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Unread 04-29-10, 09:18 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2002
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Ferry Tanks

Your best shot is internal, inside the cabin, Ferry Tanks.
These are custom made, will require some plumbing and pumps, to get the fuel to your wing tanks.
Owen adds internal to the wing tanks outboard of the current tanks. These are small tanks, several of them, in each wing. With each tank there is a fill port, and a fuel drain, both of which add to the drag on the airframe. Then there are the wing extension tanks. These are ever further outboard of the wing end. Finally, there are the under the wing tanks, attached with hard points under the wing. All of these tanks require additional plumbing, and pumps to work.

The deal about all of those is that they are expensive, they are modifications to the airframe, that place additional loads on the wing, in an area that is not necessarily designed to take those loads. In addition, when you are all done, they are there forever.

If you get an internal ferry tank, you can take it out when you reach your destination. You can take off at 30% over gross weight, and not affect the drag that is on the airframe.

I remember listening to someone talk at the last Bahamas fly-in about flying from St. Johns to the Azores. It was the shortest route to go to Africa. There was a temporary installation of a HF radio, mounting it up in the cabin overhead. The route is direct, over well traveled shipping lanes, and avoided all the potential for icing that can be found on the northern route.

In the fuselage tanks were used by the AF to ferry 0-2's to Viet Nam.
I would suggest talking to Don Nieser about installing a fuselage tank. I think for long distance, this is your best bet.
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