Fuel dumping

[PewterC5]

"Many commercial airplanes (and almost all military aircraft) have a built-in fuel-dumping system that uses pumps and valves to release fuel from the wings and sometimes the tail. These systems, controlled from the cockpit, typically allow a plane to eject several thousand pounds of fuel per minute"

I don't know if ww2 aircraft were fitted with fuel dumping valves or not so I am just hoping they were. I'd like to be able to dump fuel in flight to reduce weight and not have to worry about having drop tanks slowing me down. 

[AWwrgwy]

1.  Take as much fuel as you think you'll need.

2.  I don't think you could dump fuel in a WW2 A/C.  What would be the point?  I'm over Berlin and I want to turn better?   

Getting home was more important.

You really want to dump fuel?  Get someone to shoot you in the fuel tank.

wrongway

[2ADoc]

The fuel dump system was not around in WW2.

[PewterC5]

ok wasnt sure if it was or not.

[The Fugitive]

take drop tanks and only 50% fuel. Run the drops until you get into a fight, then drop them. You'll have dropped a bunch of weight and still have fuel for the run home....if you survive   

[Bolle]

Do you want your plane to catch on fire?!   

[trigger2]

The fuel dump system was not around in WW2.

The only AC I can think of in WWII that had a fuel dump system was the Lancaster, and in that, fuel dumping would be quite helpful.

[guncrasher]

The only AC I can think of in WWII that had a fuel dump system was the Lancaster, and in that, fuel dumping would be quite helpful.

lancs can run forever on 25% fuel.  why take more than you need unless you have drop tanks.  its all part of planing.  fuel weight really matters the most when you are getting altitude.  take lots of it and it will take you forever to climb to whichever alt you want.  so you take lots of it spend all this time climbing then you want to dump fuel?  dont make sense. 

semp

[trigger2]

lancs can run forever on 25% fuel.  why take more than you need unless you have drop tanks.  its all part of planing.  fuel weight really matters the most when you are getting altitude.  take lots of it and it will take you forever to climb to whichever alt you want.  so you take lots of it spend all this time climbing then you want to dump fuel?  dont make sense.  

semp

Depends on how you're flying it? I've had times where I've had to take 50% (hitting multiple targets with squaddies) where one or two of the targets was hit by someone else. Now that you're climbing, and you know you don't need that fuel, and you're in enemy territory, what do you do? Drop some fuel to speed up, expedite your climb putting you into optimal defensive positions.

The only issue I see with allowing it is people upping the lanc with 25% fuel and dumping half of that. Maybe to counter it, make it so that you have to be in level flight >6k? That would make it so that it's actually used semi-properly.

[stephen]

Im reminded of a P-80 pilot whos wing tip tank would not feed, he hung his sidearm out the window and began firing into it so he wouldnt have to land the plane severly unballenced.... (read that somwhere)

My belief is that if a later plane wasnt able to dump fuel, then probably ww2 fighters werent able, but... who knows?

[guncrasher]

Im reminded of a P-80 pilot whos wing tip tank would not feed, he hung his sidearm out the window and began firing into it so he wouldnt have to land the plane severly unballenced.... (read that somwhere)

My belief is that if a later plane wasnt able to dump fuel, then probably ww2 fighters werent able, but... who knows?

thought they had self sealing tanks.

semp