Fuel Burned

In the spring of 1984, I was 23 and a new pilot, with barely 120 hours. While planning a trip that would include my wife and another couple, I called the FBO to ask about the amount of fuel burn on the Piper Warrior I had rented for the flight. I was advised the Warrior burns eight gph in cruise at 9500 feet msl and, with that information, I completed my flight planning and we all met at the airport.

Editorial Staff

Monday, October 24, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A new pilot faced a near-catastrophic low-fuel emergency during a night flight over the desert, due to planning based on incorrect fuel burn data provided by an FBO.
Despite challenging conditions including darkness, lack of navigation aids, and unreliable gauges, the pilot successfully located an airport and made a safe landing with critically low fuel.
Post-flight, the pilot discovered the aircraft's actual fuel burn rate was 9.5 GPH, not the 8.0 GPH he was initially told, which had eliminated his planned fuel reserve.
The experience underscored the vital lesson of personally verifying all aircraft specifications and performance data, such as fuel burn, directly from the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH).

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The attendant fueled the Warrior up to the tabs, plus an additional five gallons in each wing, giving us 44 gallons for the flight-planned 04:45 flight. We departed shortly after 4:00 pm on a beautiful clear day.