Keith W Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 Hi Matt yes i bought the plane from Wigg about 2 years ago great plane flies really well, he did an excellent job of repairing it,I'm not in a wheel chair but Peter G is who has also posted here, the biggest problem I have with fuelling through the mister funnel is that you can't see when the tank is full even up on the ladder so if your on the ground you have less chance, don't like over filling and seeing the fuel run down the wings, seeing that we can't hold that much fuel sometimes I like to get in as much fuel as I can, I've thought about filling the containers thru the mister funnel at the service station then siphoning into the tanks but prefer to filter at the plane, any body have any ideas on this Keith.
matt walsh Posted October 22, 2015 Author Posted October 22, 2015 Hi Matt yes i bought the plane from Wigg about 2 years ago great plane flies really well, he did an excellent job of repairing it,I'm not in a wheel chair but Peter G is who has also posted here, the biggest problem I have with fuelling through the mister funnel is that you can't see when the tank is full even up on the ladder so if your on the ground you have less chance, don't like over filling and seeing the fuel run down the wings, seeing that we can't hold that much fuel sometimes I like to get in as much fuel as I can, I've thought about filling the containers thru the mister funnel at the service station then siphoning into the tanks but prefer to filter at the plane, any body have any ideas on this Keith. Keith, I'm getting my correspondents mixed up. I'm working in Sri Lanka at present the heat is frying my brain. With daily temperatures of 32c our Gazelles would labour getting to altitude!! I agree it can be tricky to avoid overfilling. I have a towel with hole for tank hole that I place over wing to absorb any overflow if I overfill. It works ok but would be better with a rubber/ impermeable bottom layer and absorbent top layer, could bond a thick towel to a thin rubber or plastic. With a pump and hose system you might still have to observe the rising tank level from standing over on steps and close tap valve on hoe when full. Alternative you could have the tap in line on the hose and view the sight gauge in the cabin to determine when to shut off. Now this pumping caper is beginning to sound not much easier or quicker than using 10litre containers. If I can make my 10l containers empty faster, then that's part of irritation relieved. FYI, I am folding my wings also. I fold back the port/pilot side first and secure onto fuselage with bungy cords. Then manoeuvre plane into hanger corner with folded wing close up to hanger wall. place timber support frame under tail of fuselage and fold starboard wing back and strap in place. Cover the wings with one large tarp and bungy cord secure and that's it. I'd like to catch up with you at YBDG sometime and admire your Gazelle. I'm back in Aus in mid Nov and will be chomping for a fly!! I have very dear friends living on Heinz Lane at end of airfield so easy to combine visits. Cheers
matt walsh Posted October 22, 2015 Author Posted October 22, 2015 Keith, I've done it again!! You're at Echuca and not Bendigo. I reckon we've met perhaps as I recall visiting the Echuca Flying Club awhile ago and talking to a chap who was seeking a Gazelle, maybe it was you. Anyway I'm aware of the club's great Sunday lunches so will try and make to one and we could meet then perhaps. Better go and cool down now.
Geoff13 Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 I buy my fuel from the servo in 10 litre Jerry cans. Easy to handle. Then back to the plane and filter it through my mister funnel into another 10 litre can. From there direct into the plane using the same pour spout so I don't add impurities. My pour spouts have an inbuilt breather so I get good flow. Takes a little bit of time but I am comfortable with that as I rate anything to do with the plane as playtime. I pay a bit more than the cheapest rate for fuel because I always buy it from a high volume/turnover service station. It my be just me but I hope that high turnover suppliers have less chance of having stale fuel and/or impurities in it.
matt walsh Posted October 23, 2015 Author Posted October 23, 2015 I buy my fuel from the servo in 10 litre Jerry cans. Easy to handle.Then back to the plane and filter it through my mister funnel into another 10 litre can. From there direct into the plane using the same pour spout so I don't add impurities. My pour spouts have an inbuilt breather so I get good flow. Takes a little bit of time but I am comfortable with that as I rate anything to do with the plane as playtime. I pay a bit more than the cheapest rate for fuel because I always buy it from a high volume/turnover service station. It my be just me but I hope that high turnover suppliers have less chance of having stale fuel and/or impurities in it. Hi Geoff, I'm intrigued why you double handle the fuel from one 10 litre container to another rather than directly pouring into Mr Funnel and into tank. Perhaps the positioning of the tank filler hole makes it awkward to use a Mr funnel and pour into the funnel and its just easier to direct fill. Or maybe you just don't like pouring into the funnel when its in the tank hole, (funnel can move around abit). Good idea about buying your fuel from busy high volume stations to maximise the likelihood of freshest fuel each flight.
Keith W Posted October 23, 2015 Posted October 23, 2015 Hi Matt our roast day for Nov is on the 15th, I like Geoffs idea about running the fuel thru the mister funnel and then tipping it into the plane,would probably use the mister funnel at the service station when I filled my containers, I have 2 types of containers the first 3 I bought have a 25mm outlet and are slow to empty, I found some willow 10 litre fuel containers that have a 50 mm outlet and these empty as fast as the mr funnel can strain the fuel much easier to use, Keith.
fly_tornado Posted October 23, 2015 Posted October 23, 2015 why not use the mister funnel at the servo so you can see the fuel before you get to the field?
SDQDI Posted October 23, 2015 Posted October 23, 2015 The trouble is the further away from your aircraft you use mr funnel the more chances there are for contamination, unless of course you use it twice. 2
fly_tornado Posted October 23, 2015 Posted October 23, 2015 but if you stop loading your containers with bad fuel you reduce the likelihood of contaminating your containers.
Geoff13 Posted October 23, 2015 Posted October 23, 2015 Very good questions. Why not go direct into the aircraft via the mister funnel. The mister funnel has a fairly short neck and with the positioning of the tank it means the mister funnel is at a 45 degree angle and is difficult to pour into. It means holding the funnel one handed and the Jerry can with the other. Difficult to do and a risk of spillage. So why not the mister funnel at the servo. Several reasons for that. 1. I have bad knees and find it very difficult to work at ground level without sitting. As the Cans need to be on the ground to fuel at the servo i find it difficult to squat/bend long enough to fill them. 2. Servos are inherently busy and dirty places. Wind and vehicles driving in and out increase the risk of getting crap into the jerry cans even with the funnel. 3. I keep my funnel and all pouring spouts in a covered container and only bring them out to use them then put them away again, my ute is a work vehicle and is not a particularly sterile environment. 4. At my shed or hanger I have my fuel kit, which includes a 50 year old small chair that my father always used when working his bees. It allows me to sit and be comfortable as I filter my fuel. 5. As already suggested full flow of the 50 mil pouring spout supplies flow at the optimum flow rate for the mister funnel. 6. By draining from one Jerry into the last one drained, and then pouring the last dregs and the bit left in the funnel into my slops can I keep a clean Jerry every time. 7. I have found taking the time to filter my fuel allows me to stop slow down and get my mindset into aviation mode. ie. forget the watch and slow down to my own pace. My work and industry tends to run at breakneck speed so I use this process to slow down and put my mindset into the it does not have to be right now mindset. 8. It is part of my flying experience and I find it relaxing. (Besides I get to sniff the fuel twice). The point about only purchasing fuel at high volume outlets has come from many years of running vehicles and several very bad fuel experiences. Just a little self taught safety mechanism. The 10 litre cans rather than 20 litre are simply because I find them easier to handle, and as my filler is under the wing 20 litre cans would be very difficult to manage. I am looking to buy a 5 litre can for those times when I want to fill up the tank but it won't quite take 10 litres. 1
rgmwa Posted October 23, 2015 Posted October 23, 2015 9. The initial discharge from the servo pump nozzle into the funnel splashes fuel all over the place, even if you're gentle with the trigger. 10. The funnel retains half cup of fuel that you have to dump somewhere when the servo attendant isn't looking. rgmwa 2
matt walsh Posted October 24, 2015 Author Posted October 24, 2015 Uh Very good questions.Why not go direct into the aircraft via the mister funnel. The mister funnel has a fairly short neck and with the positioning of the tank it means the mister funnel is at a 45 degree angle and is difficult to pour into. It means holding the funnel one handed and the Jerry can with the other. Difficult to do and a risk of spillage. So why not the mister funnel at the servo. Several reasons for that. 1. I have bad knees and find it very difficult to work at ground level without sitting. As the Cans need to be on the ground to fuel at the servo i find it difficult to squat/bend long enough to fill them. 2. Servos are inherently busy and dirty places. Wind and vehicles driving in and out increase the risk of getting crap into the jerry cans even with the funnel. 3. I keep my funnel and all pouring spouts in a covered container and only bring them out to use them then put them away again, my ute is a work vehicle and is not a particularly sterile environment. 4. At my shed or hanger I have my fuel kit, which includes a 50 year old small chair that my father always used when working his bees. It allows me to sit and be comfortable as I filter my fuel. 5. As already suggested full flow of the 50 mil pouring spout supplies flow at the optimum flow rate for the mister funnel. 6. By draining from one Jerry into the last one drained, and then pouring the last dregs and the bit left in the funnel into my slops can I keep a clean Jerry every time. 7. I have found taking the time to filter my fuel allows me to stop slow down and get my mindset into aviation mode. ie. forget the watch and slow down to my own pace. My work and industry tends to run at breakneck speed so I use this process to slow down and put my mindset into the it does not have to be right now mindset. 8. It is part of my flying experience and I find it relaxing. (Besides I get to sniff the fuel twice). The point about only purchasing fuel at high volume outlets has come from many years of running vehicles and several very bad fuel experiences. Just a little self taught safety mechanism. The 10 litre cans rather than 20 litre are simply because I find them easier to handle, and as my filler is under the wing 20 litre cans would be very difficult to manage. I am looking to buy a 5 litre can for those times when I want to fill up the tank but it won't quite take 10 litres. Thanks for a full explanation and i understand your method given you cant easily use fill you Foxbat tanks through a Mr Funnel cos of the position of the filler hole. Pretty annoying although no holding containers aloft or need for steps and ladders. I wouldn't be filtering fuel at servo for the exact reasons others posted. You cant easily avoid double pouring fuel as you have to put it through a filter between bowser nozzle and plane tank and both of these points aren't suitable. The enjoyment of sitting in the bee chair and focusing your mind, are worthwhile compensations for a inconvenient filler hole. Are you earthing your containers when transferring fuels?? To all those that have contributed on this topic, I thank you for sharing knowledge ideas and critique. I've learn plenty and respect the positive style and tone. Good job!!
Camel Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Just received and tried Tanamai pump, works really well. Thankyou to all those who recommended it, it was a good investment and am very happy.
Kyle Communications Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 I am picking mine up today as well although mine is for 60 litre metal drum. which I have 2 of and they will be on a frame with wheels. I will connect the 2 drums together with top and bottom pipes so I can have 120 litres and just the 1 tanami to do the fueling.
rgmwa Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Tanami pump works a treat for me too. No power problems as I use a small foot pump - good for out bush - lightweight - no static problems either. The hose can be inserted into a filter funnel if you like. I needed 3m hose to have some slack on a Brumby high wing. It takes me just under 2 mins to transfer 20L PULP from ground level into the aircrafts tank. Sure beats juggling a jerrycan while perched on a stepladder. That sounds like a good setup. What type of foot pump do you use? Those cheap K-Mart types never seem to work properly when you need them. rgmwa
matt walsh Posted October 27, 2015 Author Posted October 27, 2015 Hi all, good to hear reports from Kyle and Camel about their new arrangements. Camel, what type of containers do you use? Kyle and Camel, did you learn about Tanami pumps through this thread? and went on to purchase from this info? (I'm just curious if these forums yield direct benefit for people, nothing else!!). I can confirm the information sure helped me. I was contemplating buying a rotary pump whilst here in Sri Lanka, good price etc, but the learning's from the Forum have better educated me and I'm going for Tanami pumps upon my return to Aus and my beloved Gazelle , in early Nov.
rankamateur Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Tanami NSW agent is conveniently located at Burpengary in Queensland. That makes sense.
Camel Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Hi all, good to hear reports from Kyle and Camel about their new arrangements.Camel, what type of containers do you use? Kyle and Camel, did you learn about Tanami pumps through this thread? and went on to purchase from this info? (I'm just curious if these forums yield direct benefit for people, nothing else!!). I can confirm the information sure helped me. I was contemplating buying a rotary pump whilst here in Sri Lanka, good price etc, but the learning's from the Forum have better educated me and I'm going for Tanami pumps upon my return to Aus and my beloved Gazelle , in early Nov. I have never heard of the Tanamai pump before reading this thread. I did try to make a similar thing but was not reliable and had decided to use a 12v fuel pump at that point until I read this thread. I bought 2 units as I use steel Jerry cans to fuel my tractor and use plastic jerry cans to fuel plane, I preferr plastic as steel cans tend to have more contamination. Tanamai have all different types of units, the unit I got for plastic Jerrys is the Frazer, I have six plastic and one is a Willow and it is probably the most preferred by me, it has a large lid, top and side handle which makes it easier to pour but the Frazer unit will not fit this container. If you don't have any Jerry cans at the moment do your research, I would go for the Willow. I tried the bike pump and a small 12v compressor and all good. My plastic Jerrys are only used for plane and I use mr funnel always.
Kyle Communications Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 I also had not seen the Tanami pumps either although I did look at making something similar. My eventual aim is to have large drum or drums at the hangar on a carriage I can roll over to the plane then filler her up easily. Since the heart op the old sternum is a bit weak after splitting it inhalf and being held together with fencing wire and lifting the 20 litre containers up onto the wing I have to be careful otherwise I pay for it for a week or so. I also read the article about the fuel going off and using steel drums I can keep them pressurised a bit so theoretically the fuel should last longer. I will still get the fuel in the 20 litre containers and decant them through my Mr Funnel as I fill the drums. I think it is the best and safest way to fill the aircraft. This forum always has lots of great opinions and a lot of people with a lot of experience and knowledge. I am certainly no genius but I can sort through what I think is good and what is not. Mark 1
matt walsh Posted October 27, 2015 Author Posted October 27, 2015 Thanks Camel and Kyle for your comments, I will be going the Tanami pump and Willow 20 litre set up. Whilst Willow 10L might empty fast and be easy to lift, I want to avoid steps/ladders, especially for country flying, so confident I can use pump and avoid overflows and spills ok, I might fit a in line tap near end to fine control flow. I have several 20l plastics now, so will buy 2 Willows. If I purchase fuel in my existing containers I could filter and transfer into Willow 20L then Tanami pump direct to high wing tank. Might avoid spillage from funnel. Anyway I'm looking forward to getting this stuff, hey its nearly Xmas and Santa is a technical guy right??
Russ Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 avoiding steps/ladders may not be poss, ........still have to reach to filler cap ( way up there ) and in jabs case, undo with allen key.
Camel Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 avoiding steps/ladders may not be poss, ........still have to reach to filler cap ( way up there ) and in jabs case, undo with allen key. Depends how tall you are ! No problem for me without ladder with Tanamai pump, before was a show with tool, ladder, funnel, towel, siphon and waiting. The small compressor I have works fine, I made a Anderson plug adaptor so I can plug in side of plane rather than drag another power source around.
Kyle Communications Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Tanami NSW agent is conveniently located at Burpengary in Queensland. That makes sense. Yes it is at Arrow Towbars they are in the Kratzman Caravan centre just down the road from my place. The guy is pretty nice there. I dont need a ladder for my Sav so it does make life easier. Camel thats a good idea I have a Anderson plug access to my aircraft battery as well so thats even better I didnt even think of that
matt walsh Posted October 28, 2015 Author Posted October 28, 2015 Ah you guys are firing with good ideas, I like the Anderson plug set up for mini compressor. Like others, I can reach my Gazelle wing tank caps without ladder. Cant wait to get home and arrange this gear!!!!!
rhtrudder Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 These quick fill containers are also real handy ,just upend it , don't spill a drop and stops running when your tank is nearly full , cost $70 at motorcycle shops 1
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