Originally Posted by
Thomas coupling
Choppie - you've got balls, Ill give you that
The Airbus 135 series couldn't be simpler. The fuel system takes about 30 minutes to read about and digest and about the same to operate confidently. Any 'anomolies' (like captions appearing at certain pitch attitudes can, in this particular incident be put down to the 135 being used for police ops - something the designers didn't exactly have at the top of their wish list.
The 'job' causes these 'digresions' from design and consequently the operator has to accomodate them. Hence the switching off, of the Tx pumps during prolonged hover to avoid masking other warnings and to assist with night vision for eg.
It 'appears' that the pilot forgot about them after departure from a previous hover - possibly because they were busy?
Take it from me Choppie - the fuel system on a 135 is/was a doddle. Now would you like to talk about the 101 or S3 or CH47 fuel systems perhaps?
Radio controlled aircraft don't need fuel and Robbo's have elastic bands so those are even simpler to manage
Or the AS332, was it 19 tanks, with a left right imbalance and a transfer requirement that was easily got wrong? Thank you Pete Benson on my 332 command course for that one.
The 355, one tank supplying each engine, but the aft one bigger and the transfer was from aft to forward only? How many new 355 pilots got caught by that? I did by the way.
The S61 with a slightly larger front tank to feed the janitrol heater, and a fuel dump system that could really drop you in the guano? Thanks Geoff L landing on the Charigali and dropping a couple of hundred pounds on the deck.
My only complaints about the 135 system, it’s never got enough, and it’s a prize bugger to fill. And when those pump lights come on you really do need to be looking for some more gas soon.
Before Clutha we were allowed to run down to 60kg total in the supply tanks with mains empty (day, VFR) Immediately after Clutha the min landing fuel was full supply tanks.
The checklist was not IMHO well written, that has also changed, but the 135 course covered the fuel system very well.
Chop; you’re picking an argument with a machine you don’t know, but a lot of us on here do know. You won’t win. And for info, the 135 is the helicopter I have always felt safest in over the last 30 years flying rotary, and about 3500 hours on type, with a good margin of power and simple systems.
SND