Fuel level indicators for scuttle tank cars

[Ian Grace]

The Cessna 150 I fly has two wing fuel tanks, and two very unreliable fuel gauges. Since much of the flying out here in the Pacific Northwest is over water, you really don't want to run out of fuel. So we use a simple little device to dip the tanks in preflight. It is simply a clear acrylic tube which you put down vertically into the tank, then put your finger over the hole in the top and pull it out. The fuel flows up the hole and stays in place when you block off the top. The tube is graduated in gallons, so you can easily see, and get an accurate measure of the fuel level. This is a different approach to the original Minor red fibre dipstick, but would work perfectly for our scuttle tank cars.

Ungraduated tubes are available from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty for $17-95 - or about a tenner - for the universdal (ungraduated) tube. Or you could make your own.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/p ... orpa28.php