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GeneralRe: Quotes from Training Manuals (Not programming training manuals) Pin
Tomz_KV4-Feb-14 2:10
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GeneralRe: Quotes from Training Manuals (Not programming training manuals) Pin
RoyB24-Feb-14 2:34
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GeneralRe: Quotes from Training Manuals (Not programming training manuals) Pin
RefugeeFromSlashDot4-Feb-14 5:01
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GeneralRe: Quotes from Training Manuals (Not programming training manuals) Pin
MikeTheFid4-Feb-14 3:43
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GeneralRe: Quotes from Training Manuals (Not programming training manuals) Pin
BrainiacV4-Feb-14 4:10
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Member 98881884-Feb-14 4:17
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GeneralRe: Quotes from Training Manuals (Not programming training manuals) Pin
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GeneralRe: Quotes from Training Manuals (Not programming training manuals) Pin
RefugeeFromSlashDot4-Feb-14 5:59
RefugeeFromSlashDot4-Feb-14 5:59 
'The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.' - Unknown Author

That may true in military aircraft, but that is definitely not true in civilian aircraft.

I was flying a particular low wing aircraft that I rarely flew and stopped for fuel at an airport. The line guy asked if I wanted the tanks filled "to the tabs" and I replied, "No, full please." In many smaller civilian aircraft the engine doesn't have enough power to take off with both full fuel tanks and passengers in all the seats or with a lot of baggage. So the aircraft manufacturer installs tabs in the fuel tanks that are visible when fueling. When the fuel tanks are filled to the these tabs, that generally means the aircraft will have enough power to take off with passengers in all the seats and little or no baggage. In this case, I had one seat empty, the passengers all weighed significantly less than the standard weight used for passengers when calculating whether the engine has enough power to take off with passengers in all the seats and full fuel, and no baggage, so I told the line guy to fill the tanks full.

When the aircraft had been fueled, I paid the fuel bill, and I was ready to go again, I got permission to taxi to the runway and was immediately given permission to take off. The runway was paved, a length commonly found at smaller airports, the airport was less than 1,000 feet above sea level, and it was a cool day, so there was no need to configure the aircraft for what is known as a "short field" takeoff. A short field take off gets the aircraft off the runway using as little runway as possible and the pilot flies at a specific speed so the aircraft climbs at the steepest safe angle possible to clear any obstacles that might be at the end of the runway. I configured the aircraft for a normal take off and opened the throttle. The aircraft started down the runway but it seemed to take a little longer than usual to get up to flying speed and when it did I lifted off the runway. The aircraft was climbing rather slowly and the trees at the end of the runway were getting larger and larger in the windshield instead of disappearing out of sight below the nose of the aircraft like they normally do. It was at that point that I realized that something was wrong. A quick check of all the gauges indicated the engine was developing full power and I was flying at the proper speed to climb at the best angle possible. I needed to climb more quickly or there was a good possibility we would end up in the trees. The only thing left to do was to configure the aircraft for a short field take off. Once in the air, if one is flying at the proper speed, the only thing left to do is to change the flap setting to the short field setting and hope the additional lift would get us over the trees. I moved the flaps from the normal takeoff setting to the short field setting and we cleared the trees with a lot less altitude that I would have liked.

Once we got up to a safe altitude and headed towards our destination, I started trying to figure out why I had such a hard time clearing the trees at the end of the runway. I had one empty seat, light passengers, and no baggage. What was the problem? Then it hit me; this particular aircraft had air conditioning installed. The weight of the A/C unit, the motor and stuff needed to lower the unit into the operating position, etc., had added several hundred pounds of weight to the aircraft. I had failed to take this into consideration when determining how much fuel to put in the aircraft at the fuel stop.

So yes, you CAN have too much fuel and NOT be on fire.
GeneralRe: Quotes from Training Manuals (Not programming training manuals) Pin
stevequinn564-Feb-14 8:25
stevequinn564-Feb-14 8:25 
NewsRaspberry Pi fans - Latest MagPi now out. PinPopular
DaveAuld3-Feb-14 12:23
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GeneralRe: Raspberry Pi fans - Latest MagPi now out. Pin
Brisingr Aerowing3-Feb-14 13:11
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GeneralRe: Raspberry Pi fans - Latest MagPi now out. Pin
Mike Hankey3-Feb-14 13:19
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GeneralThe wheel saga continues....... Pin
DaveAuld3-Feb-14 11:48
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Brisingr Aerowing3-Feb-14 12:04
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SoMad3-Feb-14 12:26
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DaveAuld3-Feb-14 12:33
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GeneralRe: The wheel saga continues....... Pin
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GeneralRe: The wheel saga continues....... Pin
User 592413-Feb-14 13:42
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GeneralRe: The wheel saga continues....... Pin
DaveAuld3-Feb-14 13:49
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GeneralRe: The wheel saga continues....... Pin
User 592413-Feb-14 13:52
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GeneralRe: The wheel saga continues....... Pin
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User 592413-Feb-14 14:24
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