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Post-Annual Flight



 
 
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  #2  
Old February 22nd 08, 01:45 AM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,rec.aviation.owning
Ray Andraka
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Posts: 267
Default Post-Annual Flight

John Smith wrote:


The float detached from the sender in the right main tank on the
PA32-300 I flew to Florida a year ago. The gauge was therefore inop.
The aircraft is equipped with a FS-450 fuel flow monitor. I used this in
place of the specific fuel gauge. The FS-450 is accurately calibrated to
within 0.2 gallons, much better accurate than the manufacturer's fuel
gauge.
Was I legal?



No. The FS-450 installation instructions, which are a part of the STC,
specifically say "a placard stating 'Do Not Rely on Fuel Flow Instrument
to Determine Fuel Levels in Tanks' must be mounted on the aircraft
instrument panel near the FS-450."

Of course, the float didn't fall off until right before someone
important noticed it fell off, so until it fell off you were legal ;-).
Does a tree that falls in a forest make a sound?
  #3  
Old February 22nd 08, 04:05 AM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,rec.aviation.owning
Jay Honeck[_2_]
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Posts: 943
Default Post-Annual Flight

The float detached from the sender in the right main tank on the
PA32-300 I flew to Florida a year ago. The gauge was therefore inop.
The aircraft is equipped with a FS-450 fuel flow monitor. I used this in
place of the specific fuel gauge. The FS-450 is accurately calibrated to
within 0.2 gallons, much better accurate than the manufacturer's fuel
gauge.
Was I legal?


I also have the JPI FS-450 digital fuel flow gauge in our plane, which is a
hundred times more accurate than the Piper fuel tank gauges. Even with
this very powerful tool in our arsenal, we STILL rely on only the timer, and
visual verification of fuel levels.

Bottom line: If you rely on a fuel gauge (instead of physically looking in
the tank) you are taking a risk. We did not feel that flying with an
inoperative gauge that is "normally" horribly inaccurate was taking any kind
of risk whatsoever.

Mary and I would not have flown the plane if we had not considered doing so
to be utterly, 100% safe. It appears that the regulation we may have
violated (and I'm still not convinced that we did) had little connection to
practical reality.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

  #4  
Old February 22nd 08, 04:44 AM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,rec.aviation.owning
[email protected]
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Posts: 156
Default Post-Annual Flight

On Feb 21, 11:05*pm, "Jay Honeck" wrote:
Bottom line: If you rely on a fuel gauge (instead of physically looking in
the tank) you are taking a risk.


That's been affirmed several times in this thread. It's never been in
dispute. No one suggests using the gauges INSTEAD of inspection and
timing. What's being questioned is using inspection and timing ALONE,
with no way to detect a fuel leak.

I also have the JPI FS-450 digital fuel flow gauge in our plane, which is a
hundred times more accurate than the Piper fuel tank gauges.


Please correct me if I'm wrong, but a flow gauge has no way of sensing
the amount of fuel actually in the tank, does it? So it has no way of
indicating a leak, which is the whole crux of the matter.

It appears that the regulation we may have violated
(and I'm still not convinced that we did)


Really? FAR 91.205b9 requires, "in operable condition", a "fuel gauge
indicating the quantity of fuel in each tank". Can you explain how you
think that could be consistent with a tank that lacks a working fuel
gauge?

had little connection to practical reality.


Unless you consider it practical to be warned if you're leaking fuel.
 




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