TheSorcerer From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2005, 1047 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (7 years 7 months 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 1188 times:
This isn't exactly on topic but it relates to the A320.
I can remember seeing (in the thread about the jetblue A320 emergency) that the A320 does not have a dump valve so it can't dump fuel, it has to circle to burn the fuel until it's reached it's MLW. Isn't this a bit of a design flaw? What if a person has a heart attack and needs to get medical treatment as soon as possible? The A/C will have to circle (depending on the amount of fuel) a long time.
By the time the MLW has been reached the person could already be dead.
What are your views on this?
The Sorcerer
ALITALIA,All Landings In Torino, All Luggage In Athens ;)
Oldeuropean From Germany, joined May 2005, 1904 posts, RR: 4 Reply 4, posted (7 years 7 months 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 1156 times:
Quoting TheSorcerer (Reply 3): This isn't exactly on topic but it relates to the A320.
I can remember seeing (in the thread about the jetblue A320 emergency) that the A320 does not have a dump valve so it can't dump fuel, it has to circle to burn the fuel until it's reached it's MLW. Isn't this a bit of a design flaw? What if a person has a heart attack and needs to get medical treatment as soon as possible? The A/C will have to circle (depending on the amount of fuel) a long time.
It`s an interesting question. Here another one:
Are there other planes which have no dump valves?
Gigneil From United States of America, joined Nov 2002, 16215 posts, RR: 88 Reply 5, posted (7 years 7 months 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 1128 times:
Quoting TheSorcerer (Reply 3): it has to circle to burn the fuel until it's reached it's MLW.
It was circling to expend fuel to reduce the weight, yes, but not to reach MLW. There's practically no difference between the A320's MTOW and MLW for all intents and purposes.
The B6 A320 had a catastrophic gear failure. You want to reduce your weight as much as possible, for obvious reasons including stopping distance doing a soft field landing.
Quoting TheSorcerer (Reply 3): What if a person has a heart attack and needs to get medical treatment as soon as possible?
Easy. You do an overweight landing. Every plane in existence has to be able to land, at least once or twice, at its MTOW.
Quoting Oldeuropean (Reply 4): Are there other planes which have no dump valves?
CRJ, ERJ, E-Jets, DC9, MD80, MD90, 737, 757, 99% of 767s, and 99% of A330s
TheSorcerer From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2005, 1047 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (7 years 7 months 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 1083 times:
Quoting Gigneil (Reply 5): The B6 A320 had a catastrophic gear failure. You want to reduce your weight as much as possible, for obvious reasons including stopping distance doing a soft field landing.
Thanks, that makes sense.
What effect does an overweight landing have on an A/Cs landing gear?
Quoting Gigneil (Reply 5): Quoting Oldeuropean (Reply 4):
Are there other planes which have no dump valves?
CRJ, ERJ, E-Jets, DC9, MD80, MD90, 737, 757, 99% of 767s, and 99% of A330s
wow never knew so many A/C didn't have dump valves.
Any particular reason why they don't have dump valves?
Thanks
The Sorcerer
ALITALIA,All Landings In Torino, All Luggage In Athens ;)
PlaneDane From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (7 years 7 months 3 days ago) and read 1041 times:
Quoting TheSorcerer (Reply 6): Quoting Gigneil (Reply 5):
The B6 A320 had a catastrophic gear failure. You want to reduce your weight as much as possible, for obvious reasons including stopping distance doing a soft field landing.
Thanks, that makes sense.
What effect does an overweight landing have on an A/Cs landing gear?
Generally speaking, I believe that the landing gear is built to withstand such a shock. It is the remainder of the impact that is not absorbed by the landing gear and then transferred to the airframe that matters.
In extreme cases, rivets are popped, deformation of fuselage skin panels result and even cracking of structural components. I've seen where an aircraft simply is taken in for a thorough inspection following an overweight landing and came out alright.
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