Fuel Bladders/Ferry Tanks

[skippydiesel]

Hi All,

 

Anyone have any experience with this recently advertised SkyShop fuel bladder:

 

 

Fuel Bladder 65 Litre   Specially designed for temporary storage fuel, Diesel, avgas, Petrol, chemicals and other liquids. $265   Click here for info or to order Probably made by TurtlePac, Qld. In my case it would have to sit on the passenger seat, but wondering how its filled ??- 65L of fuel is awful heavy to pick up & filling in situ may result in a fuel spill in the cockpit😈

[facthunter]

 About 45 Kg's of fuel. Nev

[skippydiesel]

Wow!! 

 

I guess SkyShop isn't making a financial killing on this product.

 

Is there no long distance flier out there, with experince in this/similar product/system????

 

It may be better, from a handling/weight perspective, to go with the 20L foldable bladders:

At $149.50 they are cheaper/liter capacity, than the bladder/ferry tank.. 

 

Are they safe to carry fuel in cockpit or are they just for getting fuel to the aircraft from service station?😈

[rgmwa]

I have two of the foldable bladders and have carried fuel in the plane but don’t like doing that. In my experience they can leak if the threads on the cap are dry. I didn’t have a problem after I put some lube (Inox) on them, but I only use them now to carry fuel to the plane. They are great for that because they pack away easily. I would use them to carry fuel in the plane if I had no other option. Because they are flexible, they can cope with air pressure fluctuations. I wouldn’t carry fuel in a plastic jerrycan in the cabin.

Edited yesterday at 01:04 AM by rgmwa

[skippydiesel]

2 hours ago, rgmwa said:

.................... I would use them to carry fuel in the plane if I had no other option. Because they are flexible, they can cope with air pressure fluctuations. 

Hi rgmwa,

 

Like you, I have no intention to carry fuel, in the aircraft, in the foldable bladder style BUT am interested in your experince/observations when you, on occasion, did;

• My interest is on the effect of reducing atmospheric pressure on a FULL & Part FULL bladder.

The reason for the question is, if I carry say 40 litres (2x bladders) from the servo and say use only 10 L out of one, leaving a full & 1/2 full. Then stow the two bladders in the aircraft and climb to 9500 ft - will all be okay or will one/both bladder(s) be affected to the point of rupturing????

😈

 

 

 

[rgmwa]

Completely full would be OK because the liquid won't expand. When partially full, I just squeeze the bladder a bit before putting the cap on to reduce the volume of air in it. Even without doing that, I'm quite confident the bladder would easily handle any pressure differential at the altitudes we fly, and probably a lot higher. I can recall seeing a video of a full bladder being drop tested onto concrete from something like 30m from memory, so they are pretty tough. 

 

[skippydiesel]

" I can recall seeing a video of a full bladder being drop tested onto concrete from something like 30m from memory, so they are pretty tough. "

 

I know that TurtlePac, Qld, were testing a lot of their bladders this way. I had a conducted tour of their facility some years back - very impressed!

 

Dont know who the manufacturer, of the two I have is. They look the same as the ones from SkyShop and I may have purchased them from the same about 10 years ago.😈

 

 

[rgmwa]

I got mine from Liquid Containment in Qld.  

 

 

[sfGnome]

I used to use the foldable ones (no longer have them, sold with our plane). Never took them up when loaded, but really handy for getting fuel when away from home as they take diddly-squat space in the luggage area when empty. However, do check that you’ve tightened the cap properly before carrying them (full) I someone else’s car! I think my daughter has forgiven me… 🫣

[Moneybox]

I stopped using the plastic jerry cans for two reasons. If we store fuel in the boot of our bus/camper we don't sleep well. The fumes pass right through the plastic. If we use the metal cans then we don't even know they are there.

 

The other reason is that I've had a few expand to the point of splitting and spraying a fine mist of petrol into the air. They blow up like a balloon but for some reason the steel cans keep their form even though they have quite high pressure that is released upon opening.

 

I can't see me ever risking the use of anything plastic in our climate. I can see the value in the layflat bladder for short term use but I wouldn't like to ride beside one loaded with fuel.

[skippydiesel]

So far, I think we all agree that carrying fuel, in 20L fuel bladders, in the aircraft, is not a first choice idea.

 

I guess fetching just the right amount of fuel, from the servo, is always the goal, however I would rather err on the side of full tanks on TO, than under estimate. So as I pointed out, it's conceivable that when on an away from base/home trip, the bladders used to fetch/refuel the aircraft, may not be completely emptied into the aircraft tanks. Your practical options are limited:

• Donate the remaining fuel to some deserving individual.
• Carry the remaining fuel in the cockpit (most small aircraft do not have a separate baggage locker).
• Waste the fuel (don't much go for this).

On plastic "jerry" cans:

My experince with Bunnings Aerospace plastic "jerry" cans, now about 8 years old, is good.

So far; no splits,  they don't leak and I don't carry/store them where fuel smells may impact on me.

I do not store them in direct sunlight but they must get pretty hot at times in the back of my covered ute.

Full containers, do not distort as much as part full, under the influence of diurnal temperature change.

When I empty a container, I try to remember to press in the sides and tighten the cap at the same time , creating a small vacuum. This seems to help maintain the original shape, as opposed to the bulging/distortion which can occur 😈

[facthunter]

Dying in a Burning Aircraft is not the way to go.  Nev