Flying with fuel leak?

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.

Am I just overly compulsive about maintenance or are these people nuts?

--
Roger Long

In article , "Roger Long"
om wrote:

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.

Am I just overly compulsive about maintenance or are these people nuts?

ouch, those people are nuts.

--
Bob Noel

"Roger Long" wrote:
Am I just overly compulsive about maintenance or are these
people nuts?

Fairly common attitude, I've found. It's a big reason I stopped renting and
bought an airplane.

An FBO I used to rent from had a 172 with a primer that would squirt fuel
all over your hand every time you used it. Their idea of fixing it was to
tell everyone *not* to use it. Another place had a Warrior with an amp meter
that always read a high rate. Their advice: "Ignore it; it's always been
like that."
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

Skyhawks overflow as well but through the vent. It's the part about being
related to flap position that gives me the willies. That tells me fuel is
in the wing someplace other than the tanks.

--
Roger Long
G.R. Patterson III wrote in message
...


Roger Long wrote:

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.

Am I just overly compulsive about maintenance or are these people nuts?

As delivered from the factory, Maules spill fuel when completely filled.
Owners
learn not to completely fill the tanks. If the flying club people are
nuts,
then Maule owners ...... Never mind.

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

Roger Long wrote:

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.

Am I just overly compulsive about maintenance or are these people nuts?

As delivered from the factory, Maules spill fuel when completely filled. Owners
learn not to completely fill the tanks. If the flying club people are nuts,
then Maule owners ...... Never mind.

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

"Dan Luke" c172rgATbellsouthDOTnet wrote in message ...

Their advice: "Ignore it; it's always been
like that."

Seems very reasonable. I have a CHT gauge in my Mooney that reads 20
degrees low (we tested the gauge to determine this). I'm not willing
to send Mooney $2000 of my money for a new gauge cluster (especially
since I have an EDM). So my advice to anyone flying my Mooney is to
just acknowledge that it reads low and use the EDM instead. In your
Archer, if the gauge ever read zero, it would get your attention. If
it read higher than the high it usually reads, it would get your
attention. Seems like the gauge is doing its job. We're not trying to
measure down to the milliamp here, those types of debugging are best
done on the ground with real equipment.

-Robert

"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" 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.

Am I just overly compulsive about maintenance or are these people nuts?

BTW: Since I said something about Mooney, I feel I must say something
about Bonanzas too. Most of them will leak fuel out the filler cap
if filled to the top unless both the internal and external cap rings
are replaced regularly (and most are not).
-Robert

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

In article ,
(Robert M. Gary) wrote:

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.

The original post said fuel was "leaking out of the wing" due to a broken fuel
vent. I understand that to mean that the fuel is venting into the wing then
running out. Put aside the mess is will make, suppose the nav light wiring
chafes and shorts? That happned to a Baron here several years ago, blew the
skin off the wing...luckily they were taxiing and not in flight.

If it were mine it would be fixed ASAP.

--
Dale L. Falk

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing around with airplanes.

http://home.gci.net/~sncdfalk/flying.html