Piper Warrior - Fuel Measurement

[BigBadLou]

May be I missing something. Please advise.

What you are missing is a good CFI. (if he says you can't use a dipstick in a Piper or that the tanks are full at 15gal, he needs some serious retraining)
And if you have to ask here whether your CFI is correct, something is obviously not right.
Glad you asked for a second opinion ... and you get a few here.

I agree on the dipstick, it is a good way to make sure you have enough fuel. Filling her up just because somebody teaches it that way shows poor understanding of fuel planning and W&B.

Whenever I start flying a different (new-to-me) airplane, I get more gas than required to have extra reserve. Once I establish the burn rates and verify them myself, I get more comfortable and put in only as much fuel as I need (with reserves, of course).

Is not so important to get the exact fuel level for W&B?

Yes, it is important. The PA28 can be temperamental and most of them are usually nose-heavy so knowing how much fuel is important.
Glad you asked. Smart people question authority (especially if given suspiciously incorrect information).

Now go fly!

 

[fiveoboy01]

I don't have a stick.

I take off with fuel either at the tabs, or full. This way I know how much fuel I have and I can use my fuel flow to know what I've used and what's left.

If the fuel is above the tab but not to the top of the filler neck, I simply keep track of it as if it had started at the tab.

If it will be a short local flight of an hour or so, I will take off if at least one of the two tanks is at or above the tab.

All of the scenarios above give me a known starting quantity of fuel. Due to the possibility of a fuel stick giving me an inaccurate measurement, I don't use them. Eyeballing the level is not easy and I don't trust that method anyways.

90% of the time, I have the tanks topped before I take off. FBO is on the field and drives the fuel truck to my hangar, it's zero hassle to call them and ask for them to come and fuel me. Exceptions are when there will be a weight issue.

 

[fiveoboy01]

Warrior II also PA-28-161 is the big Warrior. They lengthened the fuselage (resulting in more legroom for the back seat) and changed from the "Hershey Bar" wing (essentially a big rectangle) to the tapered wing. You can recognize it easily on the ramp: Warrior II or model suffix -161 has three windows in the side of the fuselage, whereas Warrior model suffix 160 has two. -Skip

The Warrior always had a tapered wing, starting in 1974 when it was introduced as the PA28-151. In 1977 it was given more HP and dubbed the Warrior II/-161. It never had the Hershey Bar.

 

[Skip Miller]

Thanks... I learned something today! When did they lengthen the fuselage? See post #31 short fuse and below, stretched.

 

[fiveoboy01]

That I am not sure about. The Archer was lengthened in '74 I think, and got the taperwing in '76 when it was renamed the Archer II.

I THINK (but I am not sure) that the warrior had the stretched fuselage beginning with its introduction in '74.

I'm anxiously awaiting a few books on these topics. I want to be the Piper Pilawt of POA even if I might never get there. That guy knows everything