Definitely the best thread on PP. John Farley, Centarus, and Bergerie, those were the days!
My adventures - mostly all alone, so Captain of my fate....
First lesson, don't panic! and second lesson, don't necessarily believe the gauges. And Third, most important, if the aircraft is right side up and still airborne, you have more time than you may think to decide on the correct action or NO ACTION.
Cutting over the gulf of Florida, enroute to Tampa, at 11,000 feet alt. in a rented clapped out C172, I enjoyed the company of an enroute controller, who noticed I was straying from the intended flight path, and asked if there was a problem/
I replied actually, I may have a problem with fuel. One dial said full, one said empty, as both wing tanks should be feeding the engine, they should both drain down more or less in sympathy.
"Do you want to declare an emergency?" asked the controller, hopefully...
"Well, not just yet" I replied. The controller asked if I would like to be vectored to the nearest airport (not all that near, but never mind), being Tallahassee, the Florida State Capital.
I agreed to this suggestion. The controller then instructed me to DESCEND to 3,000! !
"NEGATIVE" I said, "If I am going to be flying a glider I want to start from as high as possible!"
Taking this on board, the controller then told me that he had cleared the airspace for me enroute to Tallahassee from 11,000 right down to the ground. All right! So I advised him when I had the airfield in sight, was transferred to tower, descended and landed straight ahead, to be met of course by all the emergency vehicles, and then taxied to the pumps...
Of course it was not a wasp nest in the fuel tank air vent after all, only the dials telling lies again.