Cessna fuel measuring rods
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From: Kent
Cessna fuel measuring rods
Browsing in Transair the other day (as you do), I noticed these gauges for the first time. Probably old hat, but new to me. They are plastic rods with a hole through them, where you place them in the fuel tank, pop your finger over the hole and through some dodgy law of physics (never my strong point), the fuel rises up, and stays in, so when you take the stick out, you can read off the fuel against the level marks and tell how much you've got.
Great idea - though a wooden stick would probably do just as good a job.
Anyway, it is a great idea for Cessnas, especially when you are trying to get that fourth elephant in, and wonder how much fuel you can take.
Does anyone have experience of them? Are they reliable?
Thanks
Great idea - though a wooden stick would probably do just as good a job.
Anyway, it is a great idea for Cessnas, especially when you are trying to get that fourth elephant in, and wonder how much fuel you can take.
Does anyone have experience of them? Are they reliable?
Thanks
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From: England
I bought a universal version "Fuel Hawk", you have to spend time calibrating it - take the fuel out then re fill by known steps ie 5l recording as you go.
I could never be a*sed so its never been used other than as a dip stick.
I now fly a plane that has half its fuel hidden in the wing root so it useless anyway. If you want it its yours gratis. PM me
I could never be a*sed so its never been used other than as a dip stick.
I now fly a plane that has half its fuel hidden in the wing root so it useless anyway. If you want it its yours gratis. PM me
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From: Kent
Before I take up DavidT's kind offer, Bose-X, SquawkModeA, with the specific Cessna ones (I'm interested in one for a C172), what is entailed with calibration? Is this always a case of emptying the tanks? Or is it simpler than that?
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From: Kent
oops
Apologies to all, I've just noticed the PA28 dipstick thread furhter down. Should have appended this to that one.
Dipstick threads eh, just like buses, wait for ever and then 2 come along at the same time
Dipstick threads eh, just like buses, wait for ever and then 2 come along at the same time
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From: Between Galaxies
Hey sorry to jump on this thread with a slightly off topic question. But I fly a C150 and Ive always wondered - Why exactly are the fuel guages in the cockpit SO unreliable?? Surely in this day and age, especially for something as important as fuel indication, accurate fuel guages can be found?
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From: Europe
Surely in this day and age
On calibrating the 'generic' fuel Hawk.
Takes about an hour on the outside. Start with empty tanks and fill them up with a known quantity at the time (I used 5 USG) then dipstick it after each fuel addition and put it on the graph that comes with it.
Repeat for each tank and you have your own calibrated graph. Works well.
If you buy the pre-calibrated aeroplane specific one make sure it is the right one for your aeroplane. Tanks do differ from one variant to the next.
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Ahh I see - I suppose it wouldnt be a good financial idea to fit aircraft with guages that may save lives, then again it would be pretty expensive.. ahhh economics!
Hmm, I made a comment about using a wooden stick that I seem to deleted when editing the post earlier. Sorry for any confusion.
Last edited by High Wing Drifter; 6th March 2005 at 10:47.
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From: Vancouver Island
Quote :
" Great idea - though a wooden stick would probably do just as good a job. "
............................................................ .........
Unfortunately a wooden stick is a very poor tool to measure the amount of fuel in a tank due to wicking and then quick evaporation.
The clear tube with fuel trapped in it gives an exact measurement as long as you make sure it is all the way to the bottom of the tank and you give it a few seconds for the fuel to equalize with the depth of the fuel.
Chuck
" Great idea - though a wooden stick would probably do just as good a job. "
............................................................ .........
Unfortunately a wooden stick is a very poor tool to measure the amount of fuel in a tank due to wicking and then quick evaporation.
The clear tube with fuel trapped in it gives an exact measurement as long as you make sure it is all the way to the bottom of the tank and you give it a few seconds for the fuel to equalize with the depth of the fuel.
Chuck
