Ultralight vent systems for aircraft fluid dispersion tanks

A vent system in combination with an aircraft that can disperse a fluid while in-flight, the aircraft includes a fuselage supporting a nose, a tail, and a cockpit with a windshield;

• the aircraft defining a roll axis, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis;
• the aircraft extending lengthwise along the roll axis in a forward direction from the tail to the nose, the aircraft extending widthwise along the pitch axis, the aircraft extending along the yaw axis in an upward direction from a lower portion of the aircraft to an upper portion of the aircraft, the cockpit being between the tail and the nose with respect to the roll axis;
• the roll axis, the yaw axis, and the pitch axis lying perpendicular to each other, the vent system in combination with the aircraft comprising:
• a tank supported by the fuselage, the tank being between the cockpit and the nose, the tank defining a chamber for containing the fluid;
• a gate valve assembly underneath the tank and in fluid communication with the chamber, the gate valve assembly includes a gate that is movable selectively to an open position to release the fluid from the tank and a closed position to retain the fluid within the tank;
• a vent frame at an upper area of the tank above the gate valve assembly;
• a valve seat supported by the vent frame above the gate valve assembly, the valve seat defining an aperture between the chamber and an outside atmosphere surrounding the aircraft;
• a brace supported by the vent frame and extending over the aperture;
• a hood supported by the brace and extending at least partially over the aperture;
• a strut extending through the aperture;
• a connector pivotally coupling an upper end of the strut to the brace;
• and
• a valve plug attached to the strut, the valve plug being movable selectively to a sealed position engaging the valve seat and an unsealed position spaced apart from the valve seat, the valve plug blocking fluid communication through the aperture when the valve plug is in the sealed position, the aperture placing the chamber in open fluid communication with the outside atmosphere when the valve plug is in the unsealed position, the valve plug having a plug outer diameter, a plug mass, and a diameter/mass ratio of the plug outer diameter divided by the plug mass, wherein the diameter/mass ratio is greater than 20 cm/kg.