from. It doesn’t matter if the tanks are permanently mounted above or below ground or if they’re housed in a fuel truck: the fueling tanks should be sumped peri- odically to ensure they, too, are clean. The photo opposite shows four fuel samples I drew myself to illustrate the significant visual differences between pure and impure fuel. The two jars on the left contain Jet A fuel; the one on the far left holds very old fuel sumped from a helicopter at an airport. The two jars on the right contain avgas. The sample on the far right is clean;
the sample next to it shows the water I added to illustrate what a contaminated sample can look like. Note the blue top half of the sample, indicating the gas, and the clear bottom half, indicating the water. (Water weighs more than gas and therefore settles to the bottom of the receptacle.)
New Doesn’t Guarantee Clean Believe me, what you put in your aircraft’s fuel tank is important. One time, I was ferrying a brand-new EC130 from a com- pletion center where it had received new paint, interior, and avionics. The helicop- ter’s engine and airframe had a whopping seven hours of use. After getting the ship to the destination airport and refueling after the trip, I showed a rated student pilot the next day how to sump the tanks, because he was new to the aircraft and needed training. The fuel sample yielded about a gallon of fuel that looked like I had taken it from a mud puddle! That, ladies and gentlemen, is why you
draw a fuel sample. It doesn’t matter how new or old the aircraft is. It doesn’t matter how much you trust the truck or tank it came from at the airport. It’s the pilot’s responsibility to ensure the aircraft is air- worthy prior to flight. Do the sample. It’s too easy, and it’s one
thing you have control over to protect your safety and that of your passengers and crew. Take advantage of it! Fugere tutum!
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