visual check

[decmax]

I am very new to instructing, so bear with me, when i was training, and building hours, it was a habit to refuel the aircraft after every sortie, [within reason]. My instructing so far has consisted of trial leasons, and i do a visual inspection of the fuel before each flight. my question is this, when say a C-152 has flown, two and a half hours,and you look in the tanks and the fuel is bellow tabs, but you can just see it sploshing around [cause the lights rubbish] how much fuel is in there? are you going to look over cautious,knowing that by the numbers, you have at least an hour of safe flying, and you have a half hour, trial leason thats waiting to get airborne, as i said i'm very green so would welcome some input, cheers, max.

[Pigs Might Fly]

The best thing to use is a dipstick that has been calibrated to the tanks on that particular aircraft. There are C152's around with long range tanks that can apear the same as any other C152 so it's important to use that aircraft's dipstick.

[TWINCOMM]

Why don't you get into the habit of being present when the aircraft are being refuelled, that way you will be able to correlate visual indications with fuel volumes required to top off the tanks.

Anyway why is it a problem to get the aircraft fuelled if you are not sure?.

At the end of the day it's your licence and future on the line if it goes wrong. The CAA will not accept the argument that the CFI said it was OK.

If you are new to the game, the CFI should be encouraging a safe approach until you are happy with a quick look that tells YOU its OK.


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TwinComm

[Oleo]

Trying to judge the level of the gas by peering into the tank is notoriously unreliable and prone to visual illusions.

As suggested, best thing is to use a calibrated dipstick or err on the side or caution.

Fuel left in the bowser is one of the three most useless things to an aviator!

Good on you for enquiring - fly safe ;)

[A Very Civil Pilot]

As a rough rule of thumb, the C152 flies for 4 hours on full tanks, so count the hours flown since last re-fuelling. But, as Twincomm says, it's your licence, so get it right. (The CAA are keen on prosecuting for fuel starvation)

[NIMBUS]

Why not make it a rule never to take off without full tanks, especially with a student?
This will give the student a habit which could prevent him running out of fuel on a X-C, and takes all the guesswork out! Its better to KNOW you have 4 hours, rather than think you should have 1 hour or 2 hours or whatever!

[Tinstaafl]

I don't agree with the idea of teaching full tanks all the time.

What happens when the person wants to take a full passenger load (plus some bags)? Very few aircraft can take full fuel + full payload.

Far better to teach fuel management - which includes planning & in-flight situations that don't have fuel fuel available.

I feel this is particularly important in the outback where the opportunity to go with a fuel fuel load may not be available.

[NIMBUS]

Tinstaafl,
Good point. Can't disagree with your logic, but for a student I think full is the way to go, at least in the beginning.

I've never flown down-under. Driven quite a bit there in the last few years, and thinking of going there next year do do some flying.
Any suggestions on what to expect on a FAA licence..?????