I read 3 forums daily and it seems that a lot of pilots / owners do not take part in the refueling process. I do because it is my butt that will be hurt if it is not done right - not the line man or the FBO.
I check the truck that it is Avgas and not JP4, open the fuel caps, I tell them / show them the level I want it filled to, I replace and tighten the caps myself. (Yes it is: cold - hot - windy - wet - out there and I need to go to bathroom also)
My plane partner does not - he just says "Fill it up" and goes inside which means some linemen puts it to bottom of filler neck, some that are experienced with the acft type will put it to top of holes in filler neck. The difference between these points is 5 gallons in each tank on Comanche. That is 1 hour flt time which may be critical on a long cross country. If you depend on what the fuel gauge shows - at least ours and they were overhauled - it will show "full" either way but you can be an hour short in flt time.
I have seen a Russian Colt (radial) fueled with JP4 by an experienced FBO, lucky the pilot who had not been present for refueling caught the mistake on the fuel receipt when he paid before flight.(several hundred gallons had to be drained out) I flew at a college and watched student and instructor taxi away with the fuel cap laying on top of the C-150 wing before I stopped them (wondered about that pre flight).
What do you do?
John
I check the truck that it is Avgas and not JP4, open the fuel caps, I tell them / show them the level I want it filled to, I replace and tighten the caps myself. (Yes it is: cold - hot - windy - wet - out there and I need to go to bathroom also)
My plane partner does not - he just says "Fill it up" and goes inside which means some linemen puts it to bottom of filler neck, some that are experienced with the acft type will put it to top of holes in filler neck. The difference between these points is 5 gallons in each tank on Comanche. That is 1 hour flt time which may be critical on a long cross country. If you depend on what the fuel gauge shows - at least ours and they were overhauled - it will show "full" either way but you can be an hour short in flt time.
I have seen a Russian Colt (radial) fueled with JP4 by an experienced FBO, lucky the pilot who had not been present for refueling caught the mistake on the fuel receipt when he paid before flight.(several hundred gallons had to be drained out) I flew at a college and watched student and instructor taxi away with the fuel cap laying on top of the C-150 wing before I stopped them (wondered about that pre flight).
What do you do?
John
