Fuel Decisions

Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 01:28 PM ET

Verified

On The Cover: Opening up the fuel tank and peering into it with a flashlight can help us verify how much fuel we have aboard, and is one way to avoid fuel-related mishaps. And fuel-related mishaps account for a startling number of accidents, including fatals. For more, see the article beginning on page 16 by Tom Turner. Image by the Editor-In-Chief.

Key Takeaways:

Pilots frequently encounter unforeseen fuel unavailability at planned stops due to issues like locked pumps, faulty equipment, or weather, often without prior warnings.
Many pilots are incentivized to stretch fuel (e.g., for cost savings or maximum range), leading to risky low-fuel situations and sometimes ignoring certified unusable fuel quantities.
To ensure safety, pilots should always plan to land with sufficient fuel reserves to reach an alternate airport if a planned fuel stop proves unavailable, prioritizing safety over cost or maximum endurance.

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It’s happened to me three times. The first time happened about a year after I earned my Private Pilot certificate. About a week before my Practical Test I accepted delivery of NC89954, a 1946 Cessna 120. The 120 is a side-by-side two-seat tailwheel airplane with fabric-covered wings and an 85 horsepower engine. It’s the airplane that eventually evolved into the Cessna 150 and 152.

With about a year’s experience in type, I launched on my first epic aerial journey, from my home in central Missouri to Detroit to visit family. My dad, a Honolulu-based airline mechanic and one-time lightplane pilot himself, flew in to Kansas City to join me on this odyssey. Our first leg stopped in Hannibal, Missouri, just short of the Missouri River.