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Fill the tank
When would you not want to fill the tank? I always aim to fill the tank. Minimises the risk of condensation, and you can always estimate the amount of fuel used based on time flown. I typically fly at 100+ knots at 4700rpm burning 16 or so litres an hour. I calculate based on 17 litres an hour. The float fuel gauge is my backup indication, and the contents based on the fuel flow is my second backup indication.
Cheers...Keith |
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But you can hear it. I can tell by the sound when mine is full.
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Fuel Tank mods & refueling
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![]() The picture shows the pad in place and my home base refueling setup. I normally run on car gas from the local Chevron. The point of all this being that even with the Moeller gauge in the tank, please be really careful putting in the last couple of gallons to avoid fuel burping out on you and the airplane :o. Without the Moeller gauge, a quick glance at the Dynon fuel gauge before shutdown will tell you how much fuel you will be putting in (obvious, I know). Regarding preflight, if you look at the sight glass window, you will NOT see the fuel since the fuel is clear. If you place your hand on the trailing edge of the wing and gently shake the wing up and down while looking at the sight glass you WILL see the fuel bobbing up and down (obvious, again), unless the tank is chock full. All that said, I am seriously considering installing a Moeller gauge since I have to pull the cover off the tank to do the Service Bulletin reinforcement. But by gosh I would be keeping my sight glass, so I can visually check my fuel at preflight. I don't think I have driven the thread off topic since the point of the thread was installing the Moeller ;). Tony |
Dip stick
I agree - the sight glass is next to useless. And I too can also hear when the fuel level has reached the bottom of the filler neck. I have a moeller fuel guage installed. But I always rely on my old fashioned dipstick when I do my preflight or to know how much fuel the tank will take when I refuel.
The tanks are all the same. so the dipsticks should all be the same. Except mine is in litres. I know Tony at Pt Macquarrie has one too. Mine is made from a flexible plastic tongue. The joiner that goes between sheets of particle board flooring. Mark the divisions with an automatic centre punch. Anybody else use a dipstick? Rod |
Dipstick
3/16" dowel from Aviation Dept at Home Depot. Darker color wood shows fuel level better. I beveled one end to use as a cap pry device. Pencil markings in 2-gallon increments. Pretty high-tech.
Jim RV-12 N233TX flying 98 hours |
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Rod is almost exactly right...
Rod is almost totally correct. He feels that the sight glass is almost totally useless; when in reality it is totally useless. The Moeller guage unit is the only smart way to go.
Carrie and I do quite a bit of cross country flying and when we do we try and plan 200-250 mile fuel stops for two reasons. First, my bladder range is less than my airplane full fuel tank capability and 2) I really like to have a 1.5-2.0 reserve aboard when cross country. I carry a couple of folding nice plastic gas cans that I can use to buy premium uleaded enroute (that's what courtesy cars are for) and the line staff have never complained about an ice-cream sundae on return (nor has the pilot). Whe we fly less than 2 hour legs we rarely top off the tank...why carry around the extra weight...and the Moeller reading full is over 15 gallons in our airplane. When we aren't going cross-country, our dog Harriet almost always occupies the baggar compartment and she weighs about 45 lbs. after we stop for the $100. hamburger.. I look at the Moeller before every flight...I use the Moeller whenever I fuel the aircraft and I read the Moeller inflight any time I am showing under 6 gallons on the Dynon reading. I am wayyyy more trusting of the Moeller than any other method of determining my fuel onboard. Jay Sluiter N124CS 550 hours on the tach Love our Moeller... |
Mind telling me where you got the folding gas cans? I need a couple myself.
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