Sounds like a Saratoga II. Long, skinny wings resulted in no fuel visible through the filler when there was a lot left. Solution: a factory installed mechanical fuel gauge visible on the ground or in flight.
-Skip
-Skip
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
I wouldn't be so sure. IIRC @tonycondon, who lands in fields all the time with his gliders, avoids soybeans because they can get "grabby" and flip you over too.
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
Same thing with a DA40 - It has very long, skinny tanks so it only takes about 3 gallons burned before the tank looks dry where the cap is.
The long, skinny tanks are aluminum cells nestled in between dual wing spars so it's an extremely safe design, just leads to the quirk that you can't see the fuel. They do provide a weird contraption that you can hook up to the sump drains and still have a mechanical means of seeing the levels, though.
bluerooster
Pattern Altitude
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2,089
- Display Name
Display name:
shorty
Dad had a similar event in his 182. He took off with plenty of fuel to make his destination. And made it to within about 50 miles.
Landed at a closed airport. The whole side of his airplane was blue. The seals in the flush gas caps had allowed fuel to be siphoned overboard. When he got home, he installed new "Umbrella" caps.
Landed at a closed airport. The whole side of his airplane was blue. The seals in the flush gas caps had allowed fuel to be siphoned overboard. When he got home, he installed new "Umbrella" caps.