Fuel on the wing

[Ian_Wannabe]

Hey everyone - Whilst on my last flight I uplifted fuel from Humberside and the very nice lady who did it accidentally managed to get fuel all over the wing (she said it happens often due to the design of the nosel?)

I assumed that the fuel wouldn’t be a problem as it would evaporate quickly from the surface. But a few weeks on I thought to myself "actually was this dangerous, and should I have asked for it to be cleaned properly?"

After all there was a VERY strong vapor smell in the cockpit which meant that I had to open my air vents to stop it from going to my head...

Any suggestions if this had happened to you?

Cheers

Ian

[Audio]

Love the smell of that stuff.

well its never happend to me. so not sure, quick wipe with a cloth should of fixed it.

[hingey]

On a similar note, how dangerous can smelling the stuff be? Once talking with a PPL student whilst I was training, he asked "do you smell the fuel in the strainer?" Yes I relplied. "That explains you then."

h

[Genghis the Engineer]

Best wiped off, particularly if it's a composite or fabric covered wing. But, so long as it is, unlikely to do any significant damage.

G

[Rod1]

“Best wiped off, particularly if it's a composite”

OK, why? My Fuel tank is in the fuselage and the tank is made of the same composite material as the rest of the aircraft? I would have thought composite was at least as safe as metal.

Rod1

[englishal]

I hear its pretty dangerous if you go and put a naked flame next to it. So long as you don't do that you should be ok.

I learned this from a sign at Bakersfield Airport in the USA. Next to the self service fuel pump there was a sign saying "No lighting of bonfires"...Anyway, I didn't and we survived....

[Genghis the Engineer]

It's unlikely that a fuel tank will be made of an identical fibre/resin/coating mix as the rest of the aeroplane - superficially it may be similar but in all likelihood there is a different makeup to account for the continuous fuel exposure.

Additionally, two things that don't do "plastics" much good are UV exposure and chemical exposure. On the wing it gets the former, in the tank it gets the latter. Provide both and there's at-least some chance of things going on that are untested, and certainly not allowed for by the designer.

And, all-else being equal, it'll probably stain and make the aeroplane look ugly.

G

[J.A.F.O.]

Stub out your cigarette on the other wing, I know it's a hassle walking all the way over there but, hey, safety first.

[Ian_Wannabe]

I'm a healthy guy

Good 'o then, no worries to be had