Eric Page
Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
Map of Landings
I also like the idea of a fuel cart like that, but my hangar/airport owners do not allow fuel storage inside the hangar (other than what's in the airplane of course). I would have to trailer the cart back and forth from home for each flight or so. Anyone else have these restrictions or is it "don't ask, don't tell"?
Jim Ott
Portland, OR
Kitfox SS7 flying
Rotax 912ULS
The restriction is fairly common. Any airport which gets funds from the FAA or is otherwise under FAA's perview is covered by FAA Airport Compliance Manual - Order 5190.6B which addresses fuel storage in hangars; and, adopts by reference, the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) code 407 which prohibits storage of fuel in hangars.
It gets down to jurisdiction - private airports would/could be different. Municipally owned airports anybody's guess.
Probably a good idea to check with an airport manager for the specific airport to be sure what rules apply or do not apply if a significant investment is anticipated. I have observed that FBOs sometimes have a fuel truck which is stored at a regulated airport but not in a hangar.
As far as don't ask, don't tell - I am sure that happens at regulated airports too; but that is a matter of enforcement discretion.
Our little airport has the standard prohibition against fuel storage in a hangar. I just use 5 gallon cans and fuel up out on the tarmac- certainly not as convenient as having a larger storage tank on site with a delivery hose. Thinking if a person has a pickup a decent solution would be a front of the box fuel dispensing tank like construction crews use.
It depends, and probably worth checking on if $$$ are involved.
Dave S
Kitfox 7 Trigear (Flying since 2009)
912ULS Warp Drive
St Paul, MN
I'll toss in a more tangled situation. Our 3100 x 60 ft grass strip is a public runway. It is surrounded by private properties where hangers and homes have been built. The owners all belong to a Property Owners Association and pay a small amount of dues for upkeep of the common grounds, mowing the strip and taxiways. Of course the Feds are welcome to come and inspect "their" runway. But the surround land and hangers are not under their purview. It's a very friendly place with neighbors pitching in to take turns with the mowing, fence repair, etc. The story I've heard about why the airstrip was public involved FAA protection from possible nearby towers, basically a rumored, checkered past. Of course, anyone can land at the airport and taxi between lots to their heart's content. We have fly-ins, poker runs, and Young Eagles events. Area instructors bring their students over for the novelty of landing on a grass strip We also own TX1, billed as the oldest Seabase in Texas. It's a modest pier and a floating ramp so planes can land in the lake and taxi onto land.
Carl Strange
Flying
SS7, 912iS, Oratex, G3X
Well this can be a very tangled subject and to preface, I think most here have the common sense to gauge their own risk. But, a few additional points are worth exploring if considering fuel transport and storage just so you've at least thought about the "what if's":
To Jim's (jiott) point - some airports will not even allow you to transport fuel onto the property, no less store it on site.
Transportation: States have different requirements on how and how much can be transported and in what type of container. Some require trailers to be registered and insured. Many vehicle insurance policies limit what types of trailers are covered under your policy. Only your insurance company can answer that. For instance, some auto policies cover "utility" trailers - great - is fuel transport considered "utility" by your insurer?
Storage: Two issues come up here - leak contamination and fire/explosion risk.
Most all residential policies do not cover environmental leak contamination coverage - could require a rider or separate policy if that's a concern.
Storage can be limited by state, city, county regulations and HOA rules and can depend on how your property is zoned. Many limit quantity, location and "approved" types of containers. In very many cases the limit is 25 to 30 gallons and stored outside or in a shed (is a hangar a shed?) with additional requirements for type of container, bonding and fire extinguisher locations and separation from ignition sources. This varies quite a bit - the best source for information is your jurisdictions fire department.
If that's not enough - does your insurance policy cover loss of property or medical if an incident were to occur? That could be more of an issue if the storage did not meet the local requirements in the 1st place. Only your insurance company can answer that question.
Just putting it out there, not judging, don't have an opinion on the subject, nor do I intend to preach or tell anyone else what is right for them - simply food for thought.
Setting the prop pitch today. I went back and forth on renting or buying an engine crane when first mounting the engine. This $190, 1 Ton Foldable, by Pittsburg, from Harbor Freight, has more than paid for itself.
I've been scouring the forum for how to perform the fuel flow test on a 912iS. The build manual and other documents are at the hanger. Not sure if the procedure is documented there but I'm not having any luck finding an explanation on our forums. Can anyone point to a post or give a quick run down?
Carl Strange
Flying
SS7, 912iS, Oratex, G3X
It appears, looking at this photo of a fuel flow test on a Zenith in 2013, that I'll need to organize:
- At least one steel beam across the top of the hanger
- A steel cable with block and tackle
- A crew with possibly two strong men, a young boy, and a mule
- And a few other odds and ends that I haven't figured out yet
Carl Strange
Flying
SS7, 912iS, Oratex, G3X
Here’s a straightforward procedure you can follow: http://mybearhawk.com/finish/fuelflow.html
-- Paul S
Model III SN910
582 IVO Med
Good morning Carl. Since your engine is dependant on the fuel pump you will find that the pumps are going to serve up far more fuel than will be needed. All that I did was run the pump for one minute after disconnecting the fuel line from the fuel rail on the engine. I was fortunate enough to have landscape availiable to drop the tail off of. I was only able to achieve 15 degrees nose up. John M informed me that this was sufficient. Ran the tests again on each pump and found that it doesn't change much.
Eddie Forward
Flying
SS7, 912iS, Garmin G3X