zatatime wrote:

Irrespective of the innop instrument, don't you always use time to
"guage" how much fuel you've burned?

Not always. A little dirt dauber managed to block both vents on my left tank
during a fuel stop coming back from Oshkosh. I draw from both during departure,
and switch to one tank or the other at the next 15 minute mark (eg. 1:00, 1:15,
1:30, or 1:45). After that, I switch tanks every half hour. It was well over 1.5
hours before it became apparent that the level in the left tank wasn't going
down at all, even when it was selected.

I landed and reamed the vents out before crossing the Appalachians. I also
topped off the right tank for good measure. If the gauges had been inop, I
probably would've gone down in eastern Pennsylvania.

My on-board tool kit paid for itself on that trip alone.

That stop was another testament to the great people you sometimes run into. The
FBO was closed, but the manager (who lives next door) trusted me to fill the
tank, fill out a credit card ticket, and leave it in the drop box.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.