Flying with fuel leak?

Yes, but here they were saying that the leak was due to a known defect that
would be fixed. Fuel pours out of the vent on our 172 all the time while we
are taxiing, that's what the vent is there for. If you knew that the pipe
that was intended to conduct overflow fuel from the tank to the ground was
sending it somewhere else in your Mooney or Maule, would you keep flying it?

--
Roger Long
Robert M. Gary wrote in message
m...
"Roger Long" om wrote
in message ...
I was looking over the web site of a flying club that posts the minutes
of
their meetings. One item said that fuel was running out of the wing of
their 172 when the flaps were fully extended because the overflow drain
was
broken. They asked that the tanks not be completely filled until this
could
be fixed.

How much fuel? Some planes always leak fuel, the FAA has an approved
method to determine if a Mooney is airworthy by measuring how bad the
leak it. Even a great 172 in perfect share will leak fuel when sitting
at an angle with full tanks and the selctor on "both". Perhaps they
are waiting on a part? In anycase, I wouldn't ground a plane for a
small leak, if you did 1/2 the planes out there would be on the
ground.

-Robert

Roger Long wrote:

If you knew that the pipe
that was intended to conduct overflow fuel from the tank to the ground was
sending it somewhere else in your Mooney or Maule, would you keep flying it?

If the vents to a tank become plugged on a Maule, the fuel will vent into the
wing and come out the flap area - at least, it will when the plane is on the
ground. Now. That does require that two conditions be met. 1) you have to
fill the tank to within 1.5" of the filler tube, and 2) something has to plug
the vent.

The vents are 1/8" tubing. There's a type of insect (probably a dirt dauber)
that thinks these are just perfect recepticles for eggs. When the larva gets
big enough, you have a blocked tube with no external signs.

I discovered this when I put too much fuel in one tank at Oneonta, NY. I flew
home. Cleared out the tube (I thought). The larva got big enough to completely
block the tube returning from Oshkosh that year. That resulted in an unscheduled
fuel stop and more work on the vents.

So, yes, I keep flying and fix it when possible. On the other hand, I don't have
electric flaps.

George Patterson
The British drink warm beer because they all own Lucas refrigerators.