"Mike Spera" wrote in message
...
Well, their point is that, by changing from the setting you flew in on,
you may introduce the possibility of failure. Namely, if you fly in on the
left tank and take off on both, the water in the right tank may ruin your
day.

True. But how often does an engine fail due to fuel exhaustion, versus fuel
contamination? Seems like procedure should take into account the most
common failure mode.

Also, consider that on most flights, you would have had a chance to use both
tanks. By the time of your second departure, you should know whether either
tank is contaminated.

A corallary to all of the above is that if the flight was too short to check
both tanks, it was probably also too short for a fuel shortage to be a
problem. So, one could rationally worry more about contamination after a
second departure following a very short flight.

Also, if the fuel selector malfunctions, you may be between settings and
have "neither".

Better for that to happen on the ground than in the air, right?

Pete