Night flying in the mountians in a cessna 150,

In rec.aviation.owning bk wrote:
: I experienced an engine failure in a single over the Sierras at night
: (the sunset was beautiful). It was in a Commanche, and the engined died
: about 3 seconds after turning off the electric boost pump (10,500'
: after leaving Tahoe.) Happily, the engine recovered as soon as the
: boost pump was turned back on. Also, happily, the owner of the
: Commanchee was in the right seat and is a pretty calm guy. He turned
: the pump off again (to see what the fuel pressure would do.) Sure
: enough, the pressure dropped, the engine faltered and the nose dropped.
: He flipped the pump back on, and I suggested leaving well enough alone
: (I'm not that calm.)

That's allegedly a common problem with PA-24's. The mechanical and
electrical(s) are in parallel. When the electric is on for awhile, no fuel goes
through the mechanical pump and it gets no cooling. When the electric is turned off,
the mechanical pump is vapor locked and can't pump. It can ruin your day if you do it
just after takeoff and don't think fast.

That's just what I've heard.

-Cory

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* Cory Papenfuss *
* Electrical Engineering candidate Ph.D. graduate student *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
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