How to ACCURATELY measure fuel/gas in a single-engine piston aircraft?

Is there a way to ACCURATELY measure the available fuel in the tanks of a
general single-engine piston aircraft??? I know there are fuel flow
computers available (such as JPI?). But these typically need to be "set"
with a starting fuel quantity, and then it accurately measures the fuel flow
rate (consumption rate) to calculate the remaining fuel. However, if you do
not start with full tanks, or a [accurate] known given amount of fuel in the
tanks, this method does not seem that reliable/accurate... Is there a way
to accurately measure the fuel in the tanks while the aircraft is on the
ground (using some "mechanical" measuring tool/gauge)? Is there a way to
accurately measure the amount of fuel in the tanks while in flight?

A friend of mine has bought some digital fuel gauges (a combination a
several digital engine instruments -- but I forgot the manufacturer's name).
Using these fuel gauges, you "calibrate" the instrument/gauges by leveling
the aircraft (both "wings level" and "pitch/flying attitude level") and
starting with 0 gals of fuel in the tank, then adding one gallon at a time,
wait a while for the fuel to settle, then take an electronic reading, add 1
gal of fuel and repeat the process until the tanks are full. How accurate
is this method? (personally I do not know how accurate this is, but would
like to know from someone with experience using these instruments...)

Thank you.

Cameron




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You could make a very accurate fuel stick by draining the tanks, filling
them a few gallons at a time, and marking the line on the stick each time.
Trouble is, a lot of these fuel sticks end up inside the fuel tank. :-)
Making a little cross bar at the handle end should prevent that.

You bet. It's called a sight guage. A transparent panel or tube in the root
end of the tank so that you can see the gas. You have to keep the plane in the
attitude you used to calibrate the guage, but it will never suffer an
electrical or mechanical failure. Fancy ones will have a stripe behind the
tube. The gas will act like a magnifying glass and make the stripe look real
wide. Helps with the nearly transparent gas. Add a little light on the subject
and you can see it in the dark, too.




In article , "NoSpam" wrote:
Is there a way to ACCURATELY measure the available fuel in the tanks of a
general single-engine piston aircraft??? I know there are fuel flow
computers available (such as JPI?). But these typically need to be "set"
with a starting fuel quantity, and then it accurately measures the fuel flow
rate (consumption rate) to calculate the remaining fuel. However, if you do
not start with full tanks, or a [accurate] known given amount of fuel in the
tanks, this method does not seem that reliable/accurate... Is there a way
to accurately measure the fuel in the tanks while the aircraft is on the
ground (using some "mechanical" measuring tool/gauge)? Is there a way to
accurately measure the amount of fuel in the tanks while in flight?

A friend of mine has bought some digital fuel gauges (a combination a
several digital engine instruments -- but I forgot the manufacturer's name).
Using these fuel gauges, you "calibrate" the instrument/gauges by leveling
the aircraft (both "wings level" and "pitch/flying attitude level") and
starting with 0 gals of fuel in the tank, then adding one gallon at a time,
wait a while for the fuel to settle, then take an electronic reading, add 1
gal of fuel and repeat the process until the tanks are full. How accurate
is this method? (personally I do not know how accurate this is, but would
like to know from someone with experience using these instruments...)

Thank you.

Cameron




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Two questions:

What is "accurate"?

Why do you need "accuracy"?

Jim


"NoSpam"
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

-Is there a way to ACCURATELY measure the available fuel in the tanks of a
-general single-engine piston aircraft???



Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

*****but it will never suffer an electrical or mechanical failure.*****

Never say never. I've personally seen the failure of just the type of gauge
you are talking about. In a Super Cub. Showed 3/4 actual zero.

Karl

Doesn't it have a float on a wire? Not the same. The sight guage I
described has nothing in it except gas. I suppose you could put
some chewing gum in the tube to plug it and it might stay full.
Can't really call that a mechanical failure.


In article , "karl"
wrote:
*****but it will never suffer an electrical or mechanical failure.*****

Never say never. I've personally seen the failure of just the type of gauge
you are talking about. In a Super Cub. Showed 3/4 actual zero.

Karl

NoSpam wrote:

Is there a way to ACCURATELY measure the available fuel in the tanks of a
general single-engine piston aircraft???

Just after receiving my private pilot certificate, I bought a FuelHawk
to accurately measure remaining fuel in my Skyhawk's tanks:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?O202128F6

Due to the type of missions I routinely fly, I often have to trade fuel
for passenger and luggage weight. This stick is indispensable in
assisting me with W/B planning and fuel/reserve estimates.

I would be very uncomfortable flying one of these missions without it.

--
Peter










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Peter R. wrote:

NoSpam wrote:


Is there a way to ACCURATELY measure the available fuel in the tanks of a
general single-engine piston aircraft???


Just after receiving my private pilot certificate, I bought a FuelHawk
to accurately measure remaining fuel in my Skyhawk's tanks:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?O202128F6

Due to the type of missions I routinely fly, I often have to trade fuel
for passenger and luggage weight. This stick is indispensable in
assisting me with W/B planning and fuel/reserve estimates.

I would be very uncomfortable flying one of these missions without it.

I bought the fuel hawk for my 182. Total waste of money. My left tank
reads a different distance up the stick than the right tank for the same
amount of fuel. Also the stated quantity on the stick is not correct
for either tank. So I had to make my own. I used a 50 cent wooden
dowel and an ink pen to mark 5 gallon increments, left tank on one end
and right tank on the other.

******Doesn't it have a float on a wire? Not the same******

Exactly the same.You really should go have a look. No wire. Just a sight
gauge with a red colored cork floating. I spent my pilot youth ferrying
these fine airplanes from Lock Haven to Washington. Oregon, Alaska.

The float on a wire is on a J3, Taylorcraft, Aeronca, usually on a forward
fuselage tank. Super Cub tanks are in the wings.

Karl

"karl" wrote in message
...
| *****but it will never suffer an electrical or mechanical failure.*****
|
| Never say never. I've personally seen the failure of just the type of
gauge
| you are talking about. In a Super Cub. Showed 3/4 actual zero.

John Denver's LongEZ also had a sight gauge. What he did not know was that
with the nose wheel retracted on the ground the gauge would always look more
full than it really was, even when the tank was almost empty.

The problem with sight gauges is that they are not linear, meaning that when
the gauge is 1/4 full it does not necessarily indicate that the tank is 1/4
full. This is true of fuel sticks, too. Fuel tanks tend to be rounded at the
top and bottom, so an inch of fuel in the bottom is less gas than an inch of
fuel in the middle. The gauge should be calibrated and marked with the fuel
quantity at several different levels, but no one had done this on Denver's
plane.

NTSB report he
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...08X09045&key=1