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This is an enjoyable thread. While all the techniques for the verification of fuel on board are fine for an aircraft either sitting on the ground or in flight with accurate gages, it is clear that the general consensus of pilots do not trust their fuel gauges and rightfully so. This begs yet another question. If an FAA examiner was administering a check ride in your aircraft what would you tell him about your fuel gauges. You would go and do all of the things you guys have talked about in the interest of verification, but the gauges had better indicate the same as you verify. If they did not, in the absence of an approved MEL, your aircraft would not be airworthy under FAR Part 91.205. The gauges must be installed and indicate the quantity of fuel in the tank. Timing the tanks is a great technique provided you do not have an inflight leak, which is the basis for the airworthiness issue regarding operable fuel gauges. If the aircraft was operated under a MEL then, if approved, you could use an alternate means like sticking the tank or operating with a known quantity prior to take-off to a specific limit. Without such approval, if you know your gauges to be inaccurate and you go fly, you would be operating in violation of 91.205. I understand that we all operate within the FAR's and that the gauges in every aircraft we have flown have been right on the money, all the time. But as aircraft owners we have an obligation to maintain the aircraft we fly in airworthy condition at all times. If their is doubt about the accuracy of your fuel quantity indicating system, it should be addressed in the same manner as a suspect crankshaft after a prop strike or engine ignition problem. You chase it down until you are confident that the system works the way it should. The 337 has a pretty straight forward fuel system yet we have all heard the stories of so many fuel related incidents.
Just my two cents.
Mark F
Atlanta
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