The famous "Gimli Glider" was a painful example of a failure of this
factor. The first aircraft in the Air Canada fleet to have fully metric
documentation was fuelled in Montreal for a flight to Winnipeg. The ground
crew applied the formula for conversion of volume to pounds. The captain
was unsure, so he asked the ground crew at Ottawa to check the fuel load.
They measured the volume with a dip stick, applied the old formula, and
reassured the pilot. Near Kenora the engines failed. The co-pilot
remembered that there was a wartime airstrip at Gimli. The pilot glided to
Gimli and found that it was now a drag strip with a low fence down the
middle. He had to land, on top of the fence. The plane was damaged but
everyone emerged unbruised.
>From what I understand the drag strip was in USE at the time, which made this added, though unexpected, entertainment for the patrons. "I have GOT to lay off the Molson."
Carleton
