Anyone round here have a fuel stick they use to dip the tanks on a Cessna 180? The inboards are 32 gal, and for years i had a realiable fuel stick that was easy to ready (1/4, 1/2, 3/4) that i could easily just dip and check...but i lost it a few months ago....

Wondering if anyone has any specs or mesurements so i can make a new one

Don't need a stick...

Just open the cap, light a match, and look in to see how much is in there.

Gump

Maybe at annual...drain the tanks, put in 5 gals at a time, measure it, and make your own stick. This is the way I marked my mechanical wing tank gauges on my planes. That way you know what the 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full indications mean as far as gallons. It might surprise you how inaccurate you gauges really are mechanical or electrical.
I don't just rely on gauges, I keep track of my flying time vs fuel and I ALWAYS run on the top half unless I'm time in-the-air on a long cross country.
HC

This is what I use. I like it. Very easy to calibrate the first time.

http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/1177



Rob

Easy to make your own,

I made mine using the process much as described above. I even flew each wing tank dry, one at a time and then measured exactly how much useable fuel each tank contained. There was over 2 gallons difference usable.

I marked my stick in 5 gallon increments. And....by the way....there is about 1 1/2 inch difference in each tank measurement. So one side of my stick is for the left main and the other for the right main. Different calibration.

Never...never trust your fuel gauges.

Bob

Ditto Rob's Post. Sporty's has 'em, I think.

x3 on the make your own from a wood dowell. Drain one tank (fuel valve off) and add 5 gallons at a time, mark level, repeat until full. The nice thing about wood is that it floats. I've heard of people sinking their pipettes.

It's nice to have some resolution on the lower end of the scale. Some of us don't have the luxury of running off the top half of the tanks (145hp)

Why buy some goofy tube from Sporty's that isn't even calibrated for your airplane? Besides, sometimes it's hard to see the fuel in there, your thumb slips, etc.

And, why buy a wood dowel?

Just go down to your local paint store. They'll GIVE you a half dozen paint stirring sticks FREE.

Calibrate one (which you have to do with the others as well) and mark three others, which subsequently live in the hangar. Lose one, grab a spare. By the way, I don't use a marker to mark them, I carve a notch on each side of the stick at 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 tanks, or?? Notches don't wear off.

Cheap, and they work fine.

MTV

mtv wrote:And, why buy a wood dowel?

Tougher to play a drum solo or cast magic spells with a paint stick.

mtv wrote:Why buy some goofy tube from Sporty's that isn't even calibrated for your airplane? Besides, sometimes it's hard to see the fuel in there, your thumb slips, etc.

MTV

If you can't hold your thumb still enough to dip a tank, maybe you should think twice about flying on that day

I personally like the fact that you can see the fuel inside that goofy tube. Nice and clear, blue tint, no skim of undisolved Marvel Mystery Oil... It's obviously no substitute for sumping, but I guess seeing and smelling 100LL just gives me that warm feeling inside.

In any case, I'd vote for calibrating your own anything, if you have non-factory gear legs (I do), or non-factory tires (I do), or non-factory tailwheel (I do), or skis (I do), or, I suspect, floats (I don't)

But whatever makes you happy- as long as it tells you your fuel quantity.

-DP

170Z
I flew a 170, 145HP for 10 years and had the luxury of choosing left, right or both. Yes, weight on a hot day made it take off like a bag of cement but I would rather go light on baggage than on fuel.
The 7GCBC does not have selectable tanks but it still pulls faster out of the left tank than the right one. Just one more thing to be aware of.
Just a comment.
HC

hicountry wrote:170Z
I flew a 170, 145HP for 10 years and had the luxury of choosing left, right or both. Yes, weight on a hot day made it take off like a bag of cement but I would rather go light on baggage than on fuel.

Yeah, E, I was only referring to the fuel selector with regard to draining the one tank for calibrating your dipstick.

I've learned that if I have a big guy in the passenger seat, with camping gear, at 5000 MSL, I really don't want over half tanks if there's anything to outclimb. I think it's manageable, but I wouldn't want to have to go very far on that. I get nervous below 1/4 tank. Maybe having a fuel flow monitor would let you cut it closer with a little more confidence....CAVU only.

The fuel flow is indispensable to me now that I have used it and found how reliable and accurate it is. With 84 gallon tanks, I have the potential to carry a LOT of unneeded weight. Also because the tanks are relatively large there is a lot of sloshing and the gauges start to bounce on empty when they are still around 1/3 (turbulence, not my flying - I swear). Also, if you think you can use just your watch, consider that my o-470 may burn as much as 20 gal/hr rich at power or 9 gal/hr at cruise, leaned. Over the course of using up 84 gallons, likely on multiple flights where you may be doing pattern work, high and low level x-c, etc, that's room for lots of variation.
I do use a dipstick, but with a tailwheel aircraft tilted back in 3pt on the ground, there's a lot of fuel left in the bottom / back of the angled tank when the dipstick is dry. so it doesn't work as well for me when working the lower end of the fuel supply.
matt

Ditto on the paint stir sticks.

Paint it flat black and carve the notches as Mike says. Gives a nice contrast to the light colored notch and the fuel shows up well against the dark color.

mtv wrote:Calibrate one (which you have to do with the others as well) and mark three others, which subsequently live in the hangar. Lose one, grab a spare. By the way, I don't use a marker to mark them, I carve a notch on each side of the stick at 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 tanks, or?? Notches don't wear off.

MTV

Neither does pencil.....it works great. I also put a small hole in the end of the paint stick and ran a piece of cord through it for an extra handhold. Can see it sticking up out of the pouch real quick. Mine was marked for each gallon so I knew exactly what was in there.

Clay wrote:Paint it flat black and carve the notches

For mature pilots, this conjures:
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/r/rolling+st ... 17875.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paint_It,_Black

I bought an airplane that came with a calibrated stick. Now I know that I need to xerox it to a black paint stick. Thanks.

Matt 7GCBC,

I made several "calibrated" sticks. One I made while the plane was in the 3-point attitude, one for on floats, and one will be for skis. I also have a different stick for the header tank. (This is for my Champ).
For my 172 I also have the stick marked (Rt. Wing/Left wing) on both sides because my wing tanks are slightly different levels on the stick for the same amount of fuel.

Keith