As advanced the modern technology can be, there is nothing we can do when it comes to the good old traditional ways of working things out. These ways have been around for years and years and seems that, so far, they have proven to be the best. When it comes to maneuvering a plane, pilots have a very specific thing they do, and that is they dump fuel from the plane while being up in the air. But why would they do that? This is also known as the Fuel Jettison Procedure.
We know that everyone would have many questions concerning this matter, but let us proceed with the explanation. When the plane is empty and there is no one inside, this weight is known as the DOW (Dry Operating Weight).
When the Payload gets in, which are the passengers and the cargo, this weight is now calculates as the ZFW (Zero Fuel Weight). Once you add the weight of the fuel you get what is known as the TOW (Take-off Weight). But for us to easily understand what is happening, the landing weight is of top most importance. This man explains using a Boeing 747 and its maximum landing weight is 312,000 Kg. This means that the plane`s structure will not suffer any damages.
So if you land the plane with more weight than the one recommended, you might cause any damage to the plane or even worse, endanger the lives of the passengers. Check out the video for more details and share your thoughts on the dump fuel procedure!
