Should "Check fuel tank breathers are free of obstruction" be part of every daily"?
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Jabawocky......PAN....F@#K....MAYDAY....your pitcrew look nothing like my set of gorillas??? Trying to post an image but it's all to hard and not worth the quality????? Trust me!!!!
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I thought you would would have known about the hornets nest in the breather trick Forkie.
I had it drummed into me as part of the preflight during my Bonanza endorsement 17
years ago. It's generally the inboard vent (foward facing near the underside wing root) that are the most vunerable to mud wasps and hornets. The phillips screwdriver part of your fuel drain tool fits neatly into the hole to check for obstructions. Out here in the Summer you often find it blocked.
Another hint that you might have a partially blocked vent problem, is to see if the fuel bladder has risen up towards the fuel cap opening, when you refuel. There won't be a big rush of air in when you remove the cap, but the lower part of the fuel bladder will have risen up a bit from the floor where it usually sits.
(I hope that makes sense)
I hope that you don't end up getting a green/blue stain happening on the underside of the wing in the near future. That's often what happens after a scenario like yours.... the bladder starts leaking.
Another place to check for obstructions is in the nose gear well. The exhaust for the Vac pump (it's a pressure system on the Bonanza) exits out here, and if blocked... the pneumatic instruments won't work! It mimics a vac pump failure.. and took us a whole week and 2 new vac pumps to get to the bottom of it!! It turned out that it was simply blocked by a Hornets nest.
I had it drummed into me as part of the preflight during my Bonanza endorsement 17
years ago. It's generally the inboard vent (foward facing near the underside wing root) that are the most vunerable to mud wasps and hornets. The phillips screwdriver part of your fuel drain tool fits neatly into the hole to check for obstructions. Out here in the Summer you often find it blocked.Another hint that you might have a partially blocked vent problem, is to see if the fuel bladder has risen up towards the fuel cap opening, when you refuel. There won't be a big rush of air in when you remove the cap, but the lower part of the fuel bladder will have risen up a bit from the floor where it usually sits.
(I hope that makes sense)
I hope that you don't end up getting a green/blue stain happening on the underside of the wing in the near future. That's often what happens after a scenario like yours.... the bladder starts leaking.
Another place to check for obstructions is in the nose gear well. The exhaust for the Vac pump (it's a pressure system on the Bonanza) exits out here, and if blocked... the pneumatic instruments won't work! It mimics a vac pump failure.. and took us a whole week and 2 new vac pumps to get to the bottom of it!! It turned out that it was simply blocked by a Hornets nest.
Last edited by BEACH KING; 24th Jul 2009 at 05:28.
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Originally Posted by Jabawocky
Let me see how they compare to mine........................What do you reckon boys??? 
You need a pit crew to program your Garmin 530 for you.
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Don't start me....... they could do better in the intuitive department like they do with other products! 
Lucky I have a Manual on board, apart from the paper one, where you can word search really quickly!
Lucky I have a Manual on board, apart from the paper one, where you can word search really quickly!
Little bastards those mud wasps eh! They seem to love the vents on my van for some peculiar reason. I know of at least one case where the wing has 'imploded'...in the states i believe.
He got down ok...but costly!
He got down ok...but costly!
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There are a couple of stories in assorted "crash comics", where blocked fuel tank vents have scrunched up the fuel bladder and pulled the metal fuel drain cock out of the bladder on Bonanzas. The fuel drain cock snares on the wing skin.
This instantly fixes the vent problem, but then lets all the fuel out under the wing, where you don't notice it escaping.
Pretty sure it did not end well on a couple of occassions.
This instantly fixes the vent problem, but then lets all the fuel out under the wing, where you don't notice it escaping.
Pretty sure it did not end well on a couple of occassions.
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Just a few points:
1. The blockage should have been removed by an engineer. Removal a fuel vent system blockage does not fall under schedule 8.
2. Any engineer worth 2c would have then done a lot of checks a pilot can't do. This would include checking the bladder for distortion or damage, checking the fuel quantity system and conducting a fuel calibration, draining fuel and checking for contamination in case some of the foreign material entered the fuel before the complete blockage occurred, cleaning the fuel screens/filters and injectors. I can recall at least one PA31 accident where a blocked vent caused bladder deformation and as a result the float fuel quantity system indicated an empty tank to be full. Fuel starvation and fatalities resulted.
3. Composite aircraft with wet wings are another level again. One Australian operator I know of has been cost hundreds of thousands of dollars due to delaminated wings caused by wasp nests in fuel vents.
4. Anyone on here suggesting jamming things in there to stop nests forming is crazy. An engineering order or STC (often a lengthy process) would be required to make it legal. It leaves you in a compromised position if something were to go wrong, not only legally but also with insurance.
5. I also wouldn't go blowing on them. Might end up with a mouthful of fuel for your trouble, or blow contaminants back into the fuel tank. If in doubt, ask a LAME to check it for you.
1. The blockage should have been removed by an engineer. Removal a fuel vent system blockage does not fall under schedule 8.
2. Any engineer worth 2c would have then done a lot of checks a pilot can't do. This would include checking the bladder for distortion or damage, checking the fuel quantity system and conducting a fuel calibration, draining fuel and checking for contamination in case some of the foreign material entered the fuel before the complete blockage occurred, cleaning the fuel screens/filters and injectors. I can recall at least one PA31 accident where a blocked vent caused bladder deformation and as a result the float fuel quantity system indicated an empty tank to be full. Fuel starvation and fatalities resulted.
3. Composite aircraft with wet wings are another level again. One Australian operator I know of has been cost hundreds of thousands of dollars due to delaminated wings caused by wasp nests in fuel vents.
4. Anyone on here suggesting jamming things in there to stop nests forming is crazy. An engineering order or STC (often a lengthy process) would be required to make it legal. It leaves you in a compromised position if something were to go wrong, not only legally but also with insurance.
5. I also wouldn't go blowing on them. Might end up with a mouthful of fuel for your trouble, or blow contaminants back into the fuel tank. If in doubt, ask a LAME to check it for you.
Thread Starter
1. The blockage should have been removed by an engineer. Removal a fuel vent system blockage does not fall under schedule 8.
"The operator and pilot in command must ensure that, before the commencement of each day’s flying, all external fuel tank vents are inspected for freedom from obstruction."
2. Any engineer worth 2c would have then done a lot of checks a pilot can't do. This would include checking the bladder for distortion or damage, checking the fuel quantity system and conducting a fuel calibration, draining fuel and checking for contamination in case some of the foreign material entered the fuel before the complete blockage occurred, cleaning the fuel screens/filters and injectors.
5. I also wouldn't go blowing on them. Might end up with a mouthful of fuel for your trouble, or blow contaminants back into the fuel tank. If in doubt, ask a LAME to check it for you.
Dr
