I understand the general “how” aspect in that the planes use a special fuel line to get the fuel to the plane.
How can they do it safely with the engine on however? Thinking about refuelling a car you have to turn your engine off, when a plane/helicopter refuels mid flight they obviously have their engine on. Is there differences in how they get/store fuel that makes it safer or just differences in the type of engine?
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Fuel in liquid form really doesn’t burn. It’s only when it vaporizes and mixes with air that it burns. The only way fueling presents a danger to aircraft is if the fuel is atomized and then ingested by the engine. During midair refueling there are safety interlocks to prevent this, and even if some fuel leaked, the air stream would carry it away before a significant amount could be ingested.
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