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Old 20th Mar 2019, 18:04
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ProPax
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
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Can wings snap off if empty?

I was watching a documentary on YouTube about a company called "Omega" (I think) that provides refuelling services to USAF (I think). One phrase caught my attention. The narrator said that if there was no fuel in the wings, the loaded plane would simply snap them off with its own weight. The channel in question used to describe the process of starting a 777 engine as "the compressed air pushes against the piston making the crankshaft rotate", so I'm not sure whether I should believe them.

So, is that true? Is that true for just KC-135 or for other planes, too? For example, can a Boeing 777-200F loaded with 110 tons of cargo take off with nearly empty wing tanks?
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