nomadpete

Thanks Ross for the comment on surface tension, but the size of the fuel line should not be a problem. It is 5/16 I think. However there is a level section of the pathway up near the tank and I assumed that was the cause. Anyway, it was not a great problem, if I noticed that one tank was going down (standard crosscountry check), and the other one staying full, it was a simple matter to turn off one for a little while. All part of inflight fuel managenent. Still trying to figure out where to put a header tank. Even a small one would make a difference. ALW did caution me not to mess with the fuel system. Biggest issue though is about the really serious hazard of new fuel chemistry eating away at our fuel tanks or other parts of our fuel systems. Check out this site for some analysis. I know it is a boat site and that might be heresey to mention in these forums, but they did some real analysis on so called 'fuel resistant' epoxy. And that is the product that we are hoping will keep our composite aircraft in the air. Go to website for full page BoatUS.com - Seaworthy Magazine

Maj, That's curious, I was not aware that ALW used alloy tanks. I assumed that since mine are glassed, then they all would be. The construction is a moulded 'handbasin', and that is pop rivetted (and glued) under the top skin of the wing. So the tank sits between two alloy skins of the wing root torque box. I still have not figured how those twin outlets work - the way I see it, as soon as one pickup sucks air, then the other one cannot suck fuel? I do get an air lock sometimes and that stops one tank from flowing until I shut off the other long enough to suck the airlock through. The whole fuel flow process seems to be more complex than it first appears. Many other a/c use a small header tank to make up for the occasional gulp of air. Peter

My GA-912 developed leaks in both fuel tanks. The most dramatic was three pinholes half way up the aft face of the tank. The largest hole was almost 3mm diameter. Was this a result of a chemical reaction from the fuel? Has anyone heard of similar problems with any aircraft? Has anyone heard of anyone installing fabricated alloy tanks to replace fiberglass ones? Anyone who knows Lightwings would appreciate how much work is involved in replacing the integral fuel tanks. Safe flying, Peter