Flight Training - April 2014 - 21

FLIGHT LESSON

By Rick Ellis
FLIGHT LESSON offers the
opportunity for pilots to learn
from the experiences of others.

About a third of the way home we
overflew the municipal airport and I
again looked at the gauges, which were
now nearly at empty. That just can't be, I
thought, the fuel totalizer shows 27 gallons
and that is a new piece of equipment; the
fuel gauges are nearly 60 years old. We
were both tired and my son was eager to
get home, so I opted to believe the fuel
totalizer and continued toward home.
About three miles past the municipal
airport I came to my senses and turned
around. By now it was dark and the
thought of running out of fuel at night was
more than I was prepared to risk. I was
sure it was just faulty gauges and I would
find I had plenty of fuel, but I needed to
he day's planned activities were much like many late-summer check. I taxied up to the fuel island, took
weekend days. My youngest son and I were going to fly 40
the flashlight out, and got the ladder. Two
miles from our home to my office with a grass strip to show
steps up the ladder, I stopped in shock.
him the Christen Eagle that the company just acquired. I
The fuel cap was not on the left wing tank,
make this trip from home to the office many times a week in a 1962
and both tanks were nearly dry. The realCessna 182. The previous owner had updated it with new avionics,
ization that I would not have made it home
including a Garmin 480 with WAAS, 340 audio panel, 327 transponder,
and I could have caused harm to my son
MX20 MFD, and a fuel totalizer. Flying this well-equipped airplane
hit me hard. I keep a car in the hangar that
almost daily on the short flight to the office had become routine, like
we have at the airport, so I put the airplane
most people would view their daily commute in their car.
in the hangar and drove home.
Looking back, I was three links into the
Arriving at the airport for this day's
the 30-plus gallons I should still have on
chain of an accident that needed only four
flight the weather was clear and calm.
board. I checked the fuel totalizer and it
links to happen. The first link was when
After the preflight I taxied over to the fuel was showing about 31 gallons. I wanted
my son put away the ladder after fueling; I
pumps. The fuel totalizer showed 13 galto believe the fuel totalizer; after all, I had always do that myself and check the caps
lons of fuel on board and the fuel gauges
only been in the air 20 minutes or so. I
then. The second link is a little harder to
agreed, showing just under a quarter
entered the pattern and landed.
let myself off the hook for. I should have
tank in each wing. I put 12 gallons in each
The day was filled with flying the Eagle. investigated upon landing why there was a
wing and put up the hose and groundWe enjoyed some great food on the grill
fuel discrepancy. The third link was staying wire as my son stored the ladder. I
with some co-workers and friends. All the ing too long and not giving myself enough
adjusted the fuel totalizer to reflect the
while, the 182 waited to take us home.
time to get out before nightfall. Doing a
now 37 gallons I had on board. The fuel
The sun was getting low in the sky as
substandard preflight is something I will
gauges agreed, showing just more than a
we finished getting everything cleaned up. never do again. If I had not broken the
half tank in each wing.
By the time we got back to the 182 we had chain and turned around to check the fuel,
The expected burn for this airplane at
time for a quick preflight before we lost
the result could have had consequences
my normal power setting for low-altitude
the light we needed to get out of the grass
beyond what I even want to think about.
An airplane is not an automobile, even
flight is about 13 gallons per hour. With
strip safely. Taxing out, the fuel gauges
little wind at 2,000 feet, the trip usually
once again troubled me. We were showif you use it like one. Whether you fly
takes between 20 and 25 minutes, so I
ing only about a quarter tank in each wing every day or only occasionally, you need
expected to land with just more than 30
when we should have been showing nearly to be thorough with your preflight and do
gallons still in the tanks.
half. Even a quarter tank is enough for the not ignore or dismiss anything out of the
The flight was pretty much as expected. short flight home and the fuel totalizer
ordinary. I've known pilots who have run
Just short of landing I noticed the fuel
was still showing 30 gallons, so I departed out of fuel and said I could never be one of
them-but, oh, how close I came.
gauges were reading much lower than
just as the sun dipped below the horizon.

FUELISHNESS

WHEN SOMETHING IS OUT OF THE ORDINARY

/ 21

SARAH HANSON

APRIL 2014 FLIGHT TRAINING

Flight Training - April 2014

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