Van's Air Force
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Facet Fuel Pump Operating Noise
- Thread starter ten4teg
- Start date
PaigeHoffart
Well Known Member
It's normal. With fuel in it, it's still loud.
Paige
Paige
L.Adamson
Well Known Member
L.Adamson
Well Known Member
Learn this sound!!!
This is a sound that every (carburator) RV pilot should be very familiar with.
If at any time during a landing approach with the power pulled back, if you begin to hear this sound, it should make sirens wale and warning lights flash in your mind...it means you have a tank sucking dry and you better do something about it quick.
At low or idle power settings the cockpit is quiet enough for you to hear the rattle of the pump when it is pumping air... if you have conditioned your mind to recognize it (and if you use your aux. pump during takeoff and landing, which is a good idea).
The safety section is probably more appropriate for this post but since it was being discussed here I thought I would mention it.
This is a sound that every (carburator) RV pilot should be very familiar with.
If at any time during a landing approach with the power pulled back, if you begin to hear this sound, it should make sirens wale and warning lights flash in your mind...it means you have a tank sucking dry and you better do something about it quick.
At low or idle power settings the cockpit is quiet enough for you to hear the rattle of the pump when it is pumping air... if you have conditioned your mind to recognize it (and if you use your aux. pump during takeoff and landing, which is a good idea).
The safety section is probably more appropriate for this post but since it was being discussed here I thought I would mention it.
n5lp
fugio ergo sum
I recently ran a tank dry intentionally at normal cruise power. The pump noise was very noticeable when the air hit it and there was quite a delay, maybe 10 or 15 seconds until the engine quit. There is time to do something (change tanks).
frankh
Well Known Member
The time to do something about it is BEFORE the tank runs dry...
Frank
I agree and I think Larry would probably agree also...But I think what he did should be done by ever RV pilot.
You should know how long it takes to get a restart if you should ever inadvertently run a tank dry.
You should also know what the unusable fuel amount in both of your tanks is.
It is not the same with all RV's. It is depends on the installed position of the fuel pick-up. If the pick up is properly placed right at the bottom aft corner of the tank, the unusable fuel amount is usually not much more than a fuel sample tubes worth.
Do you know that is the case for the RV you fly? (particularly if you did not build it!)
The best way to determine this is to actually run a tank dry and then see how much fuel is left in it. This doesn't need to be a dangerous event.
Pick an airport with a good sized runway (5000+ feet should be long enough for any RV pilot to make a successful deadstick landing too if for some reason you couldn't get a restart...if not then the should probably get some dual with an instructor to raise there proficiency level).
Orbit at altitude (what ever makes you feel comfortable) over the airport until the engine quits. When it quits, turn on the boost pump and switch to the other tank.
Now watch and listen... learn the sound of the pump...learn how long it takes for the engine to begin running again...learn what your fuel pressure gage indicates at different stages of the tank running dry and then getting the engine running again.
When you get back...remove the fuel drain from the tank and measure how much fuel is left. Probably not much. (If there is very much, then your fuel pickup is not properly installed). Now pour the unusable fuel back in the tank, go to the pump and fill the tank. You now know for a fact what the usable fuel for that tank on your airplane is. Do the same with the other tank during a different flight.
I am not advocating this so that RV pilots can be sloppy with their fuel management...but we are all human and we can make mistakes. If you follow this procedure and learn from it...if it ever does happen by accident you should not be surprised, and it should not in any way cause panic. You already know what happens, how to fix it, and how much time will pass for the fix to have results.
The one caveat (the reason for my initial post) is that the 10 - 15 seconds it can take may be far to long if you are on short final for landing.
Learn the sights and sounds of a tank running dry in your airplane so that you have time to react before the engine quits because of fuel starvation.
There are possible situations where we don't have 10 seconds to spare...
