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Friday, March 15, 2024

Why do Pilots Dump Fuel?

Captain Joe |

Dear friends and followers welcome back to my channel! Today’s video will all be about the fuel jettison procedure, or better known as “FUEL DUMPING”. Why do pilots dump costly fuel overboard, after you´ve just paid for it as a passenger? And what a terrible pollution of the environment! So pilots have to have a good enough reason why they do that?

As jets began flying with US airlines in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the FAA rule in effect at the time mandated that if the ratio between an aircraft’s maximum structural takeoff weight and its maximum structural landing weight was greater than 105%, the aircraft had to have a fuel dump system installed. Aircraft such as the Boeing 707 and 727 and the Douglas DC-8 had fuel dump systems. Any of those aircraft needing to return to a takeoff airport above the maximum landing weight would jettison an amount of fuel sufficient to reduce the aircraft’s weight below that maximum landing weight limit and then land.

And in our case, we have a medical emergency just beyond the coast of Scottland which forces us to land at the next suitable airport, which is Dublin. Then we´ll do the math on how much fuel we actually have to dump in order to safely land at Dublin airport below the maximum landing weight to not damage the airplane.

We´ll quickly go over the fuel dumping panel and the actual fuel dumping hose of the Boeing 747.

I hope you enjoy this basic explanation video on the fuel dumping procedure. BIG THANK YOU to my fellow subscribers who sent in the subtitles in their language, really appreciate your work!!!