In the context of fuel management, what is the purpose of crossfeed?

• A. To transfer fuel between tanks and re-balance the aircraft within limits.
• B. To vent fuel to atmosphere to reduce weight.
• C. To monitor fuel quantity on the gauge.
• D. To automatically balance fuel without pilot involvement.

Answer: (A)

Crossfeed is a fuel management feature that lets you connect the tanks so fuel can be moved from one tank to another (and to the engine feed) to rebalance the aircraft. As fuel is burned, the distribution between tanks can become uneven, shifting the center of gravity toward one side or a wing tip. Opening the crossfeed allows fuel to be transferred from a fuller tank to a lighter one, bringing the overall weight distribution back within allowable limits to maintain safe handling and control. It also provides a path to keep engine fuel supply if a particular pump or line is inoperative.

Venting fuel to atmosphere is unrelated to crossfeed, and monitoring quantity is done with gauges, not the crossfeed function. Automatic balancing without pilot involvement is not the primary purpose of crossfeed, though some systems may support automated balancing in certain configurations.