fuel leak???

[TeeVee]

getting out of my car a little while ago about 2 miles east of MIA i looked up at an AA plane that had just taken off. behind the port wing ONLY was a trail of mist/vapor. it was constant and lasted for as long as i could make it out before the plane got too far away. the plane was flying straight ahead but obviously climbing.

although i clearly did not have the best view, it appeared to be coming from the top of the wing.

could this have been fuel? i thought the fuel fillers were on the bottom of the wings...

[IberiaMD-87]

I think that you saw condensation.

Bye

[Gabriel]

could this have been fuel? i thought the fuel fillers were on the bottom of the wings...

It could. Airplane type?
My brother and father saw something coming from a cap atop of a wing when flying in a 737. They notified the FA, the FO came to see and confirmed it was fuel.

[TeeVee]

737.

i doubt it was condensation at such low speed and altitude. and from only one wing?

[Evan]

737.

i doubt it was condensation at such low speed and altitude. and from only one wing?

Do an image search for 'vapor trail' or 'vortex' and you will see a lot of landing gear involved.

I think you saw condensation.

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5876180&nseq=117

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5769095&nseq=139

This is a fuel trail:
(At low altitude I think fuel disperses and evaporates very quickly)

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6336799&nseq=0

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6825248&nseq=3

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6506618&nseq=13

If the fuel tanks are overfilled, one or more fuel vents will do this for a spell.

[TeeVee]

Do an image search for 'vapor trail' or 'vortex' and you will see a lot of landing gear involved.

I think you saw condensation.

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5876180&nseq=117

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5769095&nseq=139

This is a fuel trail:
(At low altitude I think fuel disperses and evaporates very quickly)

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6336799&nseq=0

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6825248&nseq=3

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6506618&nseq=13

If the fuel tanks are overfilled, one or more fuel vents will do this for a spell.

thanks Evan. it looked exactly like the second fuel trail--the continental 73

[Leo 747]

It was like this one????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9lMLoBmBj0

[Evan]

thanks Evan. it looked exactly like the second fuel trail--the continental 73

Yeah, it's not actually a fuel leak, it's a pressure relief feature, actually a safety measure for when the tanks are full and the temp is high. There are two on the 737NG near each wingtip.

4. FUEL VENT SYSTEM
¡ The purpose of the fuel vent system is to prevent damage to the wings due to excessive buildup positive or negative pressure inside the fuel tanks and to provide ram air pressure within the The tanks are vented into surge tanks which vent through a single opening at each wing tip.

[brianw999]

There was an incident some years ago with a Phuket Airlines B747 where the fuel tanks were filled in the cold early morning. Later, when the air temperature had risen and as it was taxiing out passengers noticed an alarming amount of fuel leaking from a vent. It looked so bad that a goodly number of pax insisted on deplaning. Given the poor safety record of Phuket Airlines (they were eventually banned from European airports and later went bust) it was possibly a good decision on the passengers part. Ironically though, this was a safety feature that was actually working properly.
By the way, slightly off topic but the best time of day to buy petrol for your car is when air temperature is at its lowest. The fuel contracts at low temperature so a gallon bought in the cold is actually more than a gallon as the day warms up.

[Evan]

By the way, slightly off topic but the best time of day to buy petrol for your car is when air temperature is at its lowest. The fuel contracts at low temperature so a gallon bought in the cold is actually more than a gallon as the day warms up.

In volume, not in combustible energy. That 'larger' gallon gets you the same distance down the road. Do you really do this?

[Fear_of_Flying]

In volume, not in combustible energy. That 'larger' gallon gets you the same distance down the road. Do you really do this?

I think you may be wrong about this, Evan. At least from what I read after I saw Brian's post, colder contracted gas has more molecules per unit volume, so there is more of it to burn. This makes a difference in the amount of fuel you receive during warm times of year versus cold times of year. What does not matter nearly so much, apparently, is what time of day you fuel up. Because of the way gasoline is stored, the temperature isn't going to change much during the course of the day, or even from the time it is placed inside the storage tank at the station to the time it gets in your car.

The consumer should probably be compensated for the lower amount of gas he receives in warm weather, but is wasting his time by trying to get colder gas at a colder time of the day.

[Highkeas]

I think that you saw condensation.

Bye

I agree - I've watched this happen on a variety of aircraft taking off on a given day over a short period of time. I think it is related to the relative humidity of the air.

[Highkeas]

................ Because of the way gasoline is stored, the temperature isn't going to change much during the course of the day, or even from the time it is placed inside the storage tank at the station to the time it gets in your car...............

I agree.

[Gabriel]

In volume, not in combustible energy. That 'larger' gallon gets you the same distance down the road. Do you really do this?

The engine burns pounds and the fuel is sold in gallons. The more pounds per gallons you get the farther you'll run for each dollar.

[brianw999]

An Imperial Gallon / 4.546 litres (bigger than a US gallon 3.785 litres) is defined thus...

The imperial gallon was based on the volume of 10 pounds of distilled water weighed in air with brass weights with the barometer standing at 30 inches of mercury and at a temperature of 62 °F.

Liquids contract at temperatures lower than 60degF and expand at temperatures higher than 60degF....

So, if you buy a gallon of petrol at a higher temperature and/or a higher barometric pressure....you 'aint getting a gallon !

In my car I get a better fuel mileage by about 2 mpg in cold weather than I get in hot weather.