... If you have a fuel selector it has to be either electric or the valve and fuel lines must be separated by a metal bulkhead with the manual lever reaching into the compartment. This also applies for gasoline in automobiles and racing vehicles at least drag race cars.
Could something like this not be arranged?
What about fuel pressure guages?...
Bob,
In the Side-by-Side RV's (I don't know about the -3, -4, & -8) the fuel lines come through the side of the cabin, under your legs, forward of the spar, to the fuel valve. From there one line goes forward to the fuel pump. If you have an injected engine the high pressure pump is just forward of the fuel valve, if carbureted the low pressure pump is mounted on the cabin side of the firewall. From there the line goes through the firewall.
Your option is to run the lines and pumps on the outside of the fuselage and make some type of cover. If you put a bulkhead on the inside, you will still have fuel under your legs.
The lines are covered by inspection plates, which are removed every year at your condition inspection. In my case, I flew the first 15 hours w/o them installed so I would be able to spot any leaks.
Most new RV's have electric fuel pressure senders, mounted high on the left forward side of the firewall, so that line does not penetrate the firewall. Same goes for the oil pressure line/sender.
As for the gentleman who left his burning -8 w/o a parachute, I have read that he had no burns on him but in studying WW I pilots, who did not have chutes and had to make the choice of shooting themselves or jumping when their plane caught fire, I suspect the gentleman did jump once things on the inside got hot enough. What a horrible choice to make!
Someone mentioned that they thought he might have been ejected when reaching for a fire extinguisher in the backseat. This brings up a good point. If you mount your fire extinguisher where you can't reach it from your seat, you might as well not have one.