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Wag Aero told me they are not making 12 tanks for 18 style sight gauges.

Alex Clark

Alex Clark

Registered User
Life Long Alaskan
It took a couple weeks of phone tag to get Wag Aero on the phone.
Now they say they are not making the PA-12 tanks with the fitting
ports for the PA18 style sight gauges.
BUMMER. I know they used to, because I had a set.
 
I have been around PA-12s for 43 years, and have never heard that Wag Aero built a -12 tank with the PA-18 sight gauge fittings. As I posted on another thread on -12 tanks, I know of many people who bought the Wag Aero Tanks, and then had FA Dodge install the PA-12 sight gauge fittings, and the forward cross-over fitting. Approval of those tanks normally was a field approval, using either PA-18 sight gauges or the FA Dodge flexible tube sight gauges that are part of the FA Dodge 31 gallon tank STC and use that as approved data for the Field Approval. If you had a set of Wag Aero PA-12 tanks with PA-18 sight gauge fittings, I would put money on those tanks were modified by FA Dodge or someone else. Wag Aero was simply producing a stock tank replacement under PMA.
 
They installed the forward outlets after I sent them a copy of my STC a few years ago. It was actually a decent set of fuel tanks.
 
I had a set of wagaero pa12 tanks. I had a local welder seal up the original gauge hole and install bungs for the Dakota Cub sight guage as well as front pick up tubes. As I remember it was a minor mod and we used the Dakota Cub site guage STC as most of our approval. Because the 12 tanks are so short the site guage sat at quite the flat angle, not much difference between my 10 and 15 gallon marks. Still better peace of mind than having that darned glass tube hanging out in the wind waiting for some lookielou to grab ahold of and break. My best guage I still wear on my wrist.
 
I would prefer to install the 23 gallon Dakota Cub tanks. But it would require opening up the wings... I think... and I can't find an IA around Homer that has done the 23 gallon tank install.
 

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MT12 said:
I had a set of wagaero pa12 tanks. I had a local welder seal up the original gauge hole and install bungs for the Dakota Cub sight guage as well as front pick up tubes. As I remember it was a minor mod and we used the Dakota Cub site guage STC as most of our approval. Because the 12 tanks are so short the site guage sat at quite the flat angle, not much difference between my 10 and 15 gallon marks. Still better peace of mind than having that darned glass tube hanging out in the wind waiting for some lookielou to grab ahold of and break. My best guage I still wear on my wrist.
Click to expand...

I adapted my Backcountry tanks to Atlee’s Tygon sight tubes. At the angle the fittings provided they’re pretty much useless. I can tell full, some, or empty but that’s about it. A dipstick, fuel flow instrument, and a watch do a much better job.
 
Stewart, you and I are of the same opinion as usual. On 53M the FAD Tygon sight tubes are very accurate in level flight from 15 gallons a tank down. I have them marked at 5 gallon increments, and am never off of the EI fuel flow instrument by more than a gallon or two. I love the EI FP-5L fuel flow gauge (especially hooked up with the GPS), I think with the 30.5 gallon tanks its mandatory if you want to run them with less than 15 gallons a tank which is most of the time. And of course I always are watching the watch and tach hours and carry a dipstick (dipstick is not too trust worthy on bushhweels and sloped ground on the big tanks IMHO but its worth having for an independent check).

stewartb said:
I adapted my Backcountry tanks to Atlee’s Tygon sight tubes. At the angle the fittings provided they’re pretty much useless. I can tell full, some, or empty but that’s about it. A dipstick, fuel flow instrument, and a watch do a much better job.
Click to expand...
 
Charlie Longley said:
They installed the forward outlets after I sent them a copy of my STC a few years ago. It was actually a decent set of fuel tanks.
Click to expand...

I had the same experience; Wagaero modified the set I ordered when I provided a copy of the relevant STC. I’ve had no problems with the tanks so far.

That said, the first set I received from them were badly warped so much so that they bent my compression struts when the straps were tightened down. At first they tried to blame my wings, but gave in when I proved the wings were new from Univair. The lesson here is to always pre-fit and assemble everything prior to covering. Had I not done so I would never have known just how bad the first set fit.

Shipping back and forth to FAD for the modifications would have cost more than the tanks, so that wasn’t a viable option.
 
I’ve got a Dakota Cub 23 gallon left tank and PA-18 fuel gage on order for my PA-16. Keeping the nose tank, so I’ll have 35 gallons.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Mine are currently stock tanks with Dakota Cub sight glass.
 

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