Originally Posted by
JohnBurke
Entrained water can stay suspended in turbine fuel for a long time, especially after fueling. This, despite what you think you saw in the mason jar.
When was the last time any of us in a 747 or 737 walked around the airplane with a little plastic cup, sumping something? Never?
Eh. YMMV.
Yes. it can stay suspended, but some will also fall out within 10-15 minutes. That which accumulates overnight, isn't likely to be resuspended through a smooth push/tow or boarding the plane.
Comparing a 747 or 737 engine to a smaller turbine (such as those on the Citation Mustang, King Air, or other smaller turbine aircraft) isn't exactly a fair representation. A 1/4 cup of water per gallon in a PT-6 burning a gallon a minute is a lot more likely to cause issues than in a larger turbine burning 5-10 times more per minute.
For the record, we regularly sump fuel at our operation- at least once a trip (initial mx preflight before leaving home). Fuel is also sampled on the road either from the aircraft or the fuel truck as necessary when on the road, but with the exception of longer flights, we often tanker enough fuel from home to make the round trip.