Script Document

Fuel
Script Writer: Michael Pittman

Lesson Introduction
Welcome to the 777 Fuel Lesson by Angle of Attack. Whether you call it go-juice, petrol, or Jet-A, your aircraft
isnt going too far without some fuel. The 777, being such a large aircraft, is built to fly long distance which
means it needs to carry lots of fuel. There are an assortment of tanks and pumps to store as well as transfer fuel
to the powerful engines. Dont worry, we will teach you how to use every drop of fuel on the 777 because youre
a jet pilot, not a glider pilot right?
In this lesson, we will cover the following fuel topics:
System Overview
Fueling/Defueling
Tanks
Pumps
Crossfeed
Jettison
Indicators
With that said, the fueler is standing by, hooked up to the aircraft. Get ready to be pumped into the 777s fuel
system.

Comment [O1]: Show exterior of 777 flying over

the ocean.

Comment [O2]: Bullet each point across the

screen as they are said.
Comment [O3]: Show exterior of 777 at the gate
with fuel line hooked up to the left wing.

System Overview
With being such a large aircraft, one would think that the 777s fuel system is a complicated maze of tanks and
pumps. In reality, this system is actually one of the most straightforward, easy to understand systems on the 777.
The fuel system usually features 3 tanks, 2 pumps for every tank, fuel crossfeed, and a fuel jettison system.
There are several controls and indicators located in the cockpit for the pilots convenience. It wouldnt be too
much fun to go outside in the cold and see how much fuel you have, would it?

Fueling/Defueling

Comment [O4]: Show schematic of 777 fuel

system. Box highlight each of these features as they
are spoken on the schematic.
Comment [O5]: Show EICAS display. Right next
to this show the fuel synoptic page on the MFD.

Because the 777 has the capacity to carry so much fuel, it has two center point fuel adapters on the left wing for
refueling. There is a defueling valve located on the right wing just in case you need to dump some of your fuel to
be able to take off with your unexpected extra passengers and jumpseater. The refuel/defuel control panel is
located on the left wing.

Comment [O6]: Show exterior of 777. Use

arrow to point to fueling points on 777 left wing.

These center point fuel adapters allow fuel to be put in the aircraft or taken out of the aircraft by pressure so the
fueler wont have to get a really tall ladder and hold the fuel nozzle for a long time while fueling the aircraft. When
the aircraft is refueled, fuel flows through the aircraft adapter through a distributing gallery that connects to the aft
of each fuel tank via a total of 6 refuel shutoff valves, 2 for each tank. On the Refuel/Defuel control panel, there
are switches to turn on or off these valves. Normally, the fueler will pre-set the amount of fuel you ordered on the
panel and the system will automatically operate these valves to evenly distribute fuel to each tank, filling the main
tanks first. When a tank reaches its capacity, the respective refuel valves will close. Defueling is accomplished

Comment [O8]: Show exterior of 777 at the

gate. Use arrow to point to the refuel/defuel
control panel on the left wing.

Comment [O7]: Show exterior of 777 at the

gate. Use arrow to point to the defueling valve on
the right wing.

Comment [O9]: Show schematic of fuel entering

the fuel system from the refuel valve to the
distributing gallery.
Comment [O10]: Show zoomed in picture of 777
refuel/defuel control panel

Script Document
Fuel
Script Writer: Michael Pittman

using the controls on the Refuel/Defuel panel and having a fuel line connected to the right wing to receive the fuel
you cannot take.
As always, safety comes first! Make sure to observe the following safety procedures so you dont set off a spark,
turning your pretty airplane into a burning inferno:
Turn off all HF radios
No smoking near fueling operations
No cell phone use in fueling area
Do not change the aircraft battery
At least one aircraft exit must be open, usually the main cabin door
No metallic tools working in fueling area
Make sure the aircraft is properly grounded
Most of all just use common sense!

Tanks
The 777 is capable of holding a monstrous 303,100 pounds of Jet A fuel. The 777s max fuel load alone weighs
more than the max gross weight of most medium sized passenger jet aircraft! This large sum is split among the
left main, right main, and center tanks. Obviously, the main tanks are in the wings and the center tank is in the
center of the aircraft, next to the wing root. The main tanks are capable of holding 64,100 lbs. apiece and the
center tank will hold 174,900 lbs. In case you get too much fuel, surge tanks on each wing collect fuel overflow.
This fuel drains into the main tanks. The surge tanks also act as fuel system vents, which are kept at positive
pressure during flight by exterior vent scoops. Sensors in each tank send a signal to the EICAS to display fuel
quantity. This will be discussed in more depth later in Fuel Indicators.
If your fuel freezes, you obviously will not be able to use that fuel which is not a good thing. Fuel temperature
taken from a probe in the left main tank is displayed on the EICAS normally in white. This tank is normally the
coldest tank because its fuel is only heated by the left hydraulic system cooling lines. The right tank is heated by
both the right and center hydraulic lines. The center tank is kept warm since it is located in the thicker main
fuselage of the aircraft. If you ever see the fuel tank temperature turn amber, then the fuel is close to reaching its
minimum fuel temperature. To check this temperature, check the value set in the PERF INIT page under MIN
FUEL TEMP. This value should be set to -37C but you can change this field. When the wing fuel temperature
dips below this value, you will get a FUEL TEMP LOW EICAS message. To keep the feds happy and aircraft
safe, the temperature range limitation for fuel on takeoff is -40C or 3C above the fuel freezing point, whichever
happens to be higher. In flight, the fuel temperature must be maintained at least 3C above the fuel freezing
point. The maximum fuel temperature is 49C.
As you might have guessed, the 777 engines much prefer to run on jet fuel than water. Because of this, there is
a water detector system in each of the three tanks. If the tanks reach a certain pre-set limit of water within a tank,
you will get a L/R MAIN or CENTER WATER message at the bottom of your fuel quantity page on the ground.
Dont freak out, even large amounts of water do not create a safety hazard. Simply let maintenance know the
tank or tanks need to be sumped in the future.

Comment [O11]: Bullet each point on the

screen as it is said.
Comment [O12]: Show exterior of 777. In large
letters next to it, show 303, 100 lbs.
Comment [O13]: Show cutaway of fuel tanks for
the 777. Arrow point to each tank as it is said.
Comment [O14]: Show cutaway of fuel tanks.
Box highlight the main tanks and show 64,100 lbs
next to each main tank in large letters.
Comment [O15]: Show cutaway of fuel tanks.
Box highlight the center tank and show 174,900
lbs next to center tank in large letters.
Comment [O16]: Show cutaway of fuel tanks.
Arrow point to surge tanks on each wing.
Comment [O17]: Show exterior of 777 below
the right wing. Show a close up of the 777 vent
scoop.
Comment [O18]: Show animation of exterior of
the 777 in a dive towards the ground.
Comment [O19]: Show EICAS display, box
highlight the fuel temperature field.
Comment [O20]: Show EICAS display, box
highlight the fuel temperature that is amber now at
-35C.
Comment [O21]: Show FMC CDU on the PERF
INIT page. Arrow point to the MIN FUEL TEMP field.
Comment [O22]: Show EICAS with FUEL TEMP
LOW message in amber.
Comment [O23]: Show in text across the screen
in bold lettering.
Comment [O24]: Show in text across the screen
in bold lettering.
Comment [O25]: Show fuel synoptic page on
the MFD. Show message at the bottom of page that
says L MAIN WATER

Script Document
Fuel
Script Writer: Michael Pittman

Some jet aircraft have had problems with dry running center tank pumps causing a spark and igniting unused
fuel. To counter this, the 777 has a Nitrogen Generation System (NGS) for the center tank. This system converts
bleed air to nitrogen-enriched air to reduce the fuel tanks flammability during flight and for a short time after
landing. Pretty nice feature, wouldnt you say?
For very long range flights, the 777-LR or long range has an auxiliary tank in addition to the main and center
tanks. Depending on the air carrier, this is either a one cell tank that holds 12.600 extra pounds or three cell tank
that holds 37,700 extra pounds of fuel. Now that sounds like a flight that you might want to get up and stretch a
few times!

Comment [O26]: Show animation of a fuel

pump using all of its fuel and then a spark and
subsequent fire.
Comment [O27]: Show in bold, large letters
across the screen.
Comment [O28]: Show fuel system schematic
with an auxiliary tank.
Comment [O29]: Show text 12,600 lbs 37,700
lbs in bold across screen.

Pumps
Now that weve described where the fuel is stored, lets talk about how we actually use the fuel. Each fuel tank,
including the auxiliary tank if equipped, has two AC-powered fuel pumps. In the main tanks, these pumps are
located forward and aft in the tank. In the center tank, these pumps are located left and right in the tank. As in
any aircraft system, redundancy is provided by two pumps since one pump can sufficiently provide an engine with
enough fuel by itself.

Comment [O30]: Show fuel schematic, arrow

point to each of the 6 fuel tank pumps.
Comment [O31]: Show fuel schematic, draw a
red X through one of the fuel pumps.

Normally, most of the fuel is burnt out of the center and aux fuel tanks first then the main tanks kick in. Because
the center and aux fuel pump output pressure is higher than the main tank pumps, you will not need to switch off
and on the main tank pump switches in flight to accomplish this. As long as there is fuel in every tank, you will
turn on each tanks fuel pumps before you start your engines. The main tanks will take over automatically when
the center tank pumps output pressure is low either by there not being much fuel in that tank or you turn the
center tank pump switches off. When you turn on the main tank pump switches with center tank fuel, think of this
as arming the pumps for future operation.

Comment [O32]: Show side cutaway of aircraft.

Show animation of fuel being used out of the center
tank then fuel being used out of the main tanks.

Each of these pumps is controlled by the pilot on the fuel system overhead panel. Each fuel pump switch has 2
lights incorporated into it: ON and PRESS. When ON is illuminated, it simply means that you have pressed that
pumps switch and selected it on. PRESS means different things depending on which pump it is illuminated for.
If this illuminates for any of the main tank pumps, it means:
1. The respective fuel pump switch is selected off. So this would be normal when first jumping into a cold
aircraft.
2. Fuel output pressure is low for this pump.
In this case, you will get a FUEL PUMP (L, R, FWD, AFT) EICAS message depending on which pump is
outputting low pressure.

Comment [O34]: Show fuel system overhead

panel.

If PRESS illuminates for a center tank pump, it means:

1. Most likely, fuel output pressure is low for the pump.
2. Possibly, but hopefully not, only one power source is available. This means one of the center pumps is
not powered. The EICAS FUEL PUMP CENTER (L or R) message is inhibited in this case.
Notice having center tank pump switches off will NOT illuminate a PRESS light or cause an EICAS message.
Because of the center pump possible spark issues when the pumps are run dry, the 777 is designed to help the
pilot prevent this condition. If a center pump has low output pressure with less than 2400 lbs remaining in the
tank, the PRESS light will come on as well as a FUEL LOW CENTER EICAS message. This warns you to leave

Comment [O38]: Show fuel system overhead

panel with PRESS illuminated on right center tank
pump switch.

Comment [O33]: Show overhead fuel panel.

Show all fuel pump switches with ON illuminating.

Comment [O35]: Show fuel system overhead

panel with ON illuminated for all pumps.
Comment [O36]: Show fuel system overhead
panel with PRESS illuminated on the left aft main
tank pump.
Comment [O37]: Show EICAS with FUEL PUMP L
AFT amber message.

Comment [O39]: Show fuel system overhead

panel with center tank pumps in the off position.
Neither ON nor PRESS should be illuminated.
Comment [O40]: Show fuel system overhead
panel with both center tank pumps illuminating
PRESS. Also show EICAS with amber FUEL LOW
CENTER message.

Script Document
Fuel
Script Writer: Michael Pittman

fuel in the center tank. With more than 2400 lbs of fuel in the center tank and low pump output pressure is
detected, you will only get a PRESS light and FUEL PUMP CENTER (L or R) EICAS message, similar to the
main tank pumps.
So you can use this fuel in the center tank, as long as the main tank pumps are on, an invisible-to-you scavenge
system automatically transfers fuel left in the center tank to the main tanks. This only occurs when the center
tank pump switches are off and either main tank quantity is less than 29,000 lbs.
While most of the fuel tank pumps are AC powered, there is a sneaky DC powered pump we havent discussed
yet. For the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) to receive fuel, the left main tank contains a DC powered fuel pump. The
only way you will know this pump exists is that it is on the fuel synoptic display. This pump automatically
operates to provide fuel to the APU when you are only on battery power. This would come in handy for an
outstation with no AC ground power or when both engines are dead in flight, yikes! When AC power is available,
the left forward AC fuel pump will operate even if it is not selected on. This will turn off the APU DC pump. So,
when your 777 checkride examiner asks you, Do all of the 777s fuel tank pumps run off of AC or DC power?
you will say, Actually, both!
Lets say you are having a very bad day. You have just lost all AC power on the aircraft. Your engines get their
fuel from the fuel tanks via AC powered pumps. Are your engines going to flame out now too? The surprising
answer is NO! When the main tank pump fuel pressure is low, each engine can get fuel from its respective main
tank through a suction feed line separate from the fuel pump line. However, we would not recommend putting
this system to the test by turning off the main tank AC pumps in flight. The higher the aircraft climbs, the more
dissolved air in the fuel is released due to their being less atmospheric pressure to keep this air in the fuel. This
air can collect in the suction feed line and greatly restrict fuel flow. When you are in cruise for a while, this
dissolved air will eventually deplete and allow normal suction feed fuel flow. If you have lost all AC power, you
shouldnt be cruising for a while, unless of course you are in the middle of the wide blue Pacific Ocean.

Comment [O41]: Show overhead fuel panel with

left center tank pump with a PRESS illuminated.
Show EICAS as well with amber FUEL PUMP CENTER
L message.
Comment [O42]: Show animation of scavenge
pump transferring fuel from the center to main
tank.
Comment [O43]: Show schematic of the APU
fuel feed system. Show line coming from APU to
the left main tank and a DC powered pump in the
tank for this line.
Comment [O44]: Show fuel synoptic display.
Arrow point to the DC pump for the APU.
Comment [O45]: Show exterior of 777 diving
down towards the ground.
Comment [O46]: Show APU fuel delivery system
schematic. Show animation of left forward wing AC
pump operating and fuel moving towards the APU.
Comment [O47]: Show large bold question mark
on the screen.
Comment [O48]: Show fuel system schematic
with suction feed lines. Arrow point to suction feed
lines.
Comment [O49]: Show a side view of fuel in the
fuel tank giving off clip art bubbles.
Comment [O50]: Show fuel system schematic
with suction feed lines. Show a red X on one of
the suction feed lines.

Crossfeed

Comment [O51]: Show 777 exterior flying over

the ocean.

You are in the simulator, everything is fine, until suddenly you look down and the aircraft is lazily turning to the
right for some reason. You check your flight control synoptic page, everything looks normal. A puzzled look fills
your face until you see an amber FUEL IMBALANCE EICAS message. You notice on your fuel gauges the right
main tank has 5500 more lbs. of fuel than the left side. Fortunately, to get rid of this annoying message and get
your aircraft to fly straight again, there are 2 fuel crossfeed valves. Normally, these valves are closed unless
activated by the pilot to correct a fuel imbalance. The crossfeed valves allow any fuel tank pump to supply either
engine with fuel. It is not possible to transfer fuel in flight between fuel tanks.

Comment [O52]: Show exterior of 777 aircraft

simulator turning to the right.

To correct our situation, you would first open one or both of the crossfeed valves. It is very important to next
verify that the valve did in fact open. Pause for a few seconds and make sure the crossfeed switch VALVE light
and the EICAS FUEL CROSSFEED FWD or AFT message does not appear. Also ensure the flow bar appears at
the top of the crossfeed valve switch showing the crossfeed valve open. Next, turn off the left main tank fuel
pump switches. Think of this as turning off the low side.
When the tanks are balanced, you reverse this process by turning on the left main tank fuel pumps. Wait for the
PRESS lights to go out so the engine will not have to suction feed. Next, close the crossfeed valves and verify

Comment [O53]: Show EICAS with FUEL

IMBALANCE amber message.
Comment [O54]: Show fuel system schematic,
arrow point to the two crossfeed valves.
Comment [O55]: Show overhead fuel panel.
Show finger pressing down on the forward
crossfeed valve switch and a flowbar show shortly
after.
Comment [O56]: Show overhead fuel panel.
Show forward crossfeed valve switch with VALVE
light illuminated. Also show EICAS with FUEL
CROSSFEED FWD amber message.
Comment [O57]: Show overhead fuel panel.
Forward crossfeed valve has a flow bar showing.
Have finger press fwd and aft left main tank pump
switches. These switches will now display PRESS.

Script Document
Fuel
Script Writer: Michael Pittman

they are in fact closed. The flow bar should disappear and VALVE light should not stay illuminated on each
crossfeed switch.

Comment [O58]: Show overhead fuel panel,

show crossfeed valve flow bar disappear.

As you have probably noticed, there are two crossfeed valves on the 777. The main purpose for this is if you
were to lose an engine on an ETOPS flight in the middle of the ocean, you would have a backup crossfeed valve
in case the 1st one failed. Aircraft that only have one crossfeed valve must operationally check this valve prior to
an ETOPS flight beyond 180 minutes from an adequate landing site. Depending on aircraft certification, this
check is usually not required on the 777, but not a bad idea to check each valves operation every once in a
while.

Comment [O59]: Show fuel system schematic

and arrow point to both crossfeed valves.

The fuel imbalance situation we talked about earlier triggered an EICAS FUEL IMBALANCE message. This
message is displayed 30 seconds after the left and right main tank quantity difference is excessive. The
imbalance that causes this message varies with aircraft weight. When the plane is heavier, it can handle less of
an imbalance structurally due to more weight being in the wings. This EICAS triggering quantity value slides from
a 3000 lbs. imbalance at 114,000 lbs. total main tank quantity to 4000 lbs. imbalance at 50,000 lbs or less main
tank quantity. The Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) limitations slightly differ from these limits by allowing up to 4500
lbs. imbalance for 50,000 lbs. or less total main tank fuel. These limitations are for taxi, takeoff, and landing only.
In case of an emergency, the 777 is built to have enough lateral control to land with one main tank full and the
other empty. Hopefully you are never in that situation!

Comment [O61]: Show EICAS with amber FUEL

IMBALANCE message.

Comment [O60]: Show fuel system schematic.

Over the fwd crossfeed valve draw a red X.

Comment [O62]: Show AFM chart for max fuel

imbalance.

Jettison
During an aircraft hi-jacking movie, you always see the hero somehow activating the fuel jettison system to force
the terrorists to land sooner than they had hoped. The large 777 aircraft has a fuel jettison system as well! Even
though fuel could be dumped to force the aircraft to land sooner in a hi-jacking, the system was actually designed
to help you dump fuel so you can get on the ground quickly after takeoff. Like most large extended range aircraft,
the 777s takeoff and landing weights vary significantly. For example, the 777-200LRs max takeoff weight is
766,000 lbs. and the max landing weight is 492,000 lbs. That is 274,000 lbs. of fuel you have to get rid of before
you can land. Now obviously if you have a major fire you will put that bird down over max landing weight crippling
the aircraft in exchange to save lives. Lets say you have a less urgent emergency and need to dump fuel.
Fuel can be jettisoned from any of the fuel tanks. It is dumped out through a jettison nozzle that is located
inboard of each aileron. The main tanks have special additional jettison pumps and the center tank has
override/jettison pumps that send the fuel to the jettison nozzles.
To start dumping fuel, you will need to press the FUEL JETTISON ARM switch. This will arm the system. You
will notice on your EICAS screen TO REMAIN will replace your fuel temperature display and the switch should
light up ARMED. If the switch says FAULT, then the fuel jettison system is inoperative. The TO REMAIN
quantity is automatically set to the aircrafts max landing weight. You can adjust this weight by pulling and
rotating the FUEL TO REMAIN selector. Next, to start dumping fuel from the tanks, select the fuel jettison
nozzles to ON. The switch should light up with ON. This will open the jettison valves, operate the main tank
jettison pumps, and open the center tank jettison isolation valves. If VALVE lights up on this switch instead, the
jettison valve is not open.
Note: The center tank pumps must be on to dump center tank fuel as well.

Comment [O63]: Show exterior of the 777 in

flight, show fuel dumping out of the fuel jettison
valves on each wing.
Comment [O64]: Show 274,000 lbs in big bold
letters across the screen.
Comment [O65]: Show exterior of 777 parked at
the gate. Arrow point to fuel jettison nozzle.
Comment [O66]: Show fuel jettison schematic.
Comment [O67]: Show fuel jettison system
panel. Show Fuel Jettison Arm switch with
ARMED illuminated.
Comment [O68]: Show EICAS with TO REMAIN
in place of the fuel temperature.
Comment [O69]: Show fuel jettison panel.
Show Fuel Jettison Arm switch with FAULT
illuminated.
Comment [O70]: Show fuel jettison panel and
arrow point to FUEL TO REMAIN selector.
Comment [O71]: Show fuel jettison panel and
show fuel jettison nozzle valve switch with ON
illuminated.
Comment [O72]: Bullet each of these list points
as they are said.

Script Document
Fuel
Script Writer: Michael Pittman

How will you know how much longer you have until you can land? Well conveniently jettison time is displayed in
minutes on the fuel synoptic page when you press the jettison arm switch. With all tanks dumping fuel, you will
lose about 5400 lbs/min. With not all tanks dumping fuel, you will lose 3100 lbs/min.

Comment [O73]: Show fuel synoptic page with

jettison time being displayed as 12.

This system is smart in that it will not put you out of your Center of Gravity (CG) limits or leave you with no fuel
remaining. When the aircraft is nose heavy, fuel is jettisoned from the center tank first to keep the CG within
limits. This takes longer to jettison fuel so your time remaining is automatically adjusted. The system will let you
dump all center tank fuel but will not allow you to go below 11,500 lbs. of fuel in each main tank.

Comment [O74]: Show fuel jettison schematic,

show animation of fuel only leaving the center tank.

When you have reached the TO REMAIN quantity, the system automatically shuts off the main tank jettison
pumps, closes the center tank jettison isolation valves, and closes the jettison nozzle valves. The aircraft fuel
quantity will not be accurate until 1 minute after jettison has stopped.

Comment [O75]: Bullet each of these list items

as they are said.

Sorry to disappoint you, but you cannot use the jettison valves to dump fuel on your cocky captain while he or she
is doing the walk around. The jettison valves are inhibited on the ground.

Comment [O76]: Show 777 parked at the gate,

draw a red X on the jettison valve location.

Indicators
So you do not have to do heavy math, the total fuel quantity of all the tanks combined is conveniently displayed
on the primary EICAS display. Because these quantities are so large, they are displayed in thousands of pounds.
If you are curious to see individual tank quantities, check out the FUEL synoptic page. The individual tank
quantities will also appear on the EICAS page if you are crossfeeding, a fuel tank quantity indication is
inoperative, or for other abnormal fuel quantity indications. In the case of an impending fuel imbalance, each
tanks fuel quantity will be displayed on the EICAS with a solid white pointer if the main tank fuel differs by 1000
lbs. or 200 lbs. with the crossfeed valve open. This arrow changes to amber when the FUEL IMBALANCE EICAS
message displays. The 777 even alerts you if you are crossfeeding the wrong way. The fuel imbalance pointer
will start flashing at you, saying, Wake up, wake up! You need to crossfeed to your other right.
The EICAS also serves as place to alert you when you are about to be running on fumes with the FUEL QTY
LOW message. This signals that either the left or right main tank has 4500 lbs. or less.

Lesson Summary
Whew, we burned right through that lesson. While fuel is a pretty straightforward system, it is very important to
understand. Lets face it, you are not going very far without some Jet-A. Make sure to explore the fuel system
further in Flightwork. For your review, we talked about the following fuel topics:
System Overview
Fueling/Defueling
Tanks
Pumps
Crossfeed
Jettison
Indicators

Comment [O77]: Show EICAS, arrow point to

fuel quantity display.
Comment [O78]: Show the fuel synoptic page
and box highlight the field with each tanks fuel
quantity.
Comment [O79]: Show zoom of EICAS, display
the following amber messages: FUEL IN CENTER,
FUEL QTY LOW, FUEL IMBALANCE
Comment [O80]: Show EICAS, show each tanks
quantity being displayed with a 1100 lbs imbalance
between L and R main tanks. Show solid white
arrow pointer.
Comment [O81]: Show EICAS with amber FUEL
QTY LOW message.

Comment [O82]: Bullet each point across the

screen as they are said.

Script Document
Fuel
Script Writer: Michael Pittman

We hope you have enjoyed the 777s Fuel system by Angle of Attack. Make sure to gas up with our other
exciting Groundwork topics.
Until next time, Throttle On!