Because the Piper Dakota is a low wing aircraft, in order to check the amount of fuel in each wing tank you only have to look in. There is a tab inside that marks when the fuel is at 25 gallons and when the tank is full at 36 gallons. However when flying an air race it is pointless to fly with the excess weight of additional fuel if it is not needed, so Moe says "Heather, we need a stick." The stick simply being some kind of measuring device (like a ruler) to stick in the fuel tanks and read how much fuel is really in the tank. Heather say "Okay."
Two weeks go by, "Heather, we need a stick." "Okay"
Two more weeks go by after Heather tried to buy a stick to no avail. "Heather, we really need a stick."
So yesterday, Heather flew with her pilot husband Randy (a 10,000 hour CFII, ATP - knows what he's doing type of guy) and flew her airplane until one of the tanks RAN OUT OF GAS! We did this on purpose (while flying over the airport with gas in the other wing tank) because only then can you add fuel in increments and mark on a stick how much fuel is truly in the tanks. So we flew and we flew and we flew until the engine quit. And then we switched fuel tanks and we flew and we flew and we flew and made a Moe Stick!
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| All happy smiles.... |
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| Right Fuel tank is LESS than empty - not what you really want to see - EVER |
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| Yeah - that wasn't so fun |
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