You all sump fuel? Also, what is this!!??? (Not clickbait)

[nrpetersen]

This explanation came from Amoco about 50 years ago after I had a harrowing forced landing entirely within the KFCM pattern on a bitterly cold MN day. Afterwards we drained over a quart of fuel to even see any sign of ice crystals. We found the 172H gascolator was entirely plugged with ice crystals accumulated from an immediately previous 1 1/2 hr flight. The fuel was from a frequently used FBO underground tank, but certainly was filled during warmer weather and was stored below the MN frost line. But then it had been chilled in the parked 172H over nite in an unheated hangar. A dab of deicer in the 172 fuel tank cleared the gascolator screen, otherwise the tank drains were clear.

This was in the days of 80 octane fuel, but are present 100LL fuels checked for infinitesimally small amount of dissolved water? Or are trace amounts of deicer included with fuel shipments? I'm sure less than a teaspoon of dissolved water as ice crystals could block a gascolator screen.

 

[GeorgeC]

Whacha gon' do with all that jank
All that jank inside yo tank

my sumps, my sumps my sumps my sumps

all the other kids with the sumps that drip

 

[Albany Tom]

This site is THE site for tips that just might save your life if you fly, and humor that sometimes questions how valuable that is.

 

[MauleSkinner]

The Mooney especially never let line man close them. It takes both hands to close. One to hold cap and one to close handle. Lineman would do it one handed while holding gas nozzle in the other. They would put cap on turn handle then wack the lever down with fist. Sure to bend tabs.

I had a line guy walking toward my airplane with a mallet one time because he didn’t understand how to latch a fuel cap.

 

[TCABM]

This is as good a thread as any. Leaving GLS today, I did my normal sump into a GATS jar since I picked up 16 gallons.

Climbed up to pour it back into the right wing tank and found this lineman’s handywork.

Remember to check the fuel caps if someone fueled you up.

 

[Half Fast]

This is as good a thread as any. Leaving GLS today, I did my normal sump into a GATS jar since I picked up 16 gallons.

Climbed up to pour it back into the right wing tank and found this lineman’s handywork.

Remember to check the fuel caps if someone fueled you up.

Send that pic to the FBO.

 

[robin ardoin]

In addition to sumping after any fueling, I also look at the fuel caps as part of my pre-flight. Us high-wingers don’t have the advantage of noting an issue during flight.

 

[asicer]

Remember to check the fuel caps if someone fueled you up.

It's one of the things I look at during the "final walk around" step of my pre-flight checklist.

 

[Ed Haywood]

Looking at the caps isn't enough. Gotta manually check to make sure they are turned to the stops. Otherwise you might wind up in a soybean field in Illinois. Ask me how I know.

 

[M20K]

It's one of the things I look at during the "final walk around" step of my pre-flight checklist.

Why not during your actual initial walk around.

I don't know if it was because it was a *thing* back when I was getting my Private, or the CFI was just being safe. But part of the exterior check was to open the fuel cap and actually look in. Partially to see if there was really fuel in there, but also to make sure you didn't see anything floating around in the tank. So after doing that, you're the last one to close the fuel cap. So you know it's correct and one more check off on your list.

 

[Gilbert Buettner]

Why not during your actual initial walk around.

I don't know if it was because it was a *thing* back when I was getting my Private, or the CFI was just being safe. But part of the exterior check was to open the fuel cap and actually look in. Partially to see if there was really fuel in there, but also to make sure you didn't see anything floating around in the tank. So after doing that, you're the last one to close the fuel cap. So you know it's correct and one more check off on your list.

We teach students to dip the tanks for a realistic measure of how much fuel is there (unless it is full, of course).

 

[asicer]

Why not during your actual initial walk around.

Because I dip the tanks on my intermediate walk around. Looking at the caps on my final walk around is a back stop in case I got distracted during the dip or I have a rated passenger that thinks they're copilot/SIC and checked the tanks while I wasn't looking.

Looking at the caps isn't enough. Gotta manually check to make sure they are turned to the stops.

The planes I fly these days, the tabs should be aligned with the direction of flight.

 

[Gary Ward]

My hangar friend got distracted during a conversation at the fuel pumps with the linesmen fueling his 182. He took off and flew about an hour and started to notice increased fuel burn. His wife next to him said she smelled fuel but he didn't smell it much himself. Decided to land a 1/2 hr early to check it out. Found the cap dangling from the chain but it was still there!
I don't like other people fueling my plane. I had to replace one of my tanks, not easy or cheap to do. Never let a fuel nozzle hang from your fuel opening because it flexes the top of your tank and it will crack eventually.