How often do pilots dump fuel?

A pilot will choose to dump fuel only on very rare occasions. Brickhouse: Unless you have a medical emergency on board, someone is dying, you don't really have time to fly around and burn fuel. So, in that case that's when you would dump fuel so that you can lose weight quickly.



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Airlines find that fuel dumping can actually be cheaper than not dumping in certain circumstances. But it's not something pilots do on a routine basis. We spoke with Alison Duquette, spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who assured us that it doesn't happen very often.

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Over a certain altitude it is always considered safe to dump fuel. The high speed of the airplane means the fuel is spread very thin and will evaporate before it hits the ground. Accidents do of course happen where it is not possible to safely dump fuel and they end up dumping over populated areas.

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Over a certain altitude it is always considered safe to dump fuel. The high speed of the airplane means the fuel is spread very thin and will evaporate before it hits the ground. Accidents do of course happen where it is not possible to safely dump fuel and they end up dumping over populated areas.

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Commercial airliners, such as the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380, have a range of around 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles. This means that they can fly for up to 20 hours without refueling, allowing them to travel long distances across the globe.

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When an airplane experiences less drag, it consumes less fuel. This relationship between speed and fuel consumption means that flying at a slightly slower speed can result in significant fuel savings for airlines, which in turn can lower operating costs and potentially reduce ticket prices for passengers.

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The reason to dump fuel is simple: to drop weight. Any given aircraft has a Maximum Landing Weight (MLW) at which it can land, and in most cases that weight is lower than its Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW).

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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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Air carriers buy fuel from multiple suppliers at differing rates and in different locations. Not every supplier operates at every domestic airport that a carrier may serve, so multiple arrangements are necessary, including transporting fuel from a market center to the airport.

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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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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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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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Airline pilots take turns using the bathroom nearest the cockpit during a flight. There are no bathrooms installed in the cockpit. For airplanes with a single pilot, diapers, catheters, or collection devices are used if they are unable to land to use the airport bathroom.

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But extending the flaps also increases drag and slows the plane down, thereby reducing the control over the aircraft that you want. So to counteract that, pilots will throttle up to maintain speed and control.

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Tires, engines, hatches and lights all come under close scrutiny before we will accept the aircraft for the flight. After all, when your own life depends on it, you have a vested interest in ensuring that it is safe.

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