“ They don’t like to land with a full load of fuel, apparently.”
I believe it has to do with preparing to crash in case the gear doesn’t work. Fuel tends to explode
That too
I have heard jet fuel is close to kerosene. Would that be less volatile than gasoline? Maybe a smart freeper can enlighten me.
The the landing gear isn’t designed to land at weights above the maximum landing weight which is lower than the maximum takeoff weight. Landing overweight can cause damage to the structures of the plane. This can be especially dangerous if much of the excess weight is fuel. The fuel tanks could rupture and cause a fire.