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I'll pump my own fuel Thank You!

How do you like your fuel?

  • I'll pump my own fuel thank you!

    Votes: 129 72.9%

  • I can't be bothered with manual labor so I have someone else do it!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I don't care as long as it's cheap!

    Votes: 48 27.1%
  • Total voters
    177
S

Sid Lambert

Well Known Member
Is it just me or do you guys avoid getting fuel at airports without self-service?

I cringe when they place the cap on the wing or when they wedge the filler nozzle from left to right in the filler hole. Most FBOs are great but I'm just picky.
 
Sid Lambert said:
Is it just me or do you guys avoid getting fuel at airports without self-service?

I cringe when they place the cap on the wing or when they wedge the filler nozzle from left to right in the filler hole. Most FBOs are great but I'm just picky.
Click to expand...

Any airports that are particularly bothersome?

I think it is a training issue - bad habits passed down from generation to generation of line guys and gals.
 
FBO's

On a recent round trip from DFW to Chesapeake, VA, we made 6 fuel stops and 4 had no self service. The only FBO that DIDN'T spill fuel all over my wings was one near Sid & Kyle's "neck of the woods" as my daddy used to say. Habersham County (?) at Cornelia took care and did it right! ;)
 
I heard a story of a 172 pilot that had crashed because they didn't put enough fuel in his airplane...

He parked on a slope, left the fuel selector on both and asked the line man to fill er up while he went to get his $100 hamburger. The line man filled the uphill tank first and got distracted by something. The fuel cross fed into the downhill tank leaving the uphill tank near empty. The line man went to fill up the downhill tank and didn't think anything of it that it didn't take as much fuel as the other tank. The pilot didn't bother to check fuel levels before taking off and cessna fuel gauges are notoriously inaccurate....

I don't know if that's a real story or an urban myth. I could certainly see it happening.
 
Fuel

mrreddick said:
On a recent round trip from DFW to Chesapeake, VA, we made 6 fuel stops and 4 had no self service. The only FBO that DIDN'T spill fuel all over my wings was one near Sid & Kyle's "neck of the woods" as my daddy used to say. Habersham County (?) at Cornelia took care and did it right! ;)
Click to expand...

Habersham Co. KAJR, my home base! Glad to hear they treated you right!
Jim, the FBO there has flown RV's and understands how much we "baby" our planes.
 
First time I let someone else fill it was the first time I got a chip in the paint. Thanks Naples.:mad:
Now I stand there while they do it, if it has to be.
 
I have tough paint, and have spilled fuel on the wing myself....

I usually pull the caps off, if I'm around, and re-check them before flight. The truck gives us a better deal at my home airport.

L.Adamson --- RV6A
 
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jbagley said:
I don't know if that's a real story or an urban myth. I could certainly see it happening.
Click to expand...
My vote would be urban myth. Lots of Cessnas will indeed crossfeed if you park on a slope with the selector on both. But it takes a very long time. In the time it takes to have lunch I wouldn't expect more than a gallon or two to transfer.

Plus the details just don't add up. You can't move most of the fuel (i.e. enough to leave it 'nearly empty') from one tank to the other without the second tank being empty or nearly so. And if so, the downhill tank wouldn't have taken any fuel when the fueler returned to top it off. Just doesn't add up.
 
Oversight

I have no problem with having someone else put fuel in, but I monitor the process. I have found that most FBO's will go out of their way to get things right. Heck, I've ran more fuel over my wings than they have:eek:

Let's take a different look at this. Most line folks are young people working their way into the aviation system. I take this time to talk with them, see what their plans are, going to school etc... It is amazing how much enthusiasm they have and how excited they get talking to the pilot/owners. For me, possibly making a difference in a young persons life is worth the few cents a gallon more. Plus, some have some great stories!!!
 
RV12

Of course if you have a twelve you have to demand that you pump your own. With the fuel inlet next to the Lexan back window you cannot afford to spill gas on it or it crazes before your eyes. Additionally, because of the bend in the fuel inlet, anything over 6 gallons/minute will come shooting back out. I have had linemen tell me I'm not allowed to pump my own until I tell them what a new Lexan window from Van's runs.
 
RV7Guy said:
I have no problem with having someone else put fuel in, but I monitor the process. I have found that most FBO's will go out of their way to get things right. Heck, I've ran more fuel over my wings than they have:eek:

Let's take a different look at this. Most line folks are young people working their way into the aviation system. I take this time to talk with them, see what their plans are, going to school etc... It is amazing how much enthusiasm they have and how excited they get talking to the pilot/owners. For me, possibly making a difference in a young persons life is worth the few cents a gallon more. Plus, some have some great stories!!!
Click to expand...

I might over flow my tanks about 1% of the time. A line service guy manages to do it about 50% of the time! My PA-20 fills real quick about the last two gallons, and when you try to tell a guy about it, he spend the next 15 seconds telling you how good he is while the fuel is spewing out the top.
I pumped a lot of fuel when I was a kid, but I was well trained and cared a lot about doing a good job. Don't see that today. Sorry, but no one will touch my fuel caps without me knowing them and watching carefully!
As was already stated, there is nothing more scary that a line service tech jamming 8 inches of nozzle into your tank, and then letting loose with 50GPM of fuel. Once after allowing a tech to fuel my Pacer, I noticed that the fuel quantity was erroneous. The guy had bent the wire for the float either with the nozzle or the high flow of the fuel.
 
I worked a year or two at a MillionAire FBO. The bozos we hired were pretty much just that, careless and sloppy. I will NEVER allow someone else to fuel my plane.
 
"As was already stated, there is nothing more scary then a line service tech jamming 8 inches of nozzle into your tank, and then letting loose with 50GPM of fuel."

It's not uncommon to see dents on the under side of the wing right below the filler port when they jam a 8" nozzle into a 6.5" deep tank.
 
Not Any Longer

When I first got my 1946 Tcraft (Front tank and 2 High wing tanks) I let a line service fill it while I took a break from a cross country. They managed to put the caps on backward (wing tanks) with the vertical vent facing aft. I was new enough to the airplane and had let line crews service rental aircraft before so I never checked them before take-off. (My mistake, I know I should have confirmed they were at least back on and I would have found the problem)

Sucked a lot of gas out of the tanks before I landed again......

That was absolutely the last time I let anyone put fuel in my aircraft (18 years ago). I have never had a problem explaining the old, fragile tank lip needs TLC.

It will be the same for my RV-6.....old, fragile tank lip...:)
 
Just tell them you want to fuel it yourself

They have never refused me this request.
LeRoy Johnston RV-6A "Esperanza" 500 hrs Ohio
 
I fuel myself at all times if I do not work with them. I know how much I want, and it's peace of mind knowing how much went in. I put my caps on a certain way, I inspect seals every times. I ensure I'm not resting the hose on the leading edge, I ensure the handle doesn't rest on the top skin, and I also ensure the nozzle is not putting any side strain on the filler neck. I also put my caps on the same way.

I only allow my ground crew that I am accustom with, and they know my practices. Consistency is important to me.
 
I get ethanol free fuel from a local card lock station, and fuel my Cessna myself.
I save up to $2 per gallon, and don't worry about Jet A in my tanks etc.
No line boy seems very intereseted in filling a 1958 Bellanca, or moving it around either. They just stand back and say they don't know anything about such old planes.
I expect the same treatment when the RV-8 is up and running. If I tell them I need to do it, I never get any trouble.
 
I had a real bad streak at KRYY where I'd ask for fuel to tabs in my Cherokee, and invariably it'd be full. In the summer time, two significantly-better-than-FAA-standard-weight humans with full fuel in a Cherokee is just a wee bit over gross, so I was pretty picky about fuel to tabs.

I finally got to observe the line guy that couldn't figure out tabs in action, and he told me he thought the tabs were the filler neck where it holds the cap on.

*sigh*


On my way home from OSH this year in the Cherokee, I hung around and watched the line guy fill the plane because again, weight was absolutely critical. Sure enough, he overshot the tab by about 10 gallons, and I had to explain to him where the tab was, and take 10 gallons shy of tabs in the other tank.
 
tmbg said:
I had a real bad streak at KRYY where I'd ask for fuel to tabs in my Cherokee, and invariably it'd be full. In the summer time, two significantly-better-than-FAA-standard-weight humans with full fuel in a Cherokee is just a wee bit over gross, so I was pretty picky about fuel to tabs.

I finally got to observe the line guy that couldn't figure out tabs in action, and he told me he thought the tabs were the filler neck where it holds the cap on.

*sigh*


On my way home from OSH this year in the Cherokee, I hung around and watched the line guy fill the plane because again, weight was absolutely critical. Sure enough, he overshot the tab by about 10 gallons, and I had to explain to him where the tab was, and take 10 gallons shy of tabs in the other tank.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't have a clue what a "tab full" is either. :confused: Communication is a two way street. You could communicate volume in the proper way fuel is delivered (i.e. Units; US Gals or Litres )

If I told you to fill my spray plane to the peg you would look at me all googly eyed, but if I told your 200 us gals, I bet I would get 200 us gals.
 
Perhaps a corrolary to this would be to post places to go to get self-serve gas around the country. I live in the Tampa Bay area and I know Bartow (KBOW) has self serve fuel.

Those of you that use ForeFlight can find fuel prices listed on the map page. I keep my plane at KPIE where fuel at Signature is $3.00 higher per gallon than at the self-serve pumps at Bartow.

Maybe a sticky would be appropriate to post this unless there already is one and I'm not aware of it.
 
Adam Oke said:
I wouldn't have a clue what a "tab full" is either. :confused: Communication is a two way street. You could communicate volume in the proper way fuel is delivered (i.e. Units; US Gals or Litres )

If I told you to fill my spray plane to the peg you would look at me all googly eyed, but if I told your 200 us gals, I bet I would get 200 us gals.
Click to expand...

It's line service at an FBO with a flight school. 172s have tabs. You'd think they'd seen them before...
 
Kyle,

Most class C's and D's I have trouble with but I've even had troubles with places like KAUO. They put the fuel cap on my freshly waxed wing before I could react and it quickly slide down the wing. An FBO at Asheville, NC managed to put a dent in my wing.

Kyle Boatright said:
Any airports that are particularly bothersome?

I think it is a training issue - bad habits passed down from generation to generation of line guys and gals.
Click to expand...
 
Airnav.com does a great job of keeping up with fuel prices and those who have self-services, full-services or assisted-service.

wjnmd said:
Perhaps a corrolary to this would be to post places to go to get self-serve gas around the country. I live in the Tampa Bay area and I know Bartow (KBOW) has self serve fuel.

Those of you that use ForeFlight can find fuel prices listed on the map page. I keep my plane at KPIE where fuel at Signature is $3.00 higher per gallon than at the self-serve pumps at Bartow.

Maybe a sticky would be appropriate to post this unless there already is one and I'm not aware of it.
Click to expand...
 
jbagley said:
I heard a story of a 172 pilot that had crashed because they didn't put enough fuel in his airplane...
Click to expand...

My pops had a friend who almost died when a line guy left the fuel caps off his Aero Commander 500. He should have done another pre-flight, but didn't. Never found fuel caps after the crash and the official cause was fuel starvation.

He's lucky to be alive.
 
worked my way thru high school and college as a "line lad"

so no one ever had to convince me it's best to put my own fuel in and make sure my own fuel caps are on, tight, and correct. like anything else, you want it done your way, do it yourself.
 
wjnmd said:
Perhaps a corrolary to this would be to post places to go to get self-serve gas around the country. I live in the Tampa Bay area and I know Bartow (KBOW) has self serve fuel.
Click to expand...

Wauchula (KCHN) has cheap fuel too. It's even cheaper on the weekends.
 
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