hey it looks like we're gonna need to
get some gas
now you can go well below e before this
thing will quit
we'll make it to the airport
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uh you're a little low on fuel here too
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yeah we'll be okay save us a car we can
push it a little
we're only flying to the next town
okay time out you're saying to yourself
i would never do this
and hopefully you wouldn't but some do
according to the null report there are
about 70 fuel management accidents each
year
managing fuel in an airplane seems like
a no-brainer to fly from point a to
point b you need to bring enough gas in
your tanks
seems simple enough but why do fuel
management errors continue to happen
let's take a closer look at some common
problem areas
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on average more than 60 percent of
fuel-related accidents are attributed to
poor flight planning more specifically
inaccurate estimation of fuel
requirements
personal minimums are one way to combat
this
they act as your safety net a boundary
you've set for yourself where you say
i'm going to make sure i don't go beyond
that point
for example the regulations provide a
minimal margin of safety while the air
safety institute recommends landing with
at least one hour of fuel on board for
every flight
you can approach the flight planning
process with your personal minimums in
mind
for many of us using an online flight
planner or mobile app is an
indispensable part of our flight
planning routine
one example is aopa's flight planner
which includes predictive fuel planning
tools and warnings that show
approximately how much fuel you will
have burned at certain points along your
route
with the ability to see the time you
have left before needing to refuel you
can choose your fuel stops along the way
whatever tool you're using when it comes
to fuel it's always better to plan
conservatively commit yourself to
landing at a predetermined fuel stop at
or before the point where you will have
reached your personal minimum
during flight planning you should also
take into account the winds aloft and
any weather that could potentially alter
your route
if it becomes necessary to divert your
flight to avoid thunderstorms you will
need enough fuel to reach an alternate
airport
you may already do thorough flight
planning before a long cross-country
trip but what about those short flights
to the practice area or a nearby airport
is fuel planning really worth the hassle
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the purpose of this flight was to get
fuel from a nearby airport
the pilot did not do a pre-flight
inspection telling his passengers that
he had enough fuel for the five-minute
flight
shortly after taking off and on the
downwind leg of the traffic pattern the
engine lost power
the pilot tried to make a forced landing
on the runway but the airplane hit the
ground short of the runway which caused
substantial damage
even if you know you have enough fuel to
make a quick flight there are other
factors to consider
you should always plan for unexpected
circumstances that could keep you aloft
longer than you had hoped such as a
delay in landing clearance due to
congested air space landing gear
problems or a disabled aircraft causing
an unexpected airport closure
it helps to begin with a known quantity
of fuel before your departure
let's face it fuel gauges and ga
airplanes are notoriously inaccurate
what the regulations require in accuracy
is the source of some debate but
ultimately it's best to not depend
solely on your gauges
the solution for this is simple
to minimize any uncertainty consider
having the tanks topped off before every
flight unless you're absolutely
restricted by weight from passengers and
cargo
also when refueling make sure you know
what type of fuel you are getting
if you suspect you may have an
accidental mixture of av gas and jet
fuel it will be nearly impossible to
tell just by looking
100 low lead and jet a mix together will
still appear blue and once the two fuels
blend they do not separate
here are a couple of ways to tell the
difference
jet fuel has an odor similar to kerosene
if you notice this odor when opening the
gas cap or draining samples you may have
contamination
you can also perform the napkin test
blot a sample of your fuel onto a paper
napkin
if it's pure 100 low lead the sample
will dry quickly with no visible residue
if it's a mixture of 100 low lead and
jet a the sample will leave an oily
sheen and it won't evaporate quickly
make sure to be present when your
aircraft is being fueled and to double
check your receipt to make sure you got
the right fuel in the right amount
you can also use aopa's fuel cards to
help prevent mis-fueling
during pre-flight make sure to visually
check the level of fuel in your tanks
there is no substitute for this fuel
gauges can and have failed so a visual
fuel check is crucial
you may want to use a calibrated
dipstick for increased accuracy
before departing the pilot asked his
local fbo to fill his main fuel tanks
unknown to the pilot the airplane was
never fueled the pilot assumed the
fueling had happened and did not check
the fuel quantity before taking off
while in cruising flight both engines
experienced partial power loss the pilot
made a forced landing in an open field
with rough terrain which caused major
damage to the wings and fuselage
sumping your fuel is another critical
step and one in which it's far too easy
to just go through the motions without
being observant
and while you might expect that you're
in good shape as long as you don't see
layers of fuel and water consider the
possibility that you may be seeing only
water
make sure you see the telltale blue
color before making any assumptions
check for any small particulate matter
as well
you should begin your flight with a key
understanding an engine is basically a
pump it consumes a mixture of fuel and
air at a very predictable rate
with this in mind it's crucial to think
of your fuel supply in terms of hours
and minutes not in miles
put another way a flight and a strong
headwind compared to the same flight
with no wind will cover fewer miles in
the same amount of time and fuel
at the beginning of every flight it's a
good idea to set a timer or use the
panel clock to monitor your time aloft
if your plane has a fuel selector where
switching tanks is required another good
technique is to set a reminder to switch
tanks at regular intervals
this keeps your fuel levels even and
helps you manage your remaining fuel
a commercial pilot flying a cessna 152
heading to his home in georgia
experienced a total loss of engine power
after about three and a half hours of
flying
the pilot made a forced landing to a
road and struck a telephone pole with
the left wing damaging the airplane and
causing serious injuries to the pilot
and passenger
as part of the pilot's pre-flight
planning he had looked at the weather
along the route of flight which included
a 20-knot headwind
the pilot said that he visually checked
the fuel tanks before departure and
verified that they were full with a
total of 26 gallons
his fuel receipts also confirmed that
the airplane was refueled before the
trip
the pilot said he had enough fuel on
board for the 275 nautical mile flight
the poh stated that the airplane had
about 3.1 hours of fuel endurance at
cruise power the engine ran out of fuel
after about 3.5 hours
don't forget to lean the mixture once
you reach cruising altitude
not only are you saving fuel but the poh
assumes that proper leaning has taken
place when giving estimates for fuel
burn
again avoid relying solely on your fuel
gauges they may be inaccurate
digital fuel monitors can be very
precise but most of them depend on the
pilot's accurate input of the amounts
loaded
another factor that can contribute to
accidents is having bad fuel management
habits
like our reckless friend we may have
some unconscious behaviors that are
reinforced by our daily driving
if we let ourselves carry those daily
behaviors into the cockpit we could be
in for trouble
also this is a good time to remember
that many pilots have gotten themselves
in trouble by good old-fashioned get
their itis
the feeling of wanting to push on a
little longer or the perceived hassle of
landing to get fuel before reaching your
final destination can be dangerous
it's a common state of mind that affects
even helicopter pilots
helicopters known for their ability to
land almost anywhere have crashed due to
fuel exhaustion
a cfi and student were on a night vfr
cross-country flight in a helicopter
while flying over one of the airports
along their way the cfi and student
noticed they had low fuel
during pre-flight planning the cfi had
overestimated the cruising speed of the
helicopter and so the total flight time
turned out to be longer than they
expected
the cfi and student discussed the low
fuel situation and despite being over an
airport decided to not refuel because
neither pilot had a credit card
shortly afterward the low fuel warning
light came on and a few minutes later
the engine lost total power
the pilot performed an auto rotation but
the helicopter impacted trees and landed
hard the helicopter was badly damaged
so be aware of the temptation to keep
flying with known low fuel and resist
the urge to press on beyond your comfort
zone the consequences can be much worse
than arriving at your destination a bit
later than expected
let's look at one additional area that
can cause problems
errors in operating the aircraft's fuel
system cause about one-third of fuel
management accidents
these errors include things like
choosing an empty tank or incorrectly
using boost pumps or transfer pumps
you can combat this by being well versed
in the operation of your fuel system
this is especially true when flying an
unfamiliar aircraft
read the poh thoroughly and know the
transfer process
if you accidentally let a tank run dry a
rushed attempt to switch tanks can leave
room for mistakes and ultimately starve
the engine of fuel
always monitoring the clock or setting a
timer to switch tanks early can put you
ahead of the game
many of the strategies and ideas we've
presented aren't difficult to understand
but they can be easy to overlook
like most aspects of flying fuel
management takes a bit of forethought
and careful planning
recognizing the common causes of fuel
management accidents and following these
tips will help you to get to your
destination safely every time you fly
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you