air while flying. Tossing fuel into the air is a safe procedure for a good reason. Additionally, it is not as wasteful as it seems.

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The Boeing 787-10 can fly for more than 6,400 miles without needing to refuel.

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In most cases, airlines only dump air in midair immediately before landing. They don't do it before or during takeoff, nor do they do it halfway through their flight. Rather, airlines may dump some of their airplane's excess fuel immediately before landing so that it lowers the weight of their aircraft.

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Fuel dumping (or a fuel jettison) is a procedure used by aircraft in certain emergency situations before a return to the airport shortly after takeoff, or before landing short of the intended destination (emergency landing) to reduce the aircraft's weight.

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What is the longest flight in the world by distance? The longest flight in the world by distance is New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN) on Singapore Airlines clocking in at 9,537 miles. What plane can fly the farthest in the world?

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Having just one engine operating means you won't have the maximum thrust power for take off, but you'd be able to fly and land just fine. But while a plane can fly on one engine, it is very rare for an engine to go down in the middle of a flight.

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Fuel dumping (or a fuel jettison) is a procedure used by aircraft in certain emergency situations before a return to the airport shortly after takeoff, or before landing short of the intended destination (emergency landing) to reduce the aircraft's weight.

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The good news is that pilots are supposed to dump fuel at a safe height above the ground and away from other aircraft, and in addition, over as remote an area as possible. In the case of Heathrow, for example, most fuel dumps have occurred over the sea.

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What happens if you need to get on the ground right away? In almost every case, any commercial plane flying is technically able to land even at close to its maximum takeoff weight.

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The maximum landing weight (MLW) is the maximum aircraft gross weight due to design or operational limitations at which an aircraft is permitted to land. The MLW is set in order to ensure safe landings; if an aircraft weighs too heavy during touchdown, it may suffer structural damage or even break apart upon landing.

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There are multiple reasons a plane can break up in mid-air, according to Landsberg, including over stress, turbulence, aircraft fatigue and corrosion.

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Usually, the fuel evaporates before it reaches the ground. However, this is only the case if the aircraft is flying high enough. As such, pilots will try to dump the fuel at higher elevations and typically try to avoid dumping fuel over populated areas just in case some of the kerosene does reach the ground.

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Ecologically, and compared to previous generation wide-body aircraft, the Dreamliner has avoided more than 85 billion pounds of carbon emissions, achieved 20-25% greater fuel efficiency, realized 20-45% more cargo revenue capacity, and produced a 60% smaller airport noise footprint.

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Theoretically it is possible but even a supersonic jet would be hindered by factors such as speed restrictions and in-flight refuelling.

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Boeing 787 Dreamliner With its different variants, the Dreamliner can fly faster than most passenger aircraft on the market today. It is capable of flying at 690 mph (Mach 0.9), making it one of the fastest jetliners. The 787 family is operated by over 39 different carriers.

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