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Dave Butler wrote in message ...
If you're paying attention and know your fuel burn you can predict the moment of running out within plus/minus a few minutes. When the fuel pressure gauge drops to zero, you still have some time while the engine continues to run smoothly. Switch tanks when the fuel pressure drops, the pax will never know. Of course, you've run some on the other tank previously, so you know the fuel in the other tank is sweet. Bingo! Dave's right on the money. My plane's flight manual cautions against running a tank dry (I believe there's an outside possibility of fuel pump cavitation). Using fuel pressure method works great. I do this on long cross-country flights where maximizing my range is important. In my Cherokee, the fuel pressure will begin to drop with about 1.5 gallons usable in the tank (close enough for me). At this point, assuming no unusual fuel burn, I have 1.5 hrs of fuel left in the other tank, which in the real world means I have 1/2 hr. to be on the ground. This old pilot thinks everyone should do this at least once so that they know how their plane behaves in this situation. It also provides a chance to make a direct measurement of exactly what your tank capacity is. Agreed. I do this on every flight where I'll be flying at maximum range. By running a fuel tank almost dry, I know if my fuel burn is normal and can complete the flight as planned. If the tank runs out before the clock says it should, I still have a bunch of gas to make it to an alternate (assuming I'm not flying in some of the more remote parts of the Northern Territories of Canada :-). By using this method, I can usually guess the fuel burn on a long cross-country flight to within 1 gallon. This kind of knowledge makes flying in sparsely populated areas a lot more comfortable and allows me to get better utilization of the amount of fuel my plane is able to carry. Note : Do not take the above to mean that I fly my tanks to dangerously low levels. My personal limit is to land with a minimum of 1 hr. in the tanks. In 16 yrs. I've never landed with less, but by gauging my fuel burn precisely, I can often reach my destination with 1.2 hrs. remaining, thereby maximizing my range, yet minimizing my risks. John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180) |
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