How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

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pjcampbell
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How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by pjcampbell »

Let's say you can get 91 ethanol free (I can, thank you Vermont) . How do you handle this fuel from dispensing to entering into your aircraft's fuel tanks?

Do you just fill it up in red containers and pour it into your aircraft? Do you filter it? Do you test it for water contamination aside from fuel ports and sump checks on the aircraft itself?
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MrMorden
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Re: How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by MrMorden »

pjcampbell wrote:Let's say you can get 91 ethanol free (I can, thank you Vermont) . How do you handle this fuel from dispensing to entering into your aircraft's fuel tanks?

Do you just fill it up in red containers and pour it into your aircraft? Do you filter it? Do you test it for water contamination aside from fuel ports and sump checks on the aircraft itself?
Put gas in Tuff Jugs, then pour it into the airplane. The airplane has fuel filters, and I sump for water before each flight. It doesn't really need much more than that, IMO.

I do use gas from what I consider quality, high volume stations. I don't use gas from sleepy mom and pop stations that might have been sitting for a month.
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Re: How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by zodiac flyer »

I use a plastic gas can, the funnel has a filter. I always check for alcohol with an inexpensive tester from spruce, always drain the sumps.
I usually fly for an hour, so one 5 gallon jug will usually be ok.
My zodiac burn about 5 GPH.
CTLSi
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Re: How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by CTLSi »

You can use gas cans. You can also get a transfer tank and pump, put it in your PU truck. There are also gas caddys that have a hand pump and hose.

You check water and dirt the usual way as with 100LL, at the gascolator. Always check your fuel after fueling, wait about 20 mins for that...

91E10 or 91 non ethanol is okay to use in Rotax engines. If using fuel with ethanol the larger consideration is the aircraft fuel tanks and hoses in the fuel system - are they compatible with corrosive aspects of ethanol. In the Flight Design CT the answer is yes.
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3Dreaming
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Re: How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by 3Dreaming »

CTLSi wrote: 91 non ethanol is okay to use in Rotax engines. But be aware that without the ethanol there is a slight drop in octane.
91 octane without ethanol is simply 91 octane. There is no slight drop! On the other hand if you remove the ethanol from 91 octane with ethanol then you would have a drop in octane.
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drdehave
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Re: How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by drdehave »

I buy my 92-octane, alcohol-free gas 108 gallons at a time (it's a 4-hour round trip drive to my nearest station in CA). This lasts me 4-6 weeks, during peak flying season (about 8-months-long). I pump it out of the transfer tank five gallons at a time into (plastic) Jazz Jugs, where it is weighed, to confirm (the transfer tank has an electronic meter) amount. The transfer tank has a filter. Nevertheless, after weighing, it is poured into my tanks through a Mr. Funnel, which also has a filter screen. Finally, I drain at least a pint out of the sump (I have one, for three tanks) before first flight of each day. And when my airplane will not be flown for more than about 3-5 days, I now drain the tank(s), which are fiberglass composite.
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CTLSi
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Re: How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by CTLSi »

3Dreaming wrote:
CTLSi wrote: 91 non ethanol is okay to use in Rotax engines. But be aware that without the ethanol there is a slight drop in octane.]/quote]

91 octane without ethanol is simply 91 octane. There is no slight drop! On the other hand if you remove the ethanol from 91 octane with ethanol then you would have a drop in octane.
According the Shell oil company, 91E10 is a MINIMUM of 91 octane...and there may up UP TO 10% ethanol, but there may be less. Thus the actual octane with ethanol could vary....

In any case, the Rotax 912 ULS and 912iS engine require a 91 octane MINIMUM. The presumption being that 91 unblended ethanol fuel has a mimum octane of 91 and that meets Rotax specs. The source for Rotax fuel minimums are here: http://www.rotaxservice.com/rotax_tips/rotax_feed4.htm
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designrs
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Re: How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by designrs »

At the gas station:
I used to be able to get 91 ethanol free, but no longer.
Now I mix 89 ethanol-free with 93 ethanol... 2.5 gal of each mixed in 5 gallon jugs... averages out to 91 octane 5% ethanol.

At the plane:
Towel on wing. Jug on towel. Funnel with strainer... and the best siphon ever:
https://www.superjiggler.com/prestashop ... -hose.html
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Re: How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by Jack Tyler »

PJ, I fueled a Grumman Traveler for 6 years using autofuel and what worked easily for me was to use a large boat fuel tank. It went into the trunk of the car on the way to the airport, getting filled enroute. I had the 12V fuel transfer pump, grounding wires, in-line fuel filter and fuel tubing in a box alongside the tank in the trunk. On arrival I pumped the tank dry, which then went back in the garage when returning home. Thus, I never had fuel sitting in a jug or tank and never had to wrestle with jugs.

Later in life, I ended up jugging many hundreds of gallons of diesel (and some gas) while sailing to and living in many distant countries and island nations. Great way to maintain cardio/vascular/pulmonary health! The critical component in jugging all that fuel was a relatively new (at the time) filter that screened out water as well as dirt & debris. (E.g. here's an example: http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-mari ... 80_003_517) I would not return to self-fueling an aircraft without using such a filter.

The more expensive truck-bed tanks & pumps and fuel caddies mentioned above are IMO a great solution if there's a certainty that you'll be flying lots of hours and it would be used for a number of years where the safety and convenience pay dividends. But surely pricey when compared to simple solutions like mine. Be sure to check at your airport for what practices are acceptable before investing in a method of your choice. I parked on the ramp when I flew the Traveler and, at that time, the airport didn't really bother itself with self-fueling rules, so driving up to the a/c and fueling never caused a fuss. I now fly a Tiger at a rural airport that is nonetheless part of a county-wide aviation authority, and apparently their main role in life is to generate rules. However even there the truck-bed tank, fuel caddy and boat fuel tank methods would all be acceptable.
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Nomore767
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Re: How do you handle mogas from a GAS station?

Post by Nomore767 »

MrMorden wrote:
pjcampbell wrote:Let's say you can get 91 ethanol free (I can, thank you Vermont) . How do you handle this fuel from dispensing to entering into your aircraft's fuel tanks?

Do you just fill it up in red containers and pour it into your aircraft? Do you filter it? Do you test it for water contamination aside from fuel ports and sump checks on the aircraft itself?
Put gas in Tuff Jugs, then pour it into the airplane. The airplane has fuel filters, and I sump for water before each flight. It doesn't really need much more than that, IMO.

I do use gas from what I consider quality, high volume stations. I don't use gas from sleepy mom and pop stations that might have been sitting for a month.
I usually get my 93 non-ethanol auto-gas from a reputable station. I usually fill 2 x 5 gallon jugs and a 2.5 gallon which suits my needs. I have a Mr Funnel to filter into the airplane or other jug. I sump the gascolator prior to each flight and have never seen water or debris. The carbs have been consistently clean.
You can check the fuel for ethanol content. I choose not use an ethanol auto gas because of the potential damage caused by the ethanol. I'd choose 100LL over that.

I don't store fuel for long (if the plane is down for more than a couple of weeks I pour it into the sports car and buy fresh gas next time I fly.) besides the airport forbids storing fuel in the hangars.
There are a few airports in my region with 93 non-ethanol at the pump and I'll use them regularly in order to support them to continue supplying it.

I don't have the need personally for a bigger truck tank setup and I try to keep things as simple as possible and feel I have good control over what goes into the tank.
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