{"id":10815,"date":"2024-11-29T04:32:42","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T09:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/?p=10815"},"modified":"2024-11-29T06:07:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T11:07:01","slug":"fuel-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/fuel-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Ops: Fun Fuel Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fuel is to airplanes what coffee is to pilots – something you just cannot fly without. But just as there are different types of coffee, you\u2019re going to come across different types of fuel as well\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

The Menu<\/h4>\n

Jet-A1<\/strong> – The most traditional drink, it is straw coloured with a flash point of 38\u00b0C (100\u00b0F), and a freezing point of -47\u00b0C.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jet A<\/strong> – Another tasty kerosine grade fuel which will work just fine. The flash point is the same but this turns into an icy slushie at only -40\u00b0C.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jet B<\/strong> – A delicacy from the Northern Regions. This is a cocktail of kerosine and naphtha – the stuff dragons produce out their nostrils (ok, that is not true, but it might as well be because this stuff is hard to handle with its higher flammability). Wide cut, and only really used in colder climates, with its freezing point of -50\u00b0C.<\/span><\/p>\n

TS-1<\/strong> – A Russian cocktail, more flashy than most at 28\u00b0C, but with a freezing point of -50 \u00b0C. It is also sometimes called RT (which looks like PT when it is written in Russian). RT is a superior grade TS-1, but not widely available.<\/span><\/p>\n

RP<\/strong> – Brewed in China, the RPs come in a variety of styles. RP-1 has a freezing point of -60\u00b0C, RP-2 -50\u00b0C, but it is RP-3 we really recommend because it is basically Western Jet-A1 produced at export grade.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chip fat oil<\/strong> – Not literally, but if you fly into a remote airport in some regions you might find fuel is not of the standard required. Look out for anything that isn\u2019t straw coloured, doesn\u2019t smell right, or has things floating in it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b>Cutting it wide<\/h4>\n

Wide cut fuel is a mixture of kerosene and gasoline (Jet A1 in comparison is highly refined Kerosene). Wide cuts are<\/span>\u00a0not often recommended by airplane manufacturers because the quality and performance specifications are generally not as good. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you are going to use it, there are likely going to be some pretty specific operational procedures involved because these fuels are much more volatile. Things like over-wing fuelling is generally a no-no, and the filtration system is going to appreciate a slow flow so it can keep up.<\/span><\/p>\n

All those numbers<\/h4>\n

Fuel doesn\u2019t freeze like water. It is not liquid one minute and ice the next. Instead it turns into a strange, slushy porridge consistency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, if you have a mixture of freezing points, the freezing point won\u2019t be a nice in the middle -44.5\u00b0C so the only reliable way to work this out when you\u2019ve mixed a load together is to take a measurement – assuming you’re carrying your own Fuel Freezing Point Measuring Gadget\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

If not, the next best method to use is this –\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n