Peter Duniho wrote:


That said, there's another reason to try to keep the tanks topped off if you
can, when the airplane is equipped with rubber fuel bladders. My
understanding is that having the rubber "wetted" by the fuel helps extend
their lifetime. In my plane, I'm "fortunate" enough to have just one fuel
tank with a rubber bladder, with the other four being sealed aluminum
structures. So I always top of the one rubber bladder tank, and leave the
others partially or entirely empty.

Where you live and where you keep your plane are major factors. I have
bladders in my 182 and never have them full except the night before a
long trip. I normally keep mine at approx half full. My plane is
hangared and our climate is moderate. Worst case is to leave your plane
outside in the baking sun and constantly changing temps. In the winter
my hangar stays in a realtively narrow 10 degree temperature band.