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Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 19:34:03 -0400
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From: "Dan Schaefer" <dfs155@adelphia.net>
Subject: Re: Fuel Transfer
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This subject has been covered a number of times in the LML in the past - 
there should be a lot of info in the archives. Regardless, I'll add my two 
cents worth just for the heck of it.

When I first flew my LNC2, I had two Facet fuel transfer pumps, one for each 
wing tank to header. Not too long into my first few hours, one pump failed - 
fortunately, I wasn't very far from home. Had I needed the gas in the other 
wing I would have just plain SOL! I decided that I needed a bit of 
redundancy in a system as flight safety critical as fuel.

I re-plumbed my system, bringing both wing tank outlets to a selector R/L 
valve and then ran the outlet from the valve to the same two Facet pumps in 
series, then to the header. I don't remember the Facet P/N but I checked 
that it allowed pump-through when de-energized. In this way, fhould one of 
the pumps fail again, I still can get the fuel from either wing, merely by 
switching the valve from left to right. The pumps are wired to to allow Off, 
Left, Right and Both.

Of course, as such things go, I haven't had a transfer pump failure since 
the first one but I have lost the boost pump (also Facet - with different 
fittings) at about 300 hours - so, with two failures so far I'm guessing 
it'll happen again, sooner or later. I fly a bit more comfortably knowing 
that I can get all the fuel in my wings to my header, even with a single 
failure.

I only feed the engine from the header tank, so if the pumps empty a wing 
and suck air for a short time it doesn't affect the engine operation 
(unless, of course, I get real stupid and run the header dry).

Cheers,

Dan Schaefer