Message-ID: <002201bf87d6$097cfb00$b8a0490c@ckrouse_ra.spk.hp.com>
Reply-To: "Curtis Krouse" <ckrouse@worldnet.att.net>
From: "Curtis Krouse" <ckrouse@worldnet.att.net>
To: <lancair.list@olsusa.com>
Subject: Re: Gas filler neck grounding
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 17:39:51 -0800
Mime-Version: 1.0

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Ed,

Forgive me for being so opinionated here......but you are wrong!!!  (how's
that for a strong opinion?) ;-)

If there is any chance whatsoever of the filler cap building up a charge,
then there is a potential disaster waiting to happen.  It IS important to
electrically connect the gas filler to other metal parts of the aircraft for
the purpose of allowing a path for the charge to be discharged.  BUT, the
most important point of the whole discharge path is that the plane and it's
related path to the filler cap be equalized to the fuel source.  This is of
course done by the "ground" connection to the truck or the pump.  EVEN
without static charge build up on the aircraft skin or any part of the
aircraft....IT IS IMPERATIVE as a safety precaution that the fuel source and
the fuel dispensing point be connected to dissipate any charge potential
between the two.

There may not have been any instances of problems, but that doesn't preclude
the problem from existing.  We have plenty of examples to validate this
theory. (wormscrews and all)  If connecting the filler cap to other metal
parts of the aircraft to provide a discharge path isn't done, then the fuel
source potential difference between the source and the filler point STILL
needs to be equalized before fueling commences.  Even if it's connecting the
discharge wire directly to the filler cap itself to bleed of the potential
before fueling.

Sorry if this seems strong.....guess it may come from the fact that I've
been in the quality part of engineering most of my life. ;-)

Curtis Krouse N753K

>There's something wrong with the thinking recently on grounding the
airplane to
>prevent sparks during fueling.  The E-glass lancairs don't <,SNIP>
e>is the filler neck as a result of any charge it alone might have built up.
This
>filler neck is electrically insulated from everything else including the
fuel
>since the tank is probably not full when the line boy pulls up.  The filler
ne>the nose gear or any other metal piece.  So how much charge can the fuel
filler
>neck accumulat
>contribute to building a charge.  I missed a few posts, so If this is
ground
>already covered, my aplogies.
>
>Ed de Chazal
>Rochester, Michigan


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