Dylan Smith wrote:
snip
So my lesson is - keep track of time AND cross check time and your
expected fuel burn with the fuel gauges. If the gauges show less than
expected, land and check it out. They might well be right.


That's the key to using the often less-than-accurate fuel gauges
found on most aircraft. Even though they may not tell you the exact
quantity of fuel in each tank, an unusual reading can tip you off to a
fuel leak or higher than expected fuel burn.

One more trick that I keep in the bag is to burn fuel from one tank
at a time (even when flying a high wing that allows both). If you
have a leak or unusually high fuel burn, you'll be alerted when a tank
goes dry ahead of schedule. At that point, you (hopefully) have fuel
remaining in the other tank to get you safely on the ground. When
flying on a "both" setting, by the time you realize that something is
wrong, you may have emptied both tanks.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)