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One empty gas tank????


procharger

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Andy,

 

Saw one down at Ft. Myers . . . what a helluva' airplane.

Looked like it was doing 200 kts., sitting there on the ramp.  Was also packed with great avionics and a pristine finish.

 

I got to crawl around in one at a flight school open house back in 2011.  What a machine!  I have no idea how they get that kind of speed out of a fixed gear airplane.  I'm guessing the stall characteristics might be a little scary.

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After check  fuel flow rate based on manual (35L/hrs), fuel cap/ fuel vent, fuel line, and all other component, fly with coordinated turn (ball center).. problem still going. I'm pretty sure its weakness design of aircraft from FD.

 

next flight try to fly with 1/2 ball to faster empty gas tank...

 

Regards,

Dhony

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After check  fuel flow rate based on manual (35L/hrs), fuel cap/ fuel vent, fuel line, and all other component, fly with coordinated turn (ball center).. problem still going. I'm pretty sure its weakness design of aircraft from FD.

 

next flight try to fly with 1/2 ball to faster empty gas tank...

 

Regards,

Dhony

 

Let us know how that works out for you.

Like Roger Lee says . . . "the fuel will follow the ball."

That seems to work for me. :)

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  • 2 months later...

post-605-0-91410100-1435104046_thumb.jpgI feel I need to add some info to this thread. 

I just finished an annual on a first-time customer's 2007 CTSW. It has a bit less than 500 hours on it. Looks pretty good, but he has been using an A&P who doesn't understand the importance of reading a Rotax manual. don't get me started about him.

 

I found two major airworthiness issues. I will only discuss one here for now.

 

The aircraft had a fuel leak and needed the sight tubes changed, so I drained the fuel and prepared to pull the wings off a bit. The 5 year hose change had been done, but the fuel lines at the wing root were still original. While we drained the tanks (through the gascolator) I noticed that the right wing drained much faster than the left, which didn't seem to drain much at all. In fact, the right wing emptied out, and the fuel stopped flowing when the left wing got down to five gallons. I grabbed my borescope and took a look at the wing root fuel line, and found that it was kinked to the point that fuel would not flow through it. This was the original hose from the factory. 

 

I ended up draining the last five gallons through the sight tube which can be messy at best.

 

 

 

The fuel lines in the wing root are very difficult to remove and reinstall, so I think that it's tempting for the mechanic to leave them be. It's also quite easy to put the new ones back in with a brand new kink.

 

So, don't just assume that uneven fuel flow is caused by uncoordination, fuel vent pressure, or the shape of the tanks. It could be much worse. I would recommend that anyone with an uneven flow problem go ahead and drain the tanks completely and make sure it drains. Be sure to ground the aircraft. I wrap a large wet towel around the plastic tank and gascolator to ground it. 

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CT,

 

For fuel to be considered stale . . . what is your time criteria?  And what kind of fuel do you use, regularly?

 

 

I use Chevron 91 Octane with ethanol.  I have more considerations than time alone.  

  • If my route includes crossing the Sierra stale gas is a bigger concern than a flight that has continuous landing opportunities. 
  • If valley temps are high and I still have California winter blend gas then I might want fresh summer blend to prevent vapor lock even if the gas isn't old yet.

Otherwise 90 days sounds like its getting stale to me.  I have pumped 90 day old gas into my TT ( 10:1 compression ) and it hasn't resulted in any pinging so 90 days seems good for both the plane and the TT.

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A great excuse for a drain test is a period of no flying leading to stale Mogas.  I sometimes drain test it right into my car. 

 

You would have to not fly for 6 months to get stale Mogas.  If you are flying that infrequently you are probably ready to sell your CT.

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