The plane in which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) is on, this Tuesday (1st). The aircraft was destined for Brasília.
After that, the plane had to return. However, as he had a full tank, he was not allowed to land. To empty the fuel tank, the aircraft performed overflights near the airport.
The landing took place safely at around 10:15 pm (Brasília time).
Is the practice considered common?
The practice is overflight.
The pilot keeps circling around to use up kerosene and, in this way, guarantee the safety of the unscheduled landing.
As the aircraft takes off heavy, with enough fuel for the entire journey, the tank needs to be emptied to reduce the weight of the vehicle.
The website Flight Aware, specialized in presenting air traffic in real time across the planet, shows Lula’s plane making several laps over Mexico City a few hours ago.
In some cases, planes dump kerosene into the air to speed up this process.
This avoids the so-called “overweight” landing – a procedure that can cause wrinkling of sheets and panels due to the flexing movement of the wings filled with fuel when they hit the runway “hard”, as well as the engine panels, the legs of the landing gear and tires.
Has the problem on the plane been resolved?
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) reported that the engine failure had been resolved.
“Having successfully carried out the safety procedures to solve the problem presented, the pilots wait for the necessary fuel consumption to return to the same takeoff aerodrome, changing aircraft and returning to Brasília”, says the note signed by the FAB commander. , Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno.
How long will the plane burn fuel?
Sources of CNN They reported that the overflight to burn the kerosene was expected to last approximately 4 hours.
A second plane has already been arranged and is awaiting the delegation to transport it to Brazil.
Who’s on the plane?
In addition to Lula, the following are on the plane:
- the first lady, Janja da Silva
- the director general of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigues
- the economist Gabriel Galípolonominated for the presidency of the Central Bank
- the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira
What is the model of the plane used by Lula?
The Presidency of the Republic plane used by Lula, the VC-1, .
Costing R$500 million, the aircraft holds up to 45 passengers and has a range of 11 thousand kilometers.
Weighing around 50 tons, according to the manufacturer, the plane can reach a speed of approximately 828 km/h.
Since when has the plane been used by the Brazilian government?
The model has been used since 2005 by the Brazilian government.
In 1999, after an incident during an official trip by then vice-president Marco Maciel to China, it was decided to replace the old Boeing 707s, opting for aircraft charter.
In 2003, with the justification that charter costs were high, the Brazilian government chose to acquire a more modern, economical and safe aircraft, intended exclusively for official travel, both national and international.
*With information from Renata Varandas, Gabriel Garcia, Leonardo Ribbeiro, Leandro Bisa and Gabriela Prado, from CNN
