Running dry?

I am concerned about what might happen with the
sediment in these aging fuel bladders as the fuel empties. But, I have
read articles that dispel this myth so perhaps this is a non-issue.

Right. We ran out tanks dry on long overwater flights as standard
practice in the Marines, years ago.

vince norris

Not quite; it only tells you what goes through the flowmeter. If you
have a leak before the fuel gets to the meter, the only way you'll know
is if the plane catches fire or the gauges go down too fast :-)

The ACS magazine this month mentions sometimes 2-3 minutes to restart a
Comanche engine after running a tank dry. They don't recommend doing
it...

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 09:58:18 -0400, "Peter R."
wrote:

Greg Copeland wrote:

Is this common? How many run their tank(s) dry as part of their fuel
management strategy? If you don't run dry, why not? Aside from the heat
beat skipping which is sure to follow the first couple of times, what's
the down side to this strategy?

I would like to do this just one time for each of the two main tanks in the
Bonanza V35 I fly if for no other reason than to validate the actual
duration and total gallons. However, I have yet to take the time or have
the courage to do so.

As far as disadvantages, I am concerned about what might happen with the
sediment in these aging fuel bladders as the fuel empties. But, I have
read articles that dispel this myth so perhaps this is a non-issue.

I've run every tank on/in the Deb (35-33) dry. Just not at the same
time. At least with the fuel injected engine there is no running
rough. It just quits, but you have plenty of time to reach down and
turn the fuel selector.

This also lets you know if your tanks/bladders are in position and
just how much fuel each tank really holds. Take a ruler and keep
dipping each tank as you fill. Mark the depths as you fill and you
have a calibrated dip-stick.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Robert,

I know exactely how
much fuel is in each tank.


Nope, you don't. In fact, without running the tanks dry at least once
(or emptying them in the hangar), you have no idea. You know how much
has gone from the tanks if there is no leak. That doesn't tell you at
all how much is left.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Jay,

That is possibly the dumbest thing I've ever read in these newsgroups.

IMHO, proper fuel management means never even coming *close* to running a
tank dry, let alone doing it intentionally.
--


And now you expect us to call you names, too?

Readthe other posts here, and you may learn that it is not as simple to judge
as you make it.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Robert,

I know exactly how long I have
left on each tank


No, you don't. You know how much is gone from the tanks, not how much
is left.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

On 2005-08-19, Paul kgyy wrote:
The ACS magazine this month mentions sometimes 2-3 minutes to restart a
Comanche engine after running a tank dry. They don't recommend doing
it...

Not borne out by experience, though. A friend of mine would routinely
run a tank dry in his Comanche - when he did it with me on board, the
engine caught immediately when the tank was changed. It may as well have
been a high wing Cessna single.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

On 2005-08-18, Jay Honeck wrote:
IMHO, proper fuel management means never even coming *close* to running a
tank dry, let alone doing it intentionally.

How close is close?

I prefer to not run a tank dry (and NEVER with passengers, even pilot
passengers), however consider this.

My old Cessna 140 (and other early high wing Cessnas, like the C180) has
fuel pickups in the inboard centre of the tank. This necessitates a 'No
takeoff zone' for the last quarter of each tank due to the risk of the
fuel unporting with the nose pitched up for takeoff.

1/4 of a tank is 30 minutes of fuel in most of these planes. At my
planned point of landing, I want at least this much fuel + 30 minutes
extra _in a single tank_ to ensure I can do a go around, fly to a new
airport and do a go around there too.

On a long cross country, to not 'come close' to running one tank dry
would really kill the range of the aircraft. My usual procedure is to
run one tank almost dry so I have plenty above the 'no takeoff zone' in
the remaining tank when I arrive. To have the other tank nowhere near
that would require a huge cut in range.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

On 2005-08-18, Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
Michael wrote:
As a general rule, I would say you should always manage your fuel burn
such that if a tank unexpectedly runs dry due to misfueling or
higher-than-expected consumption, you should always have enough in
another tank to make a safe landing. Switching tanks in 30 minute
intervals does not do that.


If you extend that to every hour, be prepared to carry one wing for a while due
to weight imbalance. It's not dangerous; just an annoyance.

It largely depends on the plane. In my old C140, you couldn't even tell.
In my friend's Tripacer, it's obvious. In a Grumman Cheetah, it's
noticable a little. In a Cessna 180, you can hardly notice.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"