Richard Brooks wrote:

Keith Willshaw wrote:

"Ed Majden" wrote in message
news:kg0gb.28475$pl3.8704@pd7tw3no...



Some of you are jet jocks or ex-jet jocks. What can you tell me about
the practice of dumping fuel from a jet and the igniting this dumped
fuel by cutting in your afterburners? Wouldn't this be a very
risky practice? If not, why would this be done? On another
newsgroup,
this is being used to explain a photograph taken by a young
fellow in the UK. The photograph was first explained to be the
entry of a meteorite in the upper atmosphere but now this is
not supported. Some are using this fuel dump ignition theory
to explain what was photographed. Your comments on this
practice, if it exists, would be appreciated. Ed


The RAAF F-111's do this pretty regularly , I seem to recall one did
it over Sydney during the recent Olympics, that footage was seen
around the world.

As for why, well its pretty dammed spectacular is the main reason


Keith


It made at least one Oxford Mail newspaper in England when an F-111
did it over Upper Heyford and what with some old thatched houses
and corn fields around it scared a few people.

Richard.

Do you know what year this incident happened? In the years that I was
stationed at Heyford with the Varks, fuel dumping was prohibited. Even
during an IFE. Crews were told to burn off fuel or, if necessary, eject
over an uninhabited area. Us maintenance types had boldface warnings in
the workcards not to check the fuel dump valve for operation unless the
aircraft was in the fuel barn. Due to the real danger of the valve
failing in the open position and the aircraft pouring 32K lbs of JP-8
onto the ground, messing with the dump valve was verboten.

I'd take any article written in the local papers with a grain of salt.
While I was there, the Banbury rag would routinely print a photo of one
of our Varks lifting off the runway with external tanks and a headline
screaming about the Americans flying with nuclear weapons loaded under
the wings over Upper Heyford village.

Vygg