dee_bee_que
Active Member
Having completed a "weight loss program" (perhaps better described as rationalization) on my Vagabond-- there is nothing quite like having heavy, useless things that create parasitic drag in an already semi-weight restricted aircraft-- I had it reweighed.
So now I can take off with both tanks full (19 gallons), my wife and 13 pounds of baggage without fear of my photograph ending up in a "wanted" poster on the wall of local post office.
The six gallon tank in the wing is a transfer tank. So both legally and practically it has no unusable fuel. The typical Piper oval fuselage tank has the improved low point tap / drain per the AD. When the aircraft was reweighed the aircraft was leveled per the instructions: "from hole in door channel to mark in cross tube." At this attitude the tap from the tank is higher than the gascolator intake or outlet which is logically enough a few inches lower than the carburetor.
The fuel hose from the carburetor was removed and the fuel system drained-- with the hose being reattached-- prior to reweigh. So the only "unusable" fuel was in the gascolator and carburetor bowl. Horizontally its only 22 inches from the fuel tap to the carburetor. The new reweigh says no unusable fuel.
I'm certain I can overfill the nominal capacity of just the main tank by more than whatever fuel would be in the lines. The old reweigh stated one gallon unusable fuel, and I don't plan on making any dead stick landings after testing a theory. I'm probably being picky-- close enough-- right?
FWIW: PA-15 / (converted to a -17 well before I bought it) with center knob, dual controls (except brakes), Continental A-65-8, and 1150 gross. / Other than soundproofing, sealed struts, one 6 gallon aux tank, and a glossy single color Polyfiber recover, its mostly stock in configuration-- full "10 wire" electric system (eight plug cables and BOTH P-leads are connected to the grounding switch
), one door, a compass and five gauges, wood prop, 8.00-4s, no tray, "D"s or skylight, sling seat / actual empty weight: 715 pounds, CG: 16.58 aft.
So now I can take off with both tanks full (19 gallons), my wife and 13 pounds of baggage without fear of my photograph ending up in a "wanted" poster on the wall of local post office.
The six gallon tank in the wing is a transfer tank. So both legally and practically it has no unusable fuel. The typical Piper oval fuselage tank has the improved low point tap / drain per the AD. When the aircraft was reweighed the aircraft was leveled per the instructions: "from hole in door channel to mark in cross tube." At this attitude the tap from the tank is higher than the gascolator intake or outlet which is logically enough a few inches lower than the carburetor.
The fuel hose from the carburetor was removed and the fuel system drained-- with the hose being reattached-- prior to reweigh. So the only "unusable" fuel was in the gascolator and carburetor bowl. Horizontally its only 22 inches from the fuel tap to the carburetor. The new reweigh says no unusable fuel.
I'm certain I can overfill the nominal capacity of just the main tank by more than whatever fuel would be in the lines. The old reweigh stated one gallon unusable fuel, and I don't plan on making any dead stick landings after testing a theory. I'm probably being picky-- close enough-- right?
FWIW: PA-15 / (converted to a -17 well before I bought it) with center knob, dual controls (except brakes), Continental A-65-8, and 1150 gross. / Other than soundproofing, sealed struts, one 6 gallon aux tank, and a glossy single color Polyfiber recover, its mostly stock in configuration-- full "10 wire" electric system (eight plug cables and BOTH P-leads are connected to the grounding switch
), one door, a compass and five gauges, wood prop, 8.00-4s, no tray, "D"s or skylight, sling seat / actual empty weight: 715 pounds, CG: 16.58 aft.
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