Sport Pilot Talk

Cub flyer · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 333

Here is one of those eureka moments. While reading the newest Vintage Airplane EAA rag there is a great article on the Bucker Bestmann. In there a little note said the fuel caps had dipsticks attached like the oil cap!

I wonder why this is not more common. Makes sense to me. I can never find the stick or drop it into the tank. Not the best for real tall tanks but most wing tanks would work fine.

JimNtexas · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 15 Location: Austin, Texas

Cub flyer wrote: Here is one of those eureka moments. While reading the newest Vintage Airplane EAA rag there is a great article on the Bucker Bestmann. In there a little note said the fuel caps had dipsticks attached like the oil cap!

I wonder why this is not more common. Makes sense to me. I can never find the stick or drop it into the tank. Not the best for real tall tanks but most wing tanks would work fine.

The Cub I learned to fly in had something even better. The fuel tank was right in front of the pilot, and the gas cap had a wire stick with a cork on the end, so you had an almost infallible gas gage right in front of you.

Of course there are small disadvantages to having the gas tank right above the pilots ankles.

Cub flyer · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 333

reliable and simple. They figured it out back then. Almost like electricity was not trusted.

another thing that makes me wonder is why it took so long to invent disk brakes?

Jim Stewart · Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 46

Quote: The Cub I learned to fly in had something even better. The fuel tank was right in front of the pilot, and the gas cap had a wire stick with a cork on the end, so you had an almost infallible gas gage right in front of you.

You know you're describing a Model A Ford gas gauge? The tank was directly behind the dash and the gas gauge was a needle, a pivot and a float in the tank....

Cub flyer · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 333

I'm thinking about one a little different. not Model A. The Piper Vagabond has those. And no not a wire with cork like in the cub.

This was a dipstick attached to the fuel cap just like an oil dipstick on an O-200.

I dip my tanks before each flight on most airplanes with a paint stick, metal stick or clear tube. Keeping them around is a pain. They get left on the wing, broken, lost, etc.

If the stick was attached to the cap like on an oil dipstick then you would not have to hunt for it. Always calibrated right, and it would not smell up the cabin.

It would not work on airplanes that have caps needing more than 1/4 turn to remove or the Thermos caps on my apache but others would be fine.

Vented caps with the small ram air tubes could have a clear tube and you just hold your finger over the cap hole. Some have an alternate vent on the backside so they would not work but it's an idea.