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Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 17:36:34 -0500
From: Ernest Christley <echristley@nc.rr.com>
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To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: Yet another limp home story
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James Maher wrote:
> Steve,
>   This fuel tank has been in service for over 5 years and 18 hours of engine operation before this occurance.
>   The tank has been flushed several times over the years and the filters checked for debris.
>   It is only in the past year that I have started to notice the signs of deterioration.
>    
>   Ernest was on the fence about the fuel tank but now is leaning towards aluminum I think.
>   The other Delta Builder who is flying with a Mazda engine has an aluminum tank and has been flying for almost 4 years without incident.
>    
>   
Jim, I'm definitely going aluminum.  I'm working on building a form 
right now, in the exact way that you built it for the glass layup.    
I'll lay a sheet of metal around it and beat in a 1/4" flange.  Another 
sheet will wrap up from one side, across the top and down the other, cut 
to shape and one long edge weld all the way around.  When I layup the 
turtleback, I'll set the tank in place, run a fillet of flox around the 
weld, then glass the weld in with about 40oz of glass tapes.  There will 
only be a small amount of volume lost to empty space, and the load path 
won't change.  I think it's as true to the plans as one can get without 
having a glass tank.

>   If I had used polyester or vinal ester ,as some have pointed out this would not have been an issue as they are both impervious to auto fuel with ethanol.
>   This problem has caused me to re-think my entire fuel system.
>   It will be better.
>   
> Jim
>   
> Steve Brooks <cozy4pilot@gmail.com> wrote:
>         
>             James,
>   Sorry to hear about your problem.  I also have fiberglass fuel tanks on the Cozy, but when I did them, I coated the, with a sealant made by Jeffco, which is impervious to the various fuels out there.  Well, at least the ones they knew about back in 2002.
>    
>   I was pretty careful when I built mine, on getting all of the debris out as well, though I did check the fuel filters a couple of times in the first 10 hours, and also replace the one on the primary fuel every year during the conditional inspection.
>    
>   I know that I saw a post earlier by Ernest, who is also building a Delta.  He was going with an aluminum tank, I believe, on his plane.
>    
>   Steve Brooks 
>    
>
>
>