I'd like to ask where this water has come from. Water doesn't usually just appear. Take a sample of the fuel you're about to tank, if you like.
So if you check the fuel supply before refuelling, and have already checked the aircraft, it is not unreasonable to assume that you have a clean supply.
When I was responsible for a fuel supply I always used to show the samples which I'd taken from the bowser each day and keep them for a number of days so that I could prove the supply to be clean.
By all means get students to check the fuel until it becomes second nature to be sure of the quality of the fuel but it is counter-productive to go through actions which, as you point out, don't make sense.
Top tip. If you pull a sample which is free of water, put some water in it (spit if need be). You won't get anything out of a fuel tank that doesn't smell and feel like fuel (the glass may also be stained by the dye) so the only way to be sure that your sample is clean is to see that the two fluids don't act like each other.
Last edited by Miserlou; 15th Jun 2005 at 20:54.