Hi Fred, You missed my point.
If your coupe had a gauge in each wing tank, one served no purpose. While you may have received the plane that way, there is no evidence any Ercoupe was flight tested for conformance with its aircraft type certificate with a gauge in each tank (the "burden of proof" lying with those who would challenge existing evidence of factory drawings, brochures, and original equipment lists). Presuming that you did, in fact, verify a 2 MPH difference, the single gauge necessary would (logically) "cost" 1 MPH-half that. Properly calibrated, that gauge enables a pilot flying cross country to verify his/her actual progress over the ground as affected by mixture setting and winds aloft. That knowledge, applied to, say a conservative expectation of 100 MPH and the worst fuel burn rate experienced in six months for original flight planning estimates, can be used to advance or delay fuel stops as appropriate to actual conditions experienced. That can, under some circumstances, avoid a forced landing (if one experiences unexpected strong headwinds) or, in some cases (depending on leg lengths) elimination of a fuel stop. I don't stop thinking when the wheels leave the ground, seeking all possible "situational awareness" until the plane is again tied down. Every pilot must "manage risks" every time they go aloft. I certainly regard a reliable on-board source of fuel consumption information as "worth" 1 MPH if that is the immediate choice. Those who can afford to do so can fit a tank with the inside fuel gauge or install a fuel totalizer. Many Ercoupers never take off with less than full fuel, reserve all header tank fuel as "reserve". The trade-off of doing that is to preserve between twice and three times the "legal" VFR minimum reserve. The practice directly mandates flying shorter than necessary legs with less useful load (the "extra" fuel beyond the necessary half hour reserve is NEVER burned, but ALWAYS there in terms of weight). I could not consciously so degrade the built-in capability of an Ercoupe and still regard myself as proficient. Efficiency is NOT incompatible with safety. In the extreme, and to paraphrase a well-worn saying, an Ercoupe on the ground is "safe", but that is not what Ercoupes were made for. Regards, WRB -- On Aug 28, 2009, at 15:56, [email protected] wrote: > > A single (pilot side) Rain-Pruf wing tank gauge reports fuel level in > > BOTH wing tanks unless the crossover pipe is blocked. > > > > My plane came with one in each wing tank. > > > > It does NOT cause a 2 MPH reduction in airspeed. A GPS can easily > confirm that. > > > By taking both wing tank guages off, I gained 2 miles per hour over > 5000 miles, confirmed by the GPS (I also gained 5 mph by taking off the > landing lights on the wheel struts covers) measured the same way. > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > >
