Empty fuel tanks on fire.

[Masherbrum]

An empty tank of fuel is more volatile than a full one.   

Ask any OTR driver you see the next time you fill up.   He'll tell you what I just did.   I also worked in Compressed Gases for Pfizer before they shut their doors in Ann Arbor.   Empty Hydrogen cylinders were handled with more caution than full ones and the full ones were worrisome enough.

[BnZs]

Indeed, you can weld on an oil storage tank as long as you stay below the level of the liquid.

Fuel tanks are never truly empty in flight btw. There is always some portion of unusable fuel left.

[Xasthur]

Even though empty tanks may be more volatile the way they burn is silly. Empty tanks should explode and cause structural failure, not leave trails of balls of fire behind for an extended period. Not to be rude or disrepectful...

[Masherbrum]

Not all "flaming planes" are shot in the fuel tank.    I guarantee you fuel lines are somewhat modeled.   Fuel lines can burn for minutes before "Catastrophic damage" is done. 

[moot]

"Empty" fuel tanks showing trails as visibly as if they were full, and not bursting like they should when catching sparks isn't right, though.

[Denholm]

...Shouldn't a spark from a bullet start a combustion that travels much more rapidly than it would with the liquid leaking away from the main mass in the tank? In other words, go BOOM?

Lead doesn't spark. In other words, Hollywood got to you.

[allaire]

Lead doesn't spark. In other words, Hollywood got to you.

Yeah but the copper jackets on the bullets will.

[Motherland]

It's less of a matter of 'sparking' and more of a matter of incendiary compounds and high explosives

[Denholm]

Now THAT will do the trick.

[Traveler]

Not all "flaming planes" are shot in the fuel tank.    I guarantee you fuel lines are somewhat modeled.   Fuel lines can burn for minutes before "Catastrophic damage" is done. 

I don't think the damage model includes fuel lines, If they did I'd think that the engine would be unable to generate 100% power or War Emergency Power as the aircraft in AH appear to do while zooming around the sky burining out of control for 5 minutes or so.

[FYB]

It's less of a matter of 'sparking' and more of a matter of incendiary compounds and high explosives

Thank you for saving my back. Or so i think so. 

-FYB