Question about fuel and balance

[Guest Cralis]

I was just thinking, while clipping my toe nails.. :) ... If the fuel is stored in the wings of an aircraft... then surely when you turn using aileron and rudder, and the inner wing dips... all the fuel will go to that side of the aircraft - causing a tip effect. increasing the bank as the CoG is now heavily loaded to the lower wing?

 

 

[Guest tezza]

Cralis, if your turn is properly co-ordinated, the fuel will not move at all. Do you feel yourself falling in to a turn? if you do you are not co-ordinated. The fuel could move if the turn is uncoordinated but it does not have a big effect on c of g. the fuel tanks are usually close to the fuselage and do not extend out that far. Have you ever seen the Bob Hoover videos where he leaves a glasss of water on the panel while he does various manouvers including barrel rolls, loops etc?. It is well worth watching. The water stays exactly where it is relative to the plane.

 

A more important issue with fuel and un coordinated flight is that with low fuel levels you may shift the fuel away from the offtake line and starve the engine. Some aircraft like the Warriors warn against that possibility when doing side slips which is of course an example of un cordinated or unbalanced flight.

 

Terry

 

 

[Ultralights]

actually fuel crossfeeding into a full tank and overflowing is more of an issue when flying straight and level, if you are not quite level, with full tanks, the fuel will crossflow into the wing that is lower, and will eventually overflow.. technams are good at this, so thats why it important to fly wings level as possible when flying straight and level. in turns, as said before, if its balanced, then there will be no movement of fuel or anything.

 

 

[Guest airsick]

Have you ever seen the Bob Hoover videos where he leaves a glasss of water on the panel while he does various manouvers including barrel rolls, loops etc?

Good one of him doing it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp2Uc9XvmjY"