The fuel system
Tanks, selectors, pumps, vents, sumps, and the habits that prevent fuel starvation and contamination.
11 min read · The airplane: engine and systems
After this lesson you can
- Explain the difference between a gravity-feed and a fuel-pump system, and why the airplane's wing position decides which one it needs.
- Read and apply the positions of a typical fuel selector valve.
- Perform a fuel sump check and explain why it matters.
- State the minimum VFR fuel reserve required by regulation, for day and for night.
Running a tank dry is one of the most common causes of engine failure in general aviation, and it is almost never caused by a mechanical fault. It is a management failure -- a wrong assumption about how much fuel is actually usable, a selector left in the wrong position, or a reserve that was too thin to begin with. This lesson is about the habits that make that failure very hard to have.
The rest of this lesson
- 1.Gravity feed and fuel-pump systems
- 2.The fuel selector
- 3.Tanks, vents, and gauges
- 4.Strainers, sumps, and contamination
- 5.Fuel reserves
These 5 sections, their figures, the checks along the way and the end-of-lesson quiz come with the PPL track. Paid once, yours for good.
Key terms
Try to recall each definition before turning the card.