New Comms chief for AirTanker

A well known figure on the UK defence scene is leaving SBAC and moving to AirTanker as Corporate Communications Manager.In recent days Mary Ann Griffiths has been seconded to the MOD-industry Joint Communications Group, but is now returning to industry as part of the AirTanker programme as it (literally) takes off.

Earlier this year, she was involved with the planning for the FSTA contract award announcement and was tasked with coming up with the killer facts to go at the end of the press release. She managed to produce these, which tickled us then and which may still bring a smile to your face:

The FSTA fleet will customarily carry a minimum of 80 tonnes (100,000

litres) of aviation fuel per aircraft.

80 tonnes per aircraft is roughly equivalent to:

* 444 Sumo wrestlers (average 180 kg each)

* 53 Mini Coopers (gross weight 1515 kg)

* 16 elephants (African, male, 5 tonnes each)

* 1.3 average houses (at 62 tonnes each)

100,000 litres equates with:

* 400,000 cups of tea (250 ml each) - in Britain we drink 165 million cups a day, so we'd slurp through 400,000 in 35 minutes

* the capacity of 2,500 Mini Cooper petrol tanks (at 40 litres each)

* 370 average bath tubs (at 270 litres)

The total fuel dispensing rate from the aircraft is approximately 5,000 litres/min or about 80 litres per second. The wing pods alone refuel twice as fast as a F1 pit stop.

A Mini Cooper would be filled in less than 2 seconds. Using all three refuelling points, you could fill 125 Mini Coopers a minute - more than 2 a second.