Fuel contamination and other basic survival instincts

In rec.aviation.ifr Ben Hallert wrote:
First time I fueled at a nice FBO, I felt kinda funny when I sumped and
checked the tank, like the look the fuel guy was giving me was sorta
funny, but I remembered my responsibillity and finished the check.

Remember, you're checking for a few things:

1) Is the fuel the right grade (as indicated by the color)?
2) Is there water in the fuel?
3) Is there other contamination?

There's no reason for the fuel guy to interpret your check as criticism or
suspicion of his actions. An error in the fuel grade could be introduced
by somebody else (e.g., whoever filled the truck, whoever filled your
tanks the previous time), and the other problems could have other causes
(e.g., maybe your previous fill had water in it, but it didn't have time
to settle out and be visible before you took off).

It's my butt on the line, not his.

Very true. Don't let funny looks deter you. (Not to mention that the
funny look might not even be related to what you're doing.)

.... Alan

--
Alan Gerber
gerber AT panix DOT com