Patent ID: 7073751

Claim:
A fuel transfer apparatus for an aircraft comprising: at least two fuel tanks arranged in an inboard to outboard alignment, at least one tank being situated in a wing of the aircraft, at least one pump for transferring fuel between the tanks, and a fuel management system for controlling and monitoring the transfer of fuel between tanks, said system comprising: means for receiving a first input signal that the aircraft has left the ground; means for receiving a second input signal that the aircraft is approaching its destination, means for initiating the transfer of the fuel from a relatively inboard tank location to a relatively outboard tank location in response to the first input signal, and means for initiating the transfer of the fuel from a relatively outboard tank location to a relatively inboard tank location in response to the second input signal, wherein the fuel management system is computerised and comprises a computer algorithm designed to respond to the various input signals and initiate the fuel transfer in the desired sequence, wherein the computer algorithm is specific to a pre-programmed flight path for the aircraft.