Beech 18 Fuel Dipstick...?

[chippy]

Has anyone come across or know of someone who is producing a Beech 18 fuel dipstick?

Any info would be appreciated.

Cheers

[slinky]

I consulted an old friend that flew corperate 18's many years.....

Never saw one, I would question the accuracy give the shallow depth of the main and aft tanks , shallow depth and length of the outboard tank, and deck angle which requires the filler be forward and therefore the tank looks low when there is still substantial fuel on board.

In my experience a dipstick works great in a deep compact tank like the 7AC.

Hope this helps....

[Taigh Ramey]

Been working on Beech 18's for a while now and I have bought a lot of inventories and aircraft and I can say I have never come across a dip stick for one. I have many dip sticks for other aircraft but not the Beech 18.

Personally I use the time method for fuel consumption. 98 gph takeoff, 50 gph for a takeoff and local flights and 38 to 40 gph for long range cruise. Your mileage may vary according to your power settings.

When set up and working properly the fuel indicating system is pretty accurate but of course I rely on timing as my primary source and the gage to back it up. If a wire breaks in the fuel indicating system then the fuel gage will read 1/2 tank so this is always something to watch out for.

Lots of variations in the fuel systems for the Beech 18 so be sure you know what you have and be sure it matches the manual. Many fuel system mods never seem to make it into the Aircraft Flight Manual. There are conditions in some fuel systems where you can cross feed and end up pumping fuel overboard and not even smell it from the cockpit.

It is easy to make a dip stick if you would like. Just watch out for the baffles inside the main tank. Start with an empty tank in a normal attitude and begin filling it in 5 gallon increments. Mark the stick up to 78.5 on the mains and 23.5 or 25 for the aux tanks. You will not be able to use a stick for the outer wing tanks if you have them or the nose either as they will not work so well with a stick.

I hope this helps,

Taigh

[chippy]

Thanks, I hadn't thought about the accuracy considering the shallow depth of the tank.

Cheers

[b29driver]

I marked a wooden dowel rod like Taigh talked about. It's in the potty compartment of my airplane. I can't remember the last time I used it.

[C45 driver]

Taigh and Charlie will certainly tell me if I'm wrong, but on the C45, there are 2 horizontal baffles in the main tanks. The bottom baffle is at about 25 gal remaining, and the upper baffle is at about 50 gals. Of course, if the fuel is up to the filer neck, ah, nevermind.
A stick might be good for the aux tanks...

Carry on!
Mark