Pilots have come to accept that aircraft fuel gauges just don’t work well. In fact, many pilots simply assume the fuel gauge is wrong, believing it’s safer to rely on their own calculations concerning the amount of fuel remaining rather than on the gauge. As the old saw goes, “never trust your life to
fuel gauges
Aircraft Fuel Gauges Are Supposed To Actually Work
By Mike Danko on
Posted in General Aviation
Running out of gas is a leading cause of piston aircraft engine failures. So you’d think that pilots would have zero tolerance for the shoddy fuel gauges installed in many aircraft, such as the ones installed in the Cirrus SR22. But instead, they tend to make excuses for the manufacturers. "It would be too expensive to make…
A Letter to Cirrus Aircraft: Please Fix Your Plane
By Mike Danko on
Posted in Cirrus Aircraft, General Aviation
Bill King
Vice President of Business Administration
Cirrus Aircraft
Duluth, Minnesota 55811
Dear Bill:
I own one of your aircraft. There are some nice things about the Cirrus. But a few things, from a safety standpoint, really suck. First, the doors don’t stay closed. Second, too many pilots and passengers are getting killed when pilots try to land the thing. Third, the fuel gauges don’t work.
I read your comments on each of these issues in today’s Duluth News Tribune. Considering that they come from a company that prides itself on “celebrating safety,” I found some of the comments disturbing.
The doors.
Bill, they pop open. A lot. It’s always a distraction when it happens. If they pop open at a bad time, it can spell real trouble. More on that here.
I read how you flew from one airport to another a few weeks ago with a door that wasn’t shut, andContinue Reading A Letter to Cirrus Aircraft: Please Fix Your Plane