eric_marsh
Well Known Member
I'm starting to approach the point where I'll be building the fuel tanks for my RV-6. One of my objectives is to build this airplane to be aerobatics capable.
The drawings show an optional weighted fuel pickup for aerobatics but to use this pickup my understanding is that the fuel level sender should be moved to the next compartment, i.e. between the second and third ribs (from the inside). I'm not exactly wild about that idea. Unless I'm misreading this it means that the wiring will be immersed in fuel and if the sender fails it seems like it will be very difficult to replace it.
I'm wondering if there is a good alternative approach. A couple of ideas that have come to me are to move the fuel sender to the opposite end of the tank or to put the fuel pickup into the second compartment.
However I can see a downside to each of these approaches.
Moving the sender to the opposite end of the tank seems to me to be the best approach but the dihedral will prevent the last bit of fuel in the tank from being shown on the gauge.
Moving the pickup to the second compartment means that it won't be able to pick up that last bit of gasoline. I don't think that's too much of a concern as the difference in the lowest part of each compartment will only be a fraction of an inch. I'm thinking that the greater concern would be with the placement and direction of trap doors designed to keep the fuel in the compartment where the pickup is. The trapdoors would likely impede the flow of fuel when the airplane is being filled.
I'm just trying to think ahead on this.
Thoughts or suggestions anyone?
The drawings show an optional weighted fuel pickup for aerobatics but to use this pickup my understanding is that the fuel level sender should be moved to the next compartment, i.e. between the second and third ribs (from the inside). I'm not exactly wild about that idea. Unless I'm misreading this it means that the wiring will be immersed in fuel and if the sender fails it seems like it will be very difficult to replace it.
I'm wondering if there is a good alternative approach. A couple of ideas that have come to me are to move the fuel sender to the opposite end of the tank or to put the fuel pickup into the second compartment.
However I can see a downside to each of these approaches.
Moving the sender to the opposite end of the tank seems to me to be the best approach but the dihedral will prevent the last bit of fuel in the tank from being shown on the gauge.
Moving the pickup to the second compartment means that it won't be able to pick up that last bit of gasoline. I don't think that's too much of a concern as the difference in the lowest part of each compartment will only be a fraction of an inch. I'm thinking that the greater concern would be with the placement and direction of trap doors designed to keep the fuel in the compartment where the pickup is. The trapdoors would likely impede the flow of fuel when the airplane is being filled.
I'm just trying to think ahead on this.
Thoughts or suggestions anyone?