Metro 23 Operators
 

Hello

I'd like to enquire for an advice from Metro 23 Operators/Pilots/Engineers.

We are recently did a test flight with one of the company in Australia and after the test flight we found the aircraft was dripping fuel out of its tank from its fuel drain. The seller told us that fuel dripping it is quite a common thing for Metro 23 but we asked them to fix it properly.

Would anyone be able to tell us how serious it could potentially be and whether the seller is telling the truth or not.

Thank you :)

If it's in the wheel well it's a no-go item due to the wheels retracting into the wheel wells with potential catastrophic consequences if the brakes are hot.

If it's in the under wing drains inboard then it's pretty common......

I guess it depends just how much is dripping?
If it is a lot then that's obviously an issue but as GG said, a small amount is fairly common in all the Metro 23s I've come into contact with.

Bah, where's your sense of adventure GG?

I thought it was designed like that as they fly so fast that the heat expands the tanks when in flight. Or is that the SR-71 Im thinking of.....:confused:

When the fuel stops dripping ... your out of gas! :E

If it's forward of the wing in the middle of the belly it's alcohol from the CAWI system and if it's aft of the wing in the middle it's condensation after flight.

They usually drip for a while after landing particularly if it has cold soaked at altitude and descended into warm humid air.

They didn't leak from the factory.

But they all seem to leak shortly after.

Honestly the 23's were better than the earlier metros about dripping fuel.

They were sealed during construction with sealer placed between the panels/ribs.

Unfortunately age and hard landings tends to degrade the sealing.

The fairchild factory Repair station in San Antonio prior to bankrupt would only gaurantee a seal job about 3 months.