"Ron Natalie" wrote in message
m...
That's a common misconception, but it's simply not true. The
certification regulations require that the fuel gauge correctly indicate
the quantity of fuel in the tank.

The rule that people misinterpret as them having to be "only accurate at
empty" just says that the Empty mark is supposed to mean zero usable
fuel (rather than bone dry).

I have the old style fuel 'gauges' that are only a cork float with a wire
sticking up through the filler caps. There are times that the wing tank's
gauges will drop to near zero when there is still quite a bit of fuel in
them. I can see the left tank's level from flight but can't easily see the
right tank's gauge. It's when the header tank gauge starts to drop that I
have to find someplace soon for fuel.

-Greg B.