Hot refueling of helicopters is a potentially dangerous operation, but is a necessity in time-sensitive operations where it can make the difference between life and death. Developed for the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense to use in combat situations and now being specified by the US Forest Service and Federal Aviation Administration, the G457 helicopter refueling nozzle from Emco Wheaton is a proven system that permits fast and safe hot refueling.
The G457 nozzle is engineered to eliminate spills and ensure that fuel cannot be accidentally delivered into the engine intake during hot refueling. Preventing costly and time-consuming restarts of the engine, a key feature of the nozzle is the proximity switch that automatically stops the fuel if the nozzle is no longer aligned to the helicopter body.
During refueling, the nozzle allows the fuel operator to refuel the helicopter, while the engine is still running, without any risk of fuel being sucked into the helicopter’s air intake. This feature removes the human error element and makes hot refueling more or less a foolproof operation.
With an automatic shut off when the tank is full, the nozzle also features a manual override to let the fuel operator fill the tank to absolute maximum. The flow control mechanism can handle pressures up to 110 psi and can operate at temperatures as low as –30° C.
Access www.emcowheaton.com to learn more.