Flight Training - July 2021 - 8

AROUND THE PATCH BY JILL W. TALLMAN
ONLINE RESOURCES
Technical Editor JILL W. TALLMAN
currently flies a Cessna 182 that
holds 90 gallons usable, and she
tankers fuel whenever possible.
jill.tallman@aopa.org
Fuel Management Safety Spotlight
airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/
fuelmanagement
Fuel Management Made Easy video
airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyvideos/
fuelmanagement
FLYING ON FUMES
A Twitter philosopher made me laugh out loud the other day.
I'll paraphrase the tweet: " We can't have flying cars because you
[expletives] will run your tanks dry, falling out the sky, saying 'I
know my car.' "
It's funny because it's true. That little low-fuel light comes on and many of us
keep driving past the gas station, convinced we've got another 10, 20, or even 50 miles
before we're on fumes.
It's not so funny when you consider how many general aviation pilots run tanks
dry and land short of an airport. The most recent Joseph T. Nall Report from the
AOPA Air Safety Institute found that, in 2018-the latest year for which accident
data is available-there were 56 accidents attributable to fuel mismanagement.
Seven of these were fatal.
When it comes to aviation safety, I subscribe to a couple of theories. One is John
and Martha King's assertion that flight is inherently a risky activity, but those risks
can be reduced if they're managed. One of the ways I manage risk in flying is not
flying at night. Many pilots love flying at night because of the smooth air and quiet
radio frequencies. For me, it's about poor night vision; the possibility of engine
failure at night when suitable landing spots aren't as easily spotted; and the remote
yet distinct possibility of encountering clouds. The pleasures of night flying are just
not worth the risk for me.
For fuel management, I belong to the " you only have too much fuel if you're on
fire " school of thought. The FAA requirement that you plan to land with at least 30
minutes fuel on board during daytime VFR is, to me, laughable. I make that reserve
8
FLIGHT TRAINING JULY 2021
an hour, because you just never know.
Filling up before every flight is a simple
thing to remember during preflight, and
it makes fuel management a non-issue if
you don't have to take weight and balance
into account.
Still, I recall the one or two occasions
when I thought I might have a fuel emergency.
In one instance, I flew a friend to an
Eastern Shore airport for lunch, intending
to fill up at the destination. The airport did
not normally sell fuel but, because a large
group of pilots were expected, they promised
to have some available. Guess what?
They did not. The airplane I flew had
enough to get us to another airport, but
I sweated the whole time-and we were
flying over water for much of it, which
didn't help. And I felt bad that I had put
my friend-also a pilot-in that situation.
The sick feeling in my stomach, the fixation
on the fuel gauges-these memories
have stuck with me, and whenever I am
even slightly tempted to make an assumption
on the amount of fuel in the airplane's
tanks, I am drawn back to that day. And I
head to the fuel pump or call up the FBO,
because I never want to be in that situation
again. Ever hear someone say, " How would
it read in the NTSB report? " It's like that.
Tankering fuel isn't possible for everyone.
In the Idaho backcountry, extra fuel is
extra weight, and extra weight is a liability,
particularly on a high density altitude
day. Some flying clubs and partnerships
request pilots not fill fuel tanks upon completing
a flight, because the next person
scheduled to fly the airplane might not
want it at full gross weight.
If fuel remains a consideration-say
you want to fly three friends for lunch,
and you can't fill up the tanks and make it
work-consider flying those three friends
to lunch at a nearby airport with a working
fuel pump. (Check those notams!)
Refill as you can.
You can know your car, and you can
know your airplane. But until they start
building avgas stations in the sky, please
do yourself and everyone else a favor and
tanker that fuel when possible. FT
https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/online-learning/safety-spotlights/fuel-management https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/online-learning/safety-spotlights/fuel-management https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrn3QO89Dc&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrn3QO89Dc&feature=youtu.be
Flight Training - July 2021

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