Air dissolves in aircraft fuels to an extent directly proportional to the ambient pressure, so that when fuel which has been stored at sea-level atmospheric pressure is taken up to a high altitude, there is a tendency for air to come out of solution. In certain circumstances, which are later described in detail, air bubbles can be liberated very violently from fuels in aircraft tanks at high altitude and a thick foam can form on the surface for a short time.

The production of fuel foams by degassing has posed a certain problem; foams, being intimate mixtures of air and fuel, may well be inflammable; furthermore, the rising of air bubbles through fuel can result in the accumulation of electrical charge in the foam giving rise to the possibility of a source of ignition.