PA 38 fuel consumption

[A and C]

We can all read the POH for the PA 38 fuel consumption but how much fuel do you realy use in one hour of average flying instruction ?.

[avlerx]

We have two PA38's, one averages just under 22 litres per hour the other just under 21 litres per hour. Both aircraft are used for training. Hope this helps.

[GoneWest]

...and as it says in that POH....when I ferried a PA38 from Manchester (England) to Faro (Portugal) I actually got book figures of 19 litres per hour - albeit leaned off at FL90 (not the average training flight).

It did, however, take me somewhat longer to get to Faro than it took the Monarch A300 that departed immediately before me.

[A and C]

I have no doubt that a skilled pilot on a long trip can make the POH numbers but i,m looking for the average when conducting flying instruction with average students through the training program.

[Kermit 180]

Depends largely on the lesson, but anything from 23-25 LPH is what our PA38 chews through.

Kermie

[lord melchett]

Crikey, you're not thinking of trading in the Robin for one are you Keith?

[A and C]

Good god NO !..........just looking at the leasing business.

[B2N2]

About 9 US gallons/hr....with a couple of tgo's at the end..

[Charlie Foxtrot India]

Here in Aus with the higher density altitiudes we lean them for taxiing and anytime you are in straight and level during training. We get 20 litres an hour.

[borderlaw]

24 Litres per hour in the circuit. Most of these old PA38's are fairly stuffed. For the price of an overhauled engine you can pay a deposit on one of them Italian clippers. PA38 engines are worn out and invariably burn out excessively. Great wee planes in their day. But they belong on a pole.

[A and C]

Thanks for the help guys it would seem that the "training " fuel burn is about 24lts/hr.

[ 04 February 2002: Message edited by: A and C ]</p>

[Charlie Foxtrot India]

Borderlaw, I'm interested, don't they overhaul the engines regularly over there? Here they have a "life" of 2400 hours, which I understand comes from Lycoming, then out it comes and many dollars later you have a good as new engine. I've stuck an oil cooler in one of mine which makes a big difference in operating temps and therefore saves in engine wear and tear. It cost 3 aussie grand to install but oil temp never goes above 180 deg F even when it's over 40 deg C outside, while the other tomahawks all sit just below the red line oil temp when it goes over 30 deg C outside. But they all sit on 20 litres an hour fuel consumption, less if doing lots of glide approaches.. .But we use a figure of 22 litres per hour for a bit of a safety margin.

[GoneWest]

B2N2...did you really mean 9 US galls per hour??

At 3.88 litres per gallon that comes out at over 34 litres!!

That sounds awfully high for a PA38.

[borderlaw]

CFI, Gidday. I used to get Lycoming o/H's on my PA38's but with the stuffed kiwi dollar and the creeping prices ex the USA an overhauled engine once imported with the ciore credit costs around US$13,000 then put on the cost of the removal of the old enginew and the installation of the new engine and your up another US$3,000. The problem is that you can over capitalise the value of the plane! You'd be lucky to sell a Tomahawk for more than US$10,000 these days. Corrosiuon, spar life, failing avionics. It's a bloody shame really. It's a nice plane despite the bull **** about it's spin performance. However you can make a substantial down payment on a new Cessn for that kind of money. Cheers

[A and C]

That may be the case in NZ but in the UK i have seen one joker asking £17,000 for a PA38 with 7000 hours on the airframe and 2600 on the engine (200 passed the lycoming recomended TBO)and no doubt if he waits long enough some mug will pay the price.