Confession time (long)

Welcome to the Close-Call Club. It happened to me recently and I
will never again waste an opportunity to fill up or switch tanks
to the fullest one on downwind in the traffic pattern.

Once, on a major cross country trip I found myself with great weather
and a tailwind flying across Texas. Since I was a bit
behind schedule, I decided to keep going until either the fuel
remaining or sunset made it time to land (I choose not to fly
at night). Sunset came first, with the gauges showing just under
1/4 tank each. I chose a small town airport along my route that the
sectional indicated as having "services". In my plane the gauges
head south when you descend - something I'm familiar with. However,
it is still unsettling to see them bouncing off the pin as you
look for the airport. The landing was uneventful, but guess what?
I found a closed-up FBO and no fuel to be had. Continuing on
into the night low on fuel was unthinkable, so I sought refuge
in the nearby town. A local motel manager was kind enough to arrange a
ride, and there was an excellent restaurant next door
to the motel. So it is no horror story.

Next morning I assessed the situation. The gauges were barely
at the top of the red "no takeoff" zone. Dipping the tanks
confirmed that they were about 1/8 full. The nearest airport
with fuel was only about 10 minutes flight time away. I decided
that I had enough fuel to go, providing that I made as flat a climbout
as possible. The gauges came up a bit after leveling off (as expected).
I made it without problems, but it was easily the most nerve wracking
flight that I have made. From then onwards I resolved to never let my
reserve get below one hour. Incidentally, the day before was my
longest-ever single flight - about 4:45. Another pilot had landed after
me and was in the same situation.

David Johnson

I found a closed-up FBO and no fuel to be had.

Wow, this very scenario happened to us (again) on our way back from Florida
a few weeks ago. Landed, pumps locked, no one there -- no one answers the
phone number listed. The cab company didn't answer, and the motel's phone
number was disconnected. (This was at some podunk town in Missouri...)

Luckily we weren't quite so empty as you -- we still had an hour's fuel on
board -- but launching back into a darkening sky, in unfamiliar territory,
not sure if the NEXT airport was going to be the same way, was a bit
unnerving. Especially at the end of a long, stressful day of flying.

Moral of the story: Don't trust the AOPA directory 100%. (It had said
"fuel available" and showed longer hours for the FBO.)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"