Definition

An aircraft fuel system enables fuel to be loaded, stored, managed, and delivered to the engine(s) of an aircraft.

General Description

Fuel systems differ greatly from aircraft to aircraft due to the relative size and complexity of the aircraft. In the most basic form, a fuel system will consist of a single gravity-feed fuel tank with the associated fuel line connecting it to the aircraft engine. In a modern, multi-engine passenger or cargo aircraft, the fuel system is likely to consist of multiple fuel tanks which may be located in the wing or the fuselage (or both) and, in some cases, in the empennage. Each tank will potentially be equipped with internal fuel pumps and have the associated valves and plumbing to feed the engines, allow for refueling and defueling, isolate the individual tanks, and in some applications, allow for fuel dumping or for optimisation of aircraft centre of gravity.