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On 2002-08-28 19:12, SAMU wrote:
A cigarette wouldn't start a fire even in gasoline.
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Gasoline...probably not. Gasoline vapors (which are virtally
always present at average sea-level pressure and humidity)...you bet your tailpipe a cigarette will do it.
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And an airplane can make quite a mess on the ground during normal (non leaking) operations, fuel spillage, hydraulic fluid spillage...
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There is often a big difference between static leaks and those that occur under pressure. An aircraft may not leak (much) when it's just parked on the ramp but when you pressurize the system (fuel or hydraulics), leaks occur more often. Static leaks usually (but not always) get worse when the system is under pressure.
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...about leaking fuel. I just wanted to get on the record my own opinion about it.
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Your opinion is uninformed. While I'm no expert on the SR-71, I maintained fighter aircraft for 12 of my 20-plus-year career in the Air Force, so I'm quite familiar with many models of military aircraft. I've worked with and spoken to others who
did work on the blackbird. I've even observed more than a couple of SRs on the ramp and while taking off. They leak. Deal with it.