Garfield1966
Veteran
I have heard several times lately that when an airplane was in trouble, they had to circle for several hours to burn fuel before they could land. I know this is to lighten the a/c so as to not damage the landing gear. Isn’t there an easier and quicker way to do this? I thought I remember hearing about a way for the cockpit to open a valve and vent the fuel. My understanding is that if done at a high enough altitude, the fuel vaporizes before it hits the ground. If there is a problem, isn’t it best to get on the ground as quick as possible instead of circling for hours?