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You can't fix stupid...

U

Ubiquitous

One-one-one has no electrics, no radio, and a cork on a bent wire just in front of me as I fly.

In a conversation as I was fueling her, a (supposed) pilot said:

"You should get a real fuel gauge, that one only works in level flight."
 
A CFI friend of mine once joked that those were the last accurate aircraft fuel gauge made. The more planes I have flown, more I realize he was spot on!
 
"Well son, that is ok because I only need to climb and descend 100'- that is all the service ceiling this old air has."

Loved my non-electric champ... Thinking I want to go back.
 
My Tripacer actually, believe it or not, has accurate gauges. My friend with a Tripacer has gauges that are practically worthless, so my experience is certainly not universal on that front. The sight gauges in cubs seem pretty accurate, more or less. But the best gauges I have flown with are the gauges in the DHC-2 beavers I fly. Cessna gauges seem a bit wonky.
 
Ubiquitous said:
"You should get a real fuel gauge, that one only works in level flight."
Click to expand...

Which part of that did you take exception to? My take is that it's a very real fuel gauge that, in level flight, shows the quantity of fuel as long as the wire is not sticking and the float has not deteriorated. Been a while since I flew with wire and float gauges though.
 
frequent_flyer said:
Which part of that did you take exception to? My take is that it's a very real fuel gauge that, in level flight, shows the quantity of fuel as long as the wire is not sticking and the float has not deteriorated. Been a while since I flew with wire and float gauges though.
Click to expand...
Fuel gauges of any flavor use either a float or electrical induction and are accurate for only the place where the float or induction cylinder is. So EVERY gauge is set up to read most accurately in level flight and any non-nose-dragger or aircraft not sitting at flight attitude (like say a Cherokee Six) will read bit differently on the ground.

Basically he told me that if I wear a red shirt in a rainstorm I would get wet, as if I somehow wouldn't were my shirt green.
 
Ubiquitous said:
"You should get a real fuel gauge, that one only works in level flight."
Click to expand...

Even my fancy modern pick up doesn’t like descents. The other day I had a quarter tank and “90 miles to E.” A mile later I was going down a 7% grade. It read empty and the notifications was freaking out, “Low Fuel!”

Level off at the bottom and now I had “95 miles to E.”



Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
 
Most reliable gauge in the world. As long as it's moving there's some fuel in the tank.
 
Crash said:
Most reliable gauge in the world. As long as it's moving there's some fuel in the tank.
Click to expand...

Just one opinion but I would consider the sight tube gauges to be both more reliable and more accurate. I have flown with both. Actually I think my PA28 gauges are better than either of them. They are well damped and, having flown nearly 1,000 hours with them, I believe what they indicate.
 
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