Flight Training - June 2011 - 44

FLIGHT LESSON

By Ray Ordorica
FLIGHT LESSON offers the opportunity for pilots to learn from the experiences of others.

A LOT LESS FUEL THAN HE THOUGHT

THE LONG RIDE HOME

became a pilot in July 2008, flying a Cessna 152 out of Ravalli County Airport in Hamilton, Montana. That was the closest airport at which I could learn to fly. The Salmon, Idaho, airport was closer, but there were no instructors, so I had to drive to Montana.
I bought a 7ECA Citabria and kept it at Hamilton until I got my taildragger endorsement. When the CFI signed me off he delivered my airplane to Salmon. I flew the Salmon valley all summer, getting a feel for the Citabria’s left-hand throttle, right-hand stick, and heel brakes. That fall I decided it was time to make a cross-country trip between the two airports. That route crosses some mighty rugged mountains. A two-lane road winds here and there through narrow canyons, stretching the driving distance to 100 miles. There’s nothing but wilderness for many miles in all directions. I planned a route with plenty of waypoints. My airplane has a minimal panel—not even a directional gyro—so I navigated each waypoint with the compass and dead reckoning. I had a tiny, ancient GPS unit that still worked, but I had never used a GPS before.
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Mountain flying is tricky, and this was my first real cross-country in my new airplane. As I crossed the mountains at 8,000 feet, the ridges were not far below and the surrounding peaks were higher. Flying level over a ridge I glanced at the VSI. It told me I was descending at 500 feet per minute. Time to climb! Darby, the last of my checkpoints, is just south of Hamilton. I zipped past it at more than 100 mph, flew north, following my compass, and there was Hamilton and the familiar layout of the airport. On the ground the FBO operator asked me if I needed anything and, fool that I was, I said no. I chatted briefly with a friend there, and it was time to head home. I pointed the Citabria south and climbed past the first line of hills. I spotted Darby off my right wing. I got into some turbulence and decided to try to climb out of it. Some minutes into the climb I glanced at Darby again, and it had not moved. With indicated airspeed in the climb at 70 mph I read the groundspeed off the little GPS unit: 17 mph. Headwinds!

I continued to climb, but the turbulence didn’t go away. Neither did the wind. Ten minutes later Darby was still off my right wing. I leveled off, and the Citabria and I bored into the teeth of the gale. Ground speed went up to just above 50 mph. About that time I decided to check the fuel. The bobbing gauge registered about a quarter-tank. A quarter-tank? But it was full at Salmon! Wasn’t it? Where had all my fuel gone? I had taken a couple of trips around the pattern a few days before this trip, but the tanks were close to full before I took off. I had checked them. Yet, I had a lot less fuel than I thought I had. I struggled along over the jagged mountains, fuel supply dwindling. I knew my fuel-burn rate and had done the math, and calculated I would have enough fuel to get home with enough to spare. Yet as I flew, that bobbing gauge showed less and less fuel remaining. Would I make it? I did the math again to see how many gallons I needed to travel the distance in zero wind, and then guessed the fuel consumption for headwinds. I was going to make it, but wouldn’t have a lot of reserve. Once I was actually in the Salmon valley I tuned in the Salmon AWOS. The winds were moderate at ground level, so I flew as low as I dared, but it didn’t do much good. The groundspeed stayed about the same. But I was able to get back to the Salmon airport, and even made a decent landing. Back in the hangar I measured the remaining fuel and found I had a lot more than I thought. The gauge, like most aircraft gauges, was not telling me the whole story. Whenever I land, if there’s fuel available, I’ll fill my tanks. I’m buying time in the air, and no matter how much the fuel costs, it’s a bargain.

LESSONS LEARNED
Never assume you have enough fuel. Verify! Carry as much fuel as weight and balance allows. Be especially wary of fuel status over unfamiliar terrain.

SARAH HANSON

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Flight Training - June 2011

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