On Aug 10, 10:51 am, B A R R Y wrote:
Rocky Stevens wrote:

A large number of accidents are not because of running out of fuel per
se, but bad "fuel management," i.e. forgetting to switch tanks.

Got a citation for that? Very high on the emergency checklist of every
multiple tanked aircraft I've ever flown is "switch tanks". There's
also an item on approach lists mentioning proper tank choice in some manner.


I probably misspoke; I just seem to recall reading a lot of reports
that featured one tank running empty while the other was full.
I'm
not quite sure why the two tanks are not connected in such a way that
they drain at an equal rate.

Some are, like a 172. On those, when you're out, you're done. At least
with a selector valve you've got a serious warning once one runs dry.


Never thought of it that way. I ride a motorcycle, and motorcycles
have a "reserve" tank (not really a separate tank) that you can switch
to when you "run out" of gas This way you know when you are low on
fuel, since most motorcycles do not have fuel gauges. Personally I
would rather have a damned fuel gauge; trying to turn a valve by your
knee while riding at highway speeds, all the while losing engine
power, is not the safest way to go. (Sorry for the non-aviation blurb;
lack of a fuel gauge in motorcycles is just a pet peeve of mine).