Blueadventures Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 Should be just a good DI and say heavy landing inspection, fill with fuel and fly home.
Thruster88 Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 I just read that! If that is the case, and the PIC was an instructor - well, I have no clue how to comment on that! There were two forced landings recently, Welby near Mittagong due fuel exhaustion and one near Jindabyne? not yet listed on RAA with instructor and student.
turboplanner Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 There were two forced landings recently, Welby near Mittagong due fuel exhaustion and one near Jindabyne? not yet listed on RAA with instructor and student. The second one was posted as being from Jindabyne, so that could be this one, Welby, reported as "south of Sydney" by the OP.
turboplanner Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 The second one was posted as being from Jindabyne, so that could be this LSA55, Welby, reported as "south of Sydney" by the OP.
old man emu Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 Probably not a local since they were only 3 nautical miles from Mittagong
derekliston Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 Probably not a local since they were only 3 nautical miles from Mittagong [ATTACH type=full" alt="1583184963575.png]51107[/ATTACH] If it was midweek and they made it to Mittagong they probably would have had to climb the fence to get out!!! 1
facthunter Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 To get to Mittagong airport you have to fly over houses. The paddock looks like a good one for landing on so "assured" for second best is better than perhaps not making the best one. Fuel leak or carb flooding can alter range capability. . You are better to do a landing with the engine operating than wait till it isn't , IF you know you have a fuel issue. Nev
kgwilson Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 Why are there are so many fuel exhaustion/starvation forced landings? Is it because of false readings, failing to dip the tanks, dipping on uneven ground, poor fuel burn estimations/calculations, headwinds/environmental issues, diversions, failing to swap tanks etc. When I tested my main tank I kept a log of litres and the gauge reading which is on the panel. Even this is not accurate as it depends on attitude and bank angle as well. As a minimum my reserve is 20 litres which is an hours flying at about 2800 rpm but I consider it 45 minutes. The law now says 30 minutes but from a personal perspective that's not enough. At 20 litres my gauge is showing just above empty. It is very difficult to get a good read with long thin wing tanks and if the ground is uneven it is worse and in many designs fuel can transfer from one to the other & even leak out the overflow on the low wing. I have 2 wing tanks of 35 litres each which I rarely use except on long trips. There are no gauges on these and I don't even get a dipstick reading until there is 15 or more litres in the tank.
facthunter Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 There's a few ways to get a "known" fuel load onboard. None of them include relying on a fuel gauge by itself . You can add a known amount from down to unuseable or FILL tanks to a known proven quantity and remove a known quantity.. Long shallow section wings are hard to fill on sloping ground. Keeping a constant record of hours flown related to fuel used gives a KNOWN fuel usage rate and will pick up something happening that changes the rate you are used to experiencing AFTER it happens. (better late than never). You can plan on the POH fuel usage figures or your own it fit's proven properly and recorded over a period of time. You would certainly use a proven higher figure over the POH as soon as you suspected it. Nev
BirdDog Posted March 2, 2020 Author Posted March 2, 2020 I am with some of you guys! I have 2 wing tanks. 60L each. Both are displayed on the dash, and independently selectable. That said, I don't really rely on the gauge before a long trip. I dip the tanks. The gauge is used on the fly to keep an eye on which tank I want to switch to in order to keep the aircraft balanced. I burn around 15-18L an hour. The placard states 19L at/ 1/4 of a tank. So both at 1/4 should give me about 2 hours of flying. Now, all things considered, I never let the bird get down to 1/4 in each tank. It's not rocket science!!! Just keep fuel in the tanks. I get how some people don't want to pay for, or run AVGAS, but if it's the difference between getting it back in the hangar, or in a paddock, I know which I would like. Like a wiser man than me once said.... "If there is doubt, there is no doubt!" Just my 0.2! 1
facthunter Posted March 3, 2020 Posted March 3, 2020 Yes.. Double check if it's something you are not SURE of.. Nev 1
GraemeK Posted March 3, 2020 Posted March 3, 2020 My first preference is to fill both wing tanks to the brim - then I know how much I've got. If loading prevents that, then one tank full, other to tab, or both to tabs - again I know how much I've got. I don't really trust the dipstick - often in hire craft they get swapped around - missing dipstick, oh just grab the one from the Cessna/Warrior over there! I guess more reliable than the gauges, but maybe not much more. 1 1
old man emu Posted March 3, 2020 Posted March 3, 2020 Try getting a reliable reading from a Victa Airtourer dip stick if the access to the fuel tank hasn't been modified.
Thruster88 Posted March 3, 2020 Posted March 3, 2020 The second one was posted as being from Jindabyne, so that could be this one, Welby, reported as "south of Sydney" by the OP. The "second one" landed 3nm north of Dalgety in a large paddock with sheeps, no details as to why yet.
NT5224 Posted March 3, 2020 Posted March 3, 2020 My wings hold about 100 litres each. As a rule I never take off with less than half tanks (about 100 litres total). A great thing about the Rebel is instead of a fancy but complex fuel guage you get a simple section of transparent tubing on the inside of each wing tank, so you're actually seeing the level of juice present in the wings. I suppose in theory a bubble or block could form in the tubes to give a misleading reading, but I much prefer the simplicty of a direct reading. its like looking at the fuel sloshing around inside that plastic tank strapped on the back of a Drifter! Ive never understood the mentality of folks who fly aircraft (or drive cars) down to the last quarter of the tank. Quite apart from increasing the likelihood of running short of fuel, you increase the risk of accumulated dirt or rust particles from the bottom of the tank entering your fuel system and of condensation forming in the tank. This latter is a big issue up here in the north. I can appreciate flight schools and training facilities may want to fly light for economic or safety reasons, but like Mr BirdDog says, if you can't afford to top up your tanks, maybe you shouldnt be flying. Alan 1
Guest Machtuk Posted March 3, 2020 Posted March 3, 2020 I have a digital FF on both my planes, best things ever invented! I know down to the last litre what I have in my fuel tanks at ony one time keeping the accuracy high by filling every now and then. Till recent there was no mandatory Fuel Res but now we have mandatory reserves (diff for day & Ngt) I double it, that's insurance, to me?
Butch Posted March 3, 2020 Posted March 3, 2020 The "second one" landed 3nm north of Dalgety in a large paddock with sheeps, no details as to why yet. Maybe they were New Zeeeelanders ???? 1 1 1
ClintonB Posted March 4, 2020 Posted March 4, 2020 Filling long range tanks on the 182 is an Ouch at 359 litres of Avgas, But probably a lot less of an ouch will be if it stops in a bad place. I find the gauges are useless and dip it every time then fill to brim if going somewhere as I burn 50LPH. I think I need a smaller plane.
Yenn Posted March 4, 2020 Posted March 4, 2020 I would recommend that you keep a fuel log of all flying time and fuel used. That way you will know your fuel burn and will also spot any changes in fuel burn. Not so easy if you hire or share a plane, but any commercial operation would most likely be keeping a fuel log that you may be able to access.
giantkingsquid Posted March 4, 2020 Posted March 4, 2020 Filling long range tanks on the 182 is an Ouch at 359 litres of Avgas, But probably a lot less of an ouch will be if it stops in a bad place. I find the gauges are useless and dip it every time then fill to brim if going somewhere as I burn 50LPH. I think I need a smaller plane. Yeah but with a smaller plane you won't have the luxury of filling it to the brim, chucking four people in it and heading off! 2
Thruster88 Posted March 4, 2020 Posted March 4, 2020 There were two forced landings recently, Welby near Mittagong due fuel exhaustion and one near Jindabyne? not yet listed on RAA with instructor and student. The aircraft near jindabyne (dalgety) suffered a broken piston.
facthunter Posted March 4, 2020 Posted March 4, 2020 That sort of thing should not be common unless it's done lots of hours.(and I mean LOTS). Short conrods give lots of side load but make a smaller engine. Higher % of silicon can make a casting brittle. Nev
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