Fuel Tanks

[AirFlyer]

Maybe I'm the only one who has noticed this, but how does an empty fuel tank leak? Or for that matter how does one catch fire?

My short but simple wish is that empty fuel tanks don't leak or catch fire. Also if possible, when a tank is shot and only leaks, when the fuel tank runs out of fuel perhaps make it that the white fuel stream no longer comes off the plane since there is no more fuel to leak out the plane.

My apologies if this has been brought up before, if so it might not hurt to look over again.

[ian5440]

Or for that matter how does one catch fire?

i dont think i have ever had a plane out of gas catch fire?? 

[weazely]

Empty fuel tanks are empty so they dont leak or catch fire.......

[BnZ]

Holed fuel tanks DO continue to display a trail after they are empty. Don't know about the fire part.

[AirFlyer]

I know this isn't the best plane to try and convince this argument, but the Auxiliary tank in my A6M catches fire all the time after empty, and I know it's empty because it only holds about 5 minutes of fuel and its the first thing that is drained completely.

[HighTone]

I agree. I have noticed this as well. Get hit, the fuel tank starts to leak, and even after it is empty you have a long white trail following you back to base. Wish this would actually get fixed

[Motherland]

Remember, liquid gasoline doesn't catch fire, it's the fumes. I'm sure there're a lot of fumes left over in an empty gas tank.
That said, I'm sure an empty fuel tank would explode rather than burn.

[ian5440]

I agree. I have noticed this as well. Get hit, the fuel tank starts to leak, and even after it is empty you have a long white trail following you back to base. Wish this would actually get fixed

this part is true and i have experienced it b4 but its the fire part i have never seen or dealt with

[AirFlyer]

Remember, liquid gasoline doesn't catch fire, it's the fumes. I'm sure there're a lot of fumes left over in an empty gas tank.
That said, I'm sure an empty fuel tank would explode rather than burn.

Make sense, but having plenty of experience with fire while flying my A6M all the time, what about fuel tanks that were leaking for some time, emptied out, and then caught fire later? I could be wrong but I would assume the gas fumes would leak out the tank due to diffusion.

[pokecheck]

Make sense, but having plenty of experience with fire while flying my A6M all the time, what about fuel tanks that were leaking for some time, emptied out, and then caught fire later? I could be wrong but I would assume the gas fumes would leak out the tank due to diffusion.

Actualyy as you went on the danger of explosion would increase as the fumes would come closer to the optimum fuel to air ratio.

[chrish483]

wouldent tracer rounds fired into the vaper trail set it off too?

[Denholm]

Do you mean the Vapor trail or the trail of streaming fuel?

[Pannono]

well, i had a wing tank leak in my F4U-1 after i had burned my wing tanks completely down
yes, i was positive wing tanks were gone
i burned em til eng died lol then i switched tanks