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-   -   Visual fuel check paid off (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=114954)

VETE76 07-08-2014 08:18 AM

while going for my ppl, my cfi said it was time for me to take the flight test. but b4 I did he wanted me to fly with the head of the flight school. we took off and about 10 min into flying he asked me how much fuel did we have and i said the gauges read 3/4 full. he asked if i had LOOKED in the tanks to confirm, i said no. wow wrong thing to say! he said lesson over and he flew back to the school giving me an earful. he gave me back to my cfi saying he wasnt ready! my instructor asked me what i had done to get him so upset, did you roll the 172? or land in front of an airliner taking off? I told him what happened, he sorta caught his breath and said that he had never mentioned that to me to look in the tanks. he said he was probably going to get a good talking to from the head cfi. he told me not to worry, he is not mad at you. he cares...........because HE ran out of fuel TWICE!
even if u have locking gas caps and u park it over night somewhere, LOOK in tank! one can very quickly drain u dry from the bottom! ask me how i know.

edbooth 07-08-2014 08:33 AM

Fuel check
 
It sometimes amazes me to see how non-chalant some folks are when it comes to fueling. I either do it myself or stand there while it is bring done. Guess what?, I've never had a problem.

Flyin'Bryan 07-08-2014 09:16 AM

Plus 1 for this.....
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by LettersFromFlyoverCountry (Post 895569)
I usually just fill the tank myself but this is a good reminder to me to add how many gallons the plane SHOULD take to the line guy when I tell him to fill it up.

Telling someone to fill the tanks based on some arbitrary measurement such as "inches from the top" or "to the bottom of the tabs" etc. is subjective, and is also prone to being affected by all types of other factors that may leave the tanks filled incorrectly.

Pilots should generally know how much fuel remains in each tank, and should always instruct "strangers" to fill each tank to a specified number of gallons per tank. They should also always be present when the tanks are filled, but i know thi is not always practical or possible. This is not fool proof either, but IMHO it is much more reliable than the "inches from some reference point" approach.

Very glad that you practice the correct preflight procedures, and that you caught this problem before it caught you. This is a great reminder for us all. Don't get complacent when it comes to fueling.

RVDan 07-08-2014 09:27 AM

Someone might recall the details, but the FAA made a big deal about visually checking fuel levels in preflight for aircraft with questionable quantity indicating systems. I think they even stated the need for a marked dip stick if necessary to determine the quantity. I seem to recall that they went so far as calling it negligent if you failed to do a visual check.

Even with a fuel totalizer and independent quantity indicators there is nothing like seeing it for yourself.

gorbak 07-08-2014 10:26 AM

Tank cap off
 
Visually check fuel/cap secured every time. While preflighting the CAP GA-8, (really high wing), it is a pain to pull the ladder out of the baggage area to climb up to check fuel. On one visual check, we found the tank cap sitting on the wing. Not sure if a member had fueled it themselves or off the truck by an attemdant. Doesn't matter. We followed the checklist and avoided an issue. Fuel gets sucked out at an alarming rate when the cap is off the tank. The GA-8 cross feeds when on "both".
Following the checklist is a safety item.

Pat Garboden
Katy, TX
RV9A N942PT

larrynew 07-08-2014 12:03 PM

A couple of months ago, after the truck finished and I checked the fuel and caps, the fuel truck driver commented that he doesn't see many that do. He said probably less than 10% check after he's done.

DGlaeser 07-08-2014 01:28 PM

Over fueling can be a problem too!
 
One of our low time renter pilots flew one of our 172s XC last weekend with a couple of buddies - so he needed to have less than full tanks (our planes have 53 gal tanks). We made sure the plane was low on fuel before he left - so he could add what he needed. When he got to his destination, he asked to have the tanks filled to 16 gal/side. The lineman added 16 gal/side! That put him about 10 gal overweight. With no reasonable way to offload fuel, to his credit, he took the plane up solo for an hour to burn off the excess fuel before loading up for the return flight. Good judgement was not cheap!
He said he learned 2 things: 1-always tell them how much fuel to add - not a desired fuel level (they have no real way to determine that), and 2-there is no substitute to being there during refueling - especially when partial fueling is needed.
I congratulated him on his good decision. He got his training somewhere else, so kudos to his instructor.

paul mosher 07-08-2014 01:50 PM

fuel
 
I either watch the guy or do it myself. Checking fuel level should be part of the checklist.

rmartingt 07-08-2014 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DGlaeser (Post 895690)
One of our low time renter pilots flew one of our 172s XC last weekend with a couple of buddies - so he needed to have less than full tanks (our planes have 53 gal tanks). We made sure the plane was low on fuel before he left - so he could add what he needed. When he got to his destination, he asked to have the tanks filled to 16 gal/side. The lineman added 16 gal/side! That put him about 10 gal overweight. With no reasonable way to offload fuel, to his credit, he took the plane up solo for an hour to burn off the excess fuel before loading up for the return flight. Good judgement was not cheap!
He said he learned 2 things: 1-always tell them how much fuel to add - not a desired fuel level (they have no real way to determine that), and 2-there is no substitute to being there during refueling - especially when partial fueling is needed.
I congratulated him on his good decision. He got his training somewhere else, so kudos to his instructor.

They did that to me just before my PPL checkride :eek: We left specific instructions the night before not to fill the tanks all the way so it would leave me right at gross with my examiner (C150; it didn't take much). But as I discovered just before heading out to meet the examiner, the tanks were full. Fortunately, I was early as usual and was able to burn it down low enough to be legal.

rightrudder 07-08-2014 02:08 PM

I can't imagine going for a flight without sticking the tanks, or at the very least popping the caps for a visual. It's a combination of self-preservation gene, a deep mistrust of gauges and training at a school with a higher-than-average emphasis on safety.


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