FUEL SYSTEM With the shorter winter days and the increased California precipitation (we can't say r--n in California) we have more time to devote to bull sessions here at the Pilot House. On such days as these we eventually wind up talking with our hands.Recently we have had reported a number of forced landings due to students running out of gas. From the comfort of an old "Electra" passenger chair one of the boys questioned the ancestry of any guy who didn't know enough to fly with one eye on his fuel gages. And in a way he was right. There is no excuse for taking off without checking your tanks, or forgetting to switch from Reserve to Main tanks in .the proper sequence. Some fellows just don't understand their fuel system. There was a student only last week who had to set his 38 down in the ocean after flying more than 35 minutes on single engine because he wasn't familiar with the cross-feed switch for pumping gas to the live engine from the tanks of the dead one. If this pilot had only Performed three simple operations he would have saved the plane, and for himself a wet hour in the "drink": |
|
For Crossfeed Operation:
Turn the crossfeed switch to "Crossfeed." Turn the other tank selector valve " |
|
And here is the report of another student: "I took off at 11:55 on my first mission. After about twenty minutes of flying on reserve gas tanks I proceeded to switch to main tanks but instead I turned both selectors to the "Off" position. At 12: 20 I started back toward the field when my right engine quit. I gave the cockpit a check but did not check the gas selectors. I went on single engine and called the tower. . . then the left engine cut out and I belly-landed in a farmer's field." Crackups such as these are inexcusable but conditions do arise where a fellow may find himself in a jam, and it won't be entirely his fault. For example, in some of the early P-38's (prior to the P-38H) we received reports of pilots being forced to return without accomplishing their mission due to the gas siphoning from their Reserve tanks through the overflow. This was caused by their failure to fly long enough on their Reserve tanks, which overflowed when the gas "kicked" back from the carburetor through the vapor vent line. (This has been .remedied on the P-38H and later models by the installation of a siphon-breaker tube:) |
||
| Avery Black* says: "LEARN THE RELATIVE LOCATION OF YOUR L.H. AND R.H FUEL SELECTOR VALVES ON THE P-38 |  |
*1. Lockheed
Test Pilot 2. Ex-President of Continental Airlines 3. Commercial Airline Pilot 4. Airmail Pilot 5. Over 10,000 Hours 6. U. S. Army Pilot in W orld War 1 |
And how many of you fellows (without looking) can tell the location of the Right Hand Tank Selector with respect to the Left Hand Tank Selector? Is it forward or aft? If you aren't sure and take a guess, chances are you will guess wrong, because reading clockwise around the cockpit from left to right one would normally figure that the L.H. Tank Selector would be aft or to the left of the R.H. Tank Selector Valve. But it isn't. The L.H. Tank Selector is forward of the R.H. Tank Selector. Above all, remember this, so that in a single-engine emergency you won't accidentally stop the flow of fuel to your live engine and be forced down. We heard another good suggestion for keeping in the air from one of the boys who had just returned from overseas. He was telling about strafing and bombing missions which required flying at roof-top levels for long distances, and the question came up as to how he could burn all of the gas out of each tank without causing the engine to miss fire or cough, which could be fatal at such low altitude. His answer was, "When I figure I am just about out on my present tanks I glue my eye to the fuel pressure indicator and the instant it starts to drop I switch tanks. You get so you can do it without even a sputter."
Check your fuel load before take-off. Know how much gas you have aboard. Then with the booster pumps "on," to insure adequate fuel pressure in the event of engine fuel pump failure, the take-off should be made on the "Reserve" tanks. If your mission involves altitudes over 15,000 feet leave your booster pumps on, otherwise switch them off. Fuel should be drawn from the tanks in the following sequence: |
 |
1. Reserve tanks for the first 15 to 20 minutes 2. External Tanks 3. Leading Edge. Tanks 4. Main Tanks 5. The balance remaining in Reserve Tanks Once in the air your power control determines how long you can stay there. Learn the proper power settings which will give you maximum endurance, maximum speed, maximum range or a particular intermediate power operation, depending on your mission. Thorough knowledge of your fuel system and power control may be the deciding factor in giving you sufficient reserve to allow you to complete your mission, or outlast your opponent. |
A STRAGGLER ASKS FOR IT! In June 1943, on an escort mission near Terranova, Sardinia, Lt............, forgot the rule about keeping a tight formation. He straggled. Through no fault of his own he wasn't shot down, but he made contact with plenty of lead before he got home. DON'T STRAGGLE! THE STRAGGLER INVITES ATTACK Prepared under the supervision of the Office of Flying Safety A.A.F. |
 |
(This is an actual incident as seen and illustrated by Fredric Kohn.) |
