How do aircraft dump fuel before landing?

This can be as easy as the flip of a switch in the cockpit. The system consists of pumps and valves designed to let fuel jettison from nozzles on the wings of the aircraft. Such a system can eject thousands of pounds of fuel per minute, and it looks like a contrail when it's released [source: Scott].



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While fuel dumps don't happen every day, they're also not uncommon. Nor do they usually represent a major emergency. In fact if an aircraft is taking the time to dump fuel before landing, that's likely an indication that the issue forcing the plane to land is serious but not critical.

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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. Fuel disposal can occasionally be less expensive than not doing so.

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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 North American X-15 may be the fastest plane in the world, with speeds at 4,520 mph and Mach 5.93. It's an experimental aircraft used and powered by NASA and USAF.

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The simple answer is yes, pilots do, and are allowed to sleep during flight but there are strict rules controlling this practice. Pilots would only normally sleep on long haul flights, although sleep on short haul flights is permitted to avoid the effects of fatigue.

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Typically in the case of an emergency landing, the plane will be landing somewhere well short of its destination. If it has not been flying long enough to burn off enough fuel to get below the maximum landing weight, they need to dump fuel in order to land safely.

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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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Believe it or not, an airplane's wings often contain a majority of the fuel the aircraft will use. Some planes also possess fuel tanks inside the aircraft's body; however, there are several benefits to placing fuel in the wings of an airplane.

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At any given time, there are between 8,000 and 13,000 airplanes in the air. Over 30,000 flights with two million passengers on board take off every single day in the United States alone.

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Private aircraft can travel faster than commercial airliners. Part of this has to do with the weight of the jet itself. Private jets weigh less than large commercial aircraft, allowing them to ascend and descend faster than commercial jet.

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Since most twin jet airliners can meet these requirements, most aircraft of this type such as the Boeing 737 (all models), the DC-9/MD80/Boeing 717, the A320 family and various regional jet (RJ) aircraft do not have fuel dump systems installed.

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The aircraft flares just before touching down. It descends with a constant velocity, and just before touching down pulls the nose up to reduce the descent. This results in a higher angle of attack, more lift, and a vertical deceleration of the airplane.

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The Gimli Glider incident occurred 40 years ago when an Air Canada Boeing 767 ran out of fuel at 41,000 feet, but the pilots successfully glided the plane to a former airfield turned race track for a safe landing.

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