Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard
Always and everywhere, like pilots speaking English? I thought there was an aircraft lost when they confused kilograms and pounds.
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In the US military, the fuel is dispensed in 'gallons.'
Aircraft can only hold a known quantity of fuel, even allowing for auxiliary fuel storage.
Aside from an allowance for the fuels thermal expansion coefficient, a 'full tank' of fuel would equate directly to 'pounds.'
I was a 'Fuel Specialist' in the USAF. In the single 4-year stint that I did, I never experienced, or ever heard of an aircraft refueling which did not involve a complete 'filling' of the aircraft. Wings, tip-tanks, belly tanks, drop-tanks.
Water vapor can condense and freeze inside an aircraft fuel tank, despite fuel system icing inhibitor ( 'fizzy' ) being an integral part of the fuel.
In addition, there are bacteria which thrive inside aircraft fuel cells, capable of downing an aircraft.
One of the first things you learn in tech school is to, 'drain the sumps.'
Same for crew chiefs.