CBs, SOPs, and FROST.
Yup, the CBs invariably did the trick in my day (1988-2001), but SOPs may frown on the practice nowadays?
I hope not, because - if you need the fuel - what else can you do?
There was another situation when we used them: to transfer the outer-tank fuel to the mains before the scheduled main-tank quantity. [I don't think that wing-bending relief is now a problem on the A320, but you had better check.] For the uninitiated, this was sometimes done before TOD (or after landing) into an airfield where it was cold and humid, to ensure that the outers would be refilled with fresh (warmer) fuel. That way you avoided or melted the (illegal) frost on the TOP surface of the outer wing, as well as the (normally acceptable) frost on the bottom.
We had official guidelines for the above procedure, but don't know if SOPs have changed...
Last edited by Chris Scott; 14th Mar 2008 at 21:06.
Reason: Frost clarification.