Aero-Tips!

A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of "there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.

Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner, master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us -- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we might never have considered before, or something that didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for the practical test.

It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow them to soar magnificently through it.

Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips. Remember... when it comes to being better pilots, we're all in this together.

Aero-Tips 05.12.06

One of aviation's few "cardinal sins" is fuel exhaustion -- and it's often fatal. Yesterday, we began a discussion of what Advisory Circular 61-23C, the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, tells us about fuel planning... and how its guidance is only a small part of the fuel consumption story.

Fuel Consumption (from the Advisory Circular)

Time in flight multiplied by rate of consumption gives the quantity of fuel required. For example, a flight of 400 NM at a groundspeed of 100 knots requires 4 hours. If the plane consumes 5 gallons an hour, the total consumption will be 4 x 5, or 20 gallons. The rate of fuel consumption depends on many factors: condition of the engine...

Engine condition

How could engine condition affect the rate of fuel consumption?

• Many fuel-injected engines are fuel-imbalanced. You may need to run some cylinders very rich (wasting fuel) to keep one or two cylinders' temperatures under control.
• Carbureted engines may also be mis-adjusted, leading to fuel waste.
• It's common for an engine to get more efficient once it has been run for some time. Fuel consumption may drop somewhat after the engine completes the break-in process, up to 50 hours time in service according to engine manufacturers (more if the engine is not properly managed during break-in).
• Similarly, as an engine ages it may "loosen up" and burn more fuel. Further, to get the same performance with a less-efficient engine you may find yourself bumping up the power setting, requiring even more fuel.

Aero-tip of the day:  A well-built, well-maintained and well-broken-in engine stands the best chance of meeting Pilot's Operating Handbook fuel flows.  Anything else means you need to determine fuel burn expectations from your own experience to avoid coming up short of your planned destination.

FMI: Aero-Tips