<...If you run the right tank dry, you probably have other problems. :-)) ...>
a) You SHOULD run the right tank dry ... b) You MUST pick the time and place YOURSELF

This is an issue dear to my heart.  I wish I had a dollar for every airplane that "ran out of gas" and crashed a few miles from its destination but was found to have several gallons of fuel in the "UNselected" tank.  Any fuel system I install will be designed to make it easy to ensure that toward the end of a long flight ALL of the fuel on board is in the SELECTED tank.  The simplest way I have come up with to get this done is to have parallel pumps and filters drawing from and returning to one wing tank, and a Facet pump to transfer fuel from the "off" wing to the "active" wing.

Somebody's idea of a 3-min option on the transfer pump I find very appealing.  I would like to set it up as a 3-position switch: Center - OFF, Up - ON and Momentary-Down - 3-minute ON.  I would have three switches: one for each engine fuel pump and one for the xfer pump.  Plumbing would be minimal  and have no valves other than hand operated maintenance valves and perhaps an emergency off.  Very few failure modes, minimal "firewall footprint" requirements..

Seems to meet my needs .... Jim S.

kevin lane wrote:

I felt stupid about running a tank dry once, having promised myself I would switch over a few miles before the destination.  Then Van told me he once ran dry on short, short final and let the world know by having to hand tow his plane to the ramp while everyone else waited.  I find, too, that on cross country flights you think about fuel a lot.  I love the ferry tank I installed behind my seat giving me a "third" wing of capacity.  with it you can actually shop for a good price.  my -8 will have outboard wing tanks.Kevin Lane  Portland, OR
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