Roger Lee Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 Make sure your mechanic documents properly. Your paying him to do it right not his way. Here is the 912 Inspection check list. Make sure your mechanic uses it, signs each item off and gives it back to you. Here is the FD Inspection list for the SW and LS. Here is a generic discrepancy list to be used. Use these. They are for your own protection one way or the other. Maintenance Schedules.pdf Inspection Check List.pdf CTSW Inspection List.pdf CTLS Inspection Check List.pdf Generic Discrepancy List.doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airhound Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 Roger, Thank You! Your proactive and thoughtful support sets a good example for all maintainers and pilots to follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airhound Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 Is our fuel system designed such that fuel can move from one wing to the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT2kflyer Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 Is our fuel system designed such that fuel can move from one wing to the other? Oh yes, very much so. In-fact, if you fly out of balance the fuel will move to one wing from the other (assuming a less than 50% fuel status), and if you put your aircraft in banked or racetrack patter, you can induce a fuel starvation moment. Not something you want to do at the tail end of a long flight while turning base or final for a landing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted December 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 The fuel system is open between wings. If you park on a slope side ways it can gravity feed from the high wing to the low and over flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coppercity Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 And as most CT fliers have noticed, during flight the left wing fuel depletes a little more than the right, most likely because we inadvertently fly a little crooked. Solution...when the tank are out of balance trim in a half a ball of right rudder trim to force the left wing down a few degrees for 10-15 minutes. When you straighten up and fly right the fuel levels will be a little more equal. I do this about once every hour when I'm flying a 4-5.5 hr leg. There are some check valves in one of the fuel tank ribs to keep some fuel trapped near the outlet for those times when the fuel level is down and your banking or slipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airhound Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 Thanks all and I'll try the suggested fuel leveling procedure mentioned above. But until then, I have to state my case and concern: It's my left tank, not right, that stays fullest all the time. I'd say 95+% of fuel feed is out of right tank. The lines were checked at the gascolator and they both flow apparently evenly. In this situation in a left bank, with say 5 gallons or less in the right tank, could fuel starvation occur? My safety thinking makes me pilot my craft as if I only have one tank to rely on and about 10 gallons of usefull fuel to safely cruise and manuever with. I've been told not to worry, that the other tank is feeding and will kick in more when the other tank gets down to a certain point....Heck, after reading above comment, I'd hate to have the certain point be as you say, on left base to final. Perhaps a better understanding of our simple, yet not quite straight forward system will help me develop a technique to equalize tanks in level flight for my specific condition. What are the conditions and route the fuel takes from tank to tank? I guess the condition is when banking but what route is the fuel taking to get to the other tank...??.wing high, is fuel forced through the gascolator and back up the other fuel line and into the other tank??? Is it gravity that is overcoming centrifical force and pushing fuel through the gascolator in a turn or even slightly out of trim??? V/R Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted December 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 Hi Doug, The uneven fuel flow is not just indicative to our plane, but a few others too. Our plane's uneven flow stems from having flat fuel tanks. The circuit from one tank to the other flows out of one tank, down the "A" post out into the engine compartment where both fuel lines join before going back into the cabin area. This junction is the open circuit between tanks. High wing will always seek its level and flow towards the low wing on the ground or in the air. Now add a slight slip from the pilot or from the mounting of the instrument and this will will also move fuel from one side to the other. If you have low fuel in the right wing and more fuel in the left then put the ball out to the right 1/2 - 3/4 ball and the fuel will flow not only to the carbs, but over to the right wing. The fuel will follow the ball. So long as you have plenty of fuel in one wing the other can empty, but if you have an empty wing and really low fuel in the other and slip the plane out a little then you can take the low fuel side and move that fuel to the outboard part of that tank and starve the engine. There is absolutely not one good reason to ever let fuel get this low. If you do then you made a mistake long before the engine quits. Why would anyone ever let fuel get that low would be beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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