Fuel Selectors...?
I posted this in Private Flying, but haven't had a response. Perhaps it's too techie?!
"Here's one for the technically minded out there.. .Why do training aircraft like PA38's have tank fuel selectors when others like the C152 have a basic on/off one. I don't need to know all about gravity feeds and fuel pumps though. This isn't a question about the good/bad points of the C152/PA38 either, merely why don't all aircraft just have on/off valves?
I can appreciate in larger multi-tank a/c that there have to be selectors from the weight and balance and fuel planning points of view but in training aircraft is seems like another potential problem.
If this is just for the "added realism" factor, then do you think/know whether it increases fuel burn or not.
The fuel burn question is the one that's been bugging me all day...!
Ah, 10 years since Trevor Thom means it's all gone hazy!
Thanks, Dai."
Perhaps it's a bit waffley, but I am intrigued whether fuel burn increases on a/c with an on/off selector compared to a left/right one?