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I like to think in terms of time in the tanks, rather than gallons. I don't ever want to be at less than IFR reserves, but at a minimum, an hour remaining, or better.
It's hard to run out of fuel if you don't burn off the bottom half of the tanks. This doesn't mean that one should never burn below a half-tank, but simply means that so long as one keeps a healthy margin and doesn't abuse it, running out of fuel isn't an issue.
A good practice is dipping the tanks, rather than simply looking in the tank. It's easy to have a tank appear full, especially with an extended filler neck, and still be able to squeeze considerable fuel into the tank.
In the case of the 210, filling to the bottom of the filler neck leaves the tanks down by a considerable margin; about an hour in each tank.
Simply watching the fuel level in the tank isn't enough. Know how much you anticipate putting into the tank, and verify it with the fuel flow meters on the truck or pump when you do fill the tanks.
Another good practice is to deduct an hour from what you think is in the tanks, and start there. If your best calculation shows five hours of fuel, then plan on four hours max, and take your reserve out of that. I've flown with a lot of individuals who think that being able to squeak the last drop out of each tank of fuel, and being able to run it to the last few ounces was somehow a hallmark of a good aviator. I strongly disagree. I had a new employer once tell me that he expected me to run a tank dry so I'd know just how far I could stretch the fuel. I quit and went elsewhere. No need working around that kind of stupidity.
Fuel flow meters and totalizers work great so long as you've got correct data to begin with. Aircraft gauges are notoriously wrong. If I'm flying cross country, I like to keep a fuel log and compare it to what I calculated I'd have burned when passing each waypoint. Rough calculations are useful, too; half-way there I should see half of the fuel that I calculated in the preflight, gone. Three quarters of the way, three quarters of my planned trip fuel, gone, and so on.
Keep track of your bypass fuel in your tank and burn calculations. There are two basic ways to get silent in flight; one is running out of fuel, but the other is mismanaging (misplacing, misfeeding, etc) the fuel. When fuel is transferred or bypassed from one tank to the other, keep the amount in mind and use accordingly.
Remember, you can always land earlier and take on more fuel. You run out of options, however, if you push it too far. I've flown skymasters with up to a 12 hour endurance if flown properly, and I could do it, but personally I have about a three hour bladder and that's enough. I've done a lot of 6+ hour flights in Skymasters, and that's too long. Land, take a break, and get more fuel. No sense pushing any farther or longer than necessary. Remember, it's supposed to be fun!
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