Fuel selector question

es330td wrote:
In the email I got from AOPA ePilot training tips today there is a
discussion of fuel starvation that makes regular mention of the fuel
selector switch. All my flying is done in a CE172 and the first and
last time I worry about the switch is during pre-flight when I confirm
that it is on both. I fly on both and never fly any other way and to
be honest, outside of gravity flow issues when parked on an incline I
cannot think of why one would want to select one tank at a time vs
both.

Frankly, on a C-172 I can't think of any reason either. But different aircraft
have different systems. As you move up the Cessna line you will find aircraft
that don't offer the "both" option. None of the Pipers do. In fact, I can't
think of a general aviation low wing aircraft I ever flew that offered "both" as
an option. So in that situation you:

1. Take off and land on the fullest tank.

2. Switch tanks every 30 minutes to keep the aircraft from becoming heavy on
one side.

3. If you have to manage both inboard and outboard tanks, I prefer to burn the
outboards first so that the remaining fuel has less effect on balance. Of
course, some aircraft require specific handling.

On the C-402 for example, you had to burn a good 30 minutes on the outboards
(which were its mains) before you could switch to the inboards. When you
switched to the inboards, the fuel actually went from the inboards to the
outboards to the engine. If you didn't make room first by burning the outboards
first, the fuel pumped from the inboards would just be pushed through the
overflow valves on the outboard tanks and then you get to sprinkle the landscape
with expensive avgas.

4. Bottom line: read the manual and follow their directions.


--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com