Level Flight Minor Problems

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Leebarkley

Filing Flight Plan
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Lee Barkley
Questions for who can shed some insight,
I have a 1971 Cessna 172L 180HP, I have been noticing a few things of concern.

1) When I fly I always fuel the plane after flying and I notice that more fuel pulls from the left wing then the right, its a noticeable difference and I always keep the fuel selector on "both" when I fly. Should I be concerned and what should I do to get an even burn out of both wings?

2) During unaccelerated straight and level flight the plane is in a constant skid to the left. The ball on the turn indicator is pulled to the right all the way out of the center. If I don't hold constant right rudder the plane turns to the left......my foot gets a little tired. How can I fix this?

Any advice is better then what I have now.....which is nothing lol. Thanks all!!:)
 
Is this a flight school airplane?

Your first issue is likely directly related to the second issue. It could be traced to the airplane being slightly out of rig, or the fixed trim tab on the vertical stab was messed with, probably by someone saying "Oh, that shouldn't be bent, let me straighten that out."
 
before you do anything regarding (2) make sure your TC is installed level to the airframe
 
What Jeff said; and be sure the plane is leveled laterally before adjusting the TC.
 
It has nothing to do with the airplane being out of rig.

All Cessnas feed unevenly on "both."

It is normal.
 
kgruber said:
It has nothing to do with the airplane being out of rig.

All Cessnas feed unevenly on "both."

It is normal.
Click to expand...

I was going to say that the few times I've seen Cessnas burn evenly I was surprised :)
 
That uneven Cessna burn is normal when the tanks are full (the vent crossover is full of fuel so it will transfer fuel from left to right, since the vent feeds the left tank and pushes it across) but once it drops below that it should feed evenly. If it's still uneven, it's most often a leaking fuel cap allowing the low pressure atop the wing to exert a pull on the fuel and retarding its feed from that tank, and it's most always the right tank. Leaking left caps just result in low pressure in both tanks.

Those cap gaskets get old and hard and either crack or won't conform to the filler flange when closed. The leaf spring that holds them on gets weak or bent, and the low pressure on the wing pulls them up a little. The silicone check valve gets old and can let air out, too. The filler neck flange is steel, the plating wears off, and it will rust and pit and let air in.

There are good reasons why it should feed evenly, and when it doesn't it's most often due to poor maintenance. All the plumbing from left and right is identical; there is no more restriction on one side or the other. The only difference is that the vent feeds the left tank, and the vent crossover links the two tanks so that pressures, in non-leaky tanks, are identical once the fuel drops below the vent crossover.

Dan
 
Thanks for the help thus far. As far as the TC it shows "level" when the plane is on level ground. The plane is not a flight training plane and just came out of annual so I guess someone walking around the hanger could have messed with the trim tab on the rudder. Is this something that takes rocket science to fix or is it just a matter of bending it back is using the trail and error method? Dan thanks for the explanation on the fuel tanks.
 
kgruber said:
It has nothing to do with the airplane being out of rig.

All Cessnas feed unevenly on "both."

It is normal.
Click to expand...

The OP said the ball was out of the cage by one diameter. That is not normal in S&L flight and can definitely affect fuel burn.

To the OP: It is very frequent that a C-172 will land with uneven fuel burn. Hunt down the ball problem and then see how it goes. Report back.

-Skip
 
Check the fuel caps and seals. Also check on why the ball doesn't center.
 
And, after the airplane has been rigged by a Cessna specialist, and all the fuel cap maintenance has been done, and all the vent lines are clear...............It will still feed unevenly. Just as they did right out of the factory.


That'd just what they do.
 
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