AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2019 - 70

FUEL SYSTEM UPGRADES

Pilots are generally responsible people.
They prepare, they plan, they anticipate
problems. Which makes it all the more
baffling that fuel mismanagement still
accounts for around 10 percent of piloterror accidents. In 2015, 76 general aviation
aircraft crashed from fuel mismanagement:
46 from flight planning problems, 20 from
system operation issues, and 10 from fuel
contamination.
You could argue that because aircraft
fuel gauges are so terrible we've all stopped
trusting them, and for good cause. A variety
of fuel-system-related products on the market are meant to address this issue. Some,
such as fuel totalizers, have been out for years
and can give great confidence to fuel planning and usage with information beyond the
standard fuel gauges. Others, such as digital
fuel senders, are relatively new, and aim to
restore our confidence in the gauges.
Most fuel totalizers will show a range of
parameters. Current fuel burn comes from
a transducer, while measurements such as
fuel to next waypoint and amount required
to the destination will require a serial input
from a GPS unit.
New fuel displays or senders will
generally require a supplemental type certificate to install, which can increase the
cost. Given the increase in safety it may be
an easy cost to justify.
CIES FUEL SENDERS

The folks at CiES want us to be able to trust
our fuel gauges again. What a concept! The
company has created a series of new analog
and digital fuel senders that are available
as OEM and aftermarket equipment on a
wide range of common general aviation
aircraft. Using some high-tech magnetic
wizardry, the CiES senders measure fuel
accurately to within a tenth of a gallon
without electronics in the tank. In many
cases the price could be close to the cost of

"I keep it simple with
a signal mirror and
modern with a
satphone." -Tom Horne
70 | AOPA PILOT July 2019

"A handheld transceiver with an external
antenna connection and a 406 MHz ELT
with GPS connection are musts for me."

-Tom Haines

JP INSTRUMENTS FUEL SCAN 450

With displays for current fuel burn, total
used, total required, hours and minutes of
fuel left, how much fuel in reserve, and gallons per nautical mile, what else could you
possibly want? The JP Instruments Fuel
Scan 450 provides all these parameters
on a digital display that fits in a 2.25-inch
instrument hole. Current fuel burn is
always displayed on top, while the rest of

overhauling old senders, or buying an old
design from the factory, making the investment in something much more accurate
seem much more reasonable.
Price: $790 to $3,160 depending on the aircraft.
Contact: ciescorp.com
ELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL FP-5

Electronics International's FP-5 has a
slightly different display from others on
the market. A single line shows current
fuel flow or a range of different parameters, including fuel flow, fuel weight, time
to empty, fuel used, and more. The display
also has caution and warning lights for low
fuel and high or low fuel pressure. Be careful
when ordering to make sure you choose the
FP-5 or FP-5L, which includes a serial connection to the GPS or multifunction display.
Price: $499 to $1,049 depending on horsepower
and options.
Contact: buy-ei.com

the information is selectable on the bottom line. The kit includes the instrument,
a transducer, the harness, and everything
else required for installation.
Price: $650 to $1,200 depending on options.
Contact: jpinstruments.com
SHADIN MINIFLO-L, DIGIFLO-L,
AND MICROFLO-L

Shadin has long been in the fuel totalizer
business, and the company offers three
models, each with slightly different features
and displays. The Miniflo-L is a 3.25 by 1.25inch rectangular display that shows current
burn in gallons per hour, and then a range of
selectable parameters that are selected with a
rotating knob. The Digiflo-L fits in a standard
round instrument hole and provides much
the same information as the Miniflo-L. The
Microflo-L provides the same information
as the Miniflo-L, but in a standard 2.25-inch
small round instrument. When connected
to a GPS all three units can display specific range, which is fuel burn divided by
https://ciescorp.net/ http://www.jpinstruments.com http://www.buy-ei.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2019
