These videos that are "so basic that every pilot should know them" are extremely useful. Genuinely. Pilot's might be to proud or worried about being judged if they ask how to do things like this too late in their flight training. Being comfortable knowing how to do this stuff, knowing how to leave aircraft overnight at destination airports, knowing what to do after-hours at airports etc could even reduce get-there-itis accidents from pilots nervous to try something a new way.
@@ASlot69 there’s been plenty of accidents occurring after refueling because of water in the on field fuel tanks. Better safe than sorry. Also keep receipts in case there is water and one can get a refund. Ask me how I know.
Correct. The tanks in this video are in brand new/immaculate condition, and they won't always be that nice. Water can and will creep into a system over time which is why when I worked at a major FBO chain, we sumped our fuel farms every morning to check for debris and water. We also did this after every load of fuel we took from our supplier. Once I had to reject an entire 10000 gallon load of Jet-A because the specific gravity didn't check out, and used 3 different hydrometers a "wiz-wheel" and a digital app and all came back with about the same numbers, and all were well above what the hydrometers were reading, meaning there was too much water suspended in the fuel, so I rejected the load.
Few tips, chock the plane correctly, one piece in front and one in back, not both in front. If you use a ladder, fuel the passenger side first so you can see the ladder if you forget it out the pilot window - had to stop a guy getting ready to hit the ladder pulling out. Put fuel selector on left or right to prevent cross flow while one tank is fuller. Sump the tanks afterward. Pull out hose to end of wing on far side for approximate slack. And as the video suggested, check your caps before you climb back in. We had to fuel our own plane at the pilot school I went to, so they taught us how do do it. Each airport seems to have slightly different systems, signage isn't always great, so it's like a puzzle figuring it out sometimes, but they all tend to work the same, just have to find the buttons, etc.
Good tips! Lol I wish the Flying Club pilot at our airport would of known about the ladder tip.. lol he decided the 172’s prop would do a better job at moving the ladder out of the way than him haha we were picking up pieces of fiberglass for months after that
Great video. Can you do one about flying to your first overnight destination? Maybe comparing a full service FBO to a small airport with very few services.
Basically I call ahead to the FBO or airport manager to find out if they have parking available (tie downs). I usually bring my own ropes in case they don't have good ones or none. I have found that if you get fuel from the FBO (full service) they give you a day or so free parking! Parking is usually cheap at most airports $5-15 a day. If they have a ground controller, just tell them you want to go to transient parking. Getting out of the airport, especially after hours may be a challenge. Ask the FBO or airport manager how to do that if you are arriving after hours, etc. Also how to get back in. Overnight trips are fun and a good challenge for a new pilot. I know I got my license to go places! Small airports have self serve fuel. Again, ask about the fuel, location and functionality :D Always have an alternate if you are going cross country and have to fuel in case the pumps are out of service.
Having worked at a small field that did NOT offer full service fuel, I find it appalling that most pilots never learned how to fuel their own plane. Oh well, even though I was not supposed to do it, that did get me a $50 tip once (for a Moony.) Its also worth noting that there's going to be a half gallon or so between the shutoff valve in the nozzle and the end of it. So let go of the handle a few seconds before its full- unless you want a 100LL shower. Also, provided you don't smoke, 100LL is a great way of getting Jet A off cloths. I had to spot clean myself a few times after I splashed some on my shirt while doing QA; that stuff reeks.
(Coming from a Line/Quality Control supervisor for 10 years) Please don’t use avgas to clean your clothes of Jet-A, on top of it containing lead it also contains Benzene which will give you cancer.. an alternative I’ve found that works is the typical windscreen cleaner we keep on our trucks.. it has alcohol in it so it will dry fast and also won’t turn you blue lol
Fueling the aircraft should be part of your flight training IMO. but realize some airports might not have self serve fuel. Heck I remember 30 some years ago our driving school taking us to the service station to demonstrate basic vehicle maintenance.... tire pressure, checking fluid and oil, changing tire, etc.
As a former safety instructor for a major FBO chain, let me put this out to ALL GA pilots. Even if the FBO pumps your fuel, make sure you pop those caps and verify visually that there is gas in the tanks. I can't tell you the number of times I filled C-152, 172, 182 and Pipers only to have the pilot come back to the plane kick out the chocks and fire up the plane without every looking into the tanks. Trust, but verify. Sure the FBO and line guy may take the ultimate blame but that will do you little good if you run out of fuel and kill yourself. The 3 most useless things in aviation are, Sky above you, runway behind you, and fuel on the ground. And, yes, I was a difficult taskmaster but my FBO branch always got the highest marks for safety and performance of any other branch in our district. I never told my guys to be perfect, only to be as good as they could be, and if something went wrong, to tell me INSTANTLY so that we could address it then and there, and heaven help them if I found out about it on my own. The two biggest killers in aviation are laziness and complacency, and I tolerated neither. The same went for our tug and bar tow moves, but that is for a different video.
Coming from a Line supervisor and safety/trainer I totally agree! Too many times I see pilots show up after we pull their plane out of the hangar and just hop in and go with no walk around.. I would also add if a pilot has a line tech add oil to his engine that they please go behind him and make sure the oil caps are properly installed.. I’ve always told my guys, don’t take it personal if the pilot checks out what you did.. we want them to go behind us to double check our work because you can’t pull over in the sky and if you get complacent and they find your mistake then you’ll be more happy they caught it before they took off than after..
Full serve fuel is for those that like to waste money or are lazy or both. Pull up to the self-serve, pull out the ground cable and attach it to your tailpipe. If you have a high wing USE A LADDER, never stand on the plane or strut...if you slip you will get hurt. Pull the hose out long and away from the plane, then walk to to the wing dragging the hose (do furthest wing from pump first). Then walk back to the nearest wing. Straighten the hose again and reel it in slowly so you do not damage the nozzle. Make sure to wipe around the fuel port on the plane with a clean rag to remove splats, spray or spills. Double check the replacement of the fuel caps.
Warning… sump tanks after fueling, even if you are just moving the plane to a parking spot. You may suck water into the fuel lines that doesn’t show up until you are on your next take off roll.
Measure your tanks first to determine accurately how much you need in each tank before you pay. Also Non ethanol/ non lead ( clear premium) needs to be available!
Genuinely I was never taught this kind of stuff in flight school (which seems silly). I kind feel like a kid who graduated high school without ever being taught resume skills or how to do taxes.
Does anyone else pull nose in to the pumps? When you pull through like a car in this video (1) your wing tip gets close to the pumps and (2) you have to drag a hose a long way to the other side. If you nose in, you can get closer, see where you are going, and not risk hitting anything. When I'm done, I push the plane back far enough I can do a 180 and I'm out of there.
Yep that's exactly what I do. The airport I normally fuel at has a hose radius painted on the ground and in order to pull in sideways you have to get the inside wing uncomfortably close to keep both tanks inside the hose radius line. By pulling in perpendicular and stopping just inside the radius I have a ton of room.
Would be nice if some pilots would learn to put the hose back correctly. Some hit the reel button and let the hose get jammed between the reel and its equipment. Not easy to get unjammed sometimes. Or letting the nozzle end up behind the reel where there is no way the next pilot can get at it.
I'm still learning English, and sometimes it's hard to hear someone talking to me if they're speaking fast. However, I can easily understand what the narrator is saying in this video. What accent is this? is the usual american accent like this?
Uhm - you mention it's standard practice for the FBO to fill up the airplane? I literally have never encountered that and have always used self-serve fuel.
@@Copilotdave, respectfully, asking if they want fuel (which I do encounter) and “standard practice” for the FBO to fill up are much different things. The way the delivery of the information is here leads the viewer to believe that they don’t have the option for self-service fuel and are obligated to use the FBO fuel. Incidentally - last summer I had an FBO ask if I wanted full service (FBO) fill-up or self-service. I will almost always do self-service as it’s less expensive. When I told them I’d pull the plane over to the self-service, the FBO operator said “oh, well, the self service is broken, so we’ll fill it up and give you the self-service price. I thought it was amusing because I didn’t have the option for self-service fuel, but had I opted for the full service over the self-service I would have paid a higher price for the fuel but gotten exactly the same result. I just thought to myself “uhm, why didn’t you lead with the self-service isn’t working?”
The flying club I'm a member of is a white-glove type of place. Spotless hangars, good aircraft, and yes, the FBO handles all of the fueling for us at our hangar. You call them up on the radio as you're taxiing in and they're usually there as you're pulling in the alleyway.
Hmm..I don't have a plane. I don't know the last time I watched a plane video. But this video was recommenced....and I live very close to Dupage airport! Interesting......
I watched a lady chop a ladder into little bits of fiberglass and metal after fueling her Cessna at Shafter-Minter. She shutdown and kicked the ladder's remains to the side then fired back up and took off. Lol
At Sanderson field, one must input how many gallons required. Makes it hard to top off not actually knowing the amount needed. So, when attempting to fill my plane, upon switching on the pump, the fuel began spraying out where the nozzle attaches to the hose. I had to shut it off. The company that sells the fuel were not even located in the County! I never did get re-imbursed, and calling the police over the fact was told it was a civil matter, and to take it up with the courts! Be warned, if you are pumping gas at a remote location. I truck my own gas to the field now. So, you either hire an attorney and pay more money, or let it go. What if it had exploded? No, not dealing with them ever again!
@@grayrabbit2211 I keep track of all my plane expenses since I bought it in Jan 2003 ( I know it is stupid to track how much these things cost 😂) and looked back at gas prices. In 2012 and 2013 we were paying as much and adjusted for inflation a bit less right now. Still hurts and unnecessary imo. In any event I paid 6.75 a gallon in 2013 at Elizabethtown,Ky on my way back from sun n fun .
At some airports there may be a hanger across from the fuel island narrowing the taxi way. Don't be a douche and leave your tail hanging out blocking the taxi way.
Depends where someone trained. The flying club I'm a member of is quite a white-glove type operation. Shiny, spotless hangars, fueling handled by the FBO staff, maintenance handled by the mechanics, etc.
Disposable gloves are a much better choice. LL100 washes off, modern perfumes do not. Disposable gloves will prevent that $100 hamburger and your next 3 days meals from tasting like someone else's cheap gross ass perfume.
These videos that are "so basic that every pilot should know them" are extremely useful. Genuinely. Pilot's might be to proud or worried about being judged if they ask how to do things like this too late in their flight training. Being comfortable knowing how to do this stuff, knowing how to leave aircraft overnight at destination airports, knowing what to do after-hours at airports etc could even reduce get-there-itis accidents from pilots nervous to try something a new way.
agreed!!!
Don’t forget to sump the tanks!
They should have already sumped during preflight
@@ASlot69 there’s been plenty of accidents occurring after refueling because of water in the on field fuel tanks. Better safe than sorry. Also keep receipts in case there is water and one can get a refund. Ask me how I know.
@@t0eknee959 yeah I’m trackin I agree I should have worded it better but definitely sumping twice is worth the time before and after fueling
Correct. The tanks in this video are in brand new/immaculate condition, and they won't always be that nice. Water can and will creep into a system over time which is why when I worked at a major FBO chain, we sumped our fuel farms every morning to check for debris and water. We also did this after every load of fuel we took from our supplier. Once I had to reject an entire 10000 gallon load of Jet-A because the specific gravity didn't check out, and used 3 different hydrometers a "wiz-wheel" and a digital app and all came back with about the same numbers, and all were well above what the hydrometers were reading, meaning there was too much water suspended in the fuel, so I rejected the load.
Should I sump immediately after fueling or should I wait a minute or two?
Few tips, chock the plane correctly, one piece in front and one in back, not both in front. If you use a ladder, fuel the passenger side first so you can see the ladder if you forget it out the pilot window - had to stop a guy getting ready to hit the ladder pulling out. Put fuel selector on left or right to prevent cross flow while one tank is fuller. Sump the tanks afterward. Pull out hose to end of wing on far side for approximate slack. And as the video suggested, check your caps before you climb back in. We had to fuel our own plane at the pilot school I went to, so they taught us how do do it. Each airport seems to have slightly different systems, signage isn't always great, so it's like a puzzle figuring it out sometimes, but they all tend to work the same, just have to find the buttons, etc.
Good tips! Lol I wish the Flying Club pilot at our airport would of known about the ladder tip.. lol he decided the 172’s prop would do a better job at moving the ladder out of the way than him haha we were picking up pieces of fiberglass for months after that
Great video. Can you do one about flying to your first overnight destination? Maybe comparing a full service FBO to a small airport with very few services.
Basically I call ahead to the FBO or airport manager to find out if they have parking available (tie downs). I usually bring my own ropes in case they don't have good ones or none. I have found that if you get fuel from the FBO (full service) they give you a day or so free parking! Parking is usually cheap at most airports $5-15 a day. If they have a ground controller, just tell them you want to go to transient parking. Getting out of the airport, especially after hours may be a challenge. Ask the FBO or airport manager how to do that if you are arriving after hours, etc. Also how to get back in. Overnight trips are fun and a good challenge for a new pilot. I know I got my license to go places! Small airports have self serve fuel. Again, ask about the fuel, location and functionality :D Always have an alternate if you are going cross country and have to fuel in case the pumps are out of service.
Having worked at a small field that did NOT offer full service fuel, I find it appalling that most pilots never learned how to fuel their own plane. Oh well, even though I was not supposed to do it, that did get me a $50 tip once (for a Moony.)
Its also worth noting that there's going to be a half gallon or so between the shutoff valve in the nozzle and the end of it. So let go of the handle a few seconds before its full- unless you want a 100LL shower.
Also, provided you don't smoke, 100LL is a great way of getting Jet A off cloths. I had to spot clean myself a few times after I splashed some on my shirt while doing QA; that stuff reeks.
(Coming from a Line/Quality Control supervisor for 10 years) Please don’t use avgas to clean your clothes of Jet-A, on top of it containing lead it also contains Benzene which will give you cancer.. an alternative I’ve found that works is the typical windscreen cleaner we keep on our trucks.. it has alcohol in it so it will dry fast and also won’t turn you blue lol
Fueling the aircraft should be part of your flight training IMO. but realize some airports might not have self serve fuel. Heck I remember 30 some years ago our driving school taking us to the service station to demonstrate basic vehicle maintenance.... tire pressure, checking fluid and oil, changing tire, etc.
I also carry a pair of gloves with me for this task for fuel on hands and handling the hose.
That was my first thought! I would hope for a facility nearby just to wash off my face from them great smelling fumes as well haha
As a former safety instructor for a major FBO chain, let me put this out to ALL GA pilots. Even if the FBO pumps your fuel, make sure you pop those caps and verify visually that there is gas in the tanks. I can't tell you the number of times I filled C-152, 172, 182 and Pipers only to have the pilot come back to the plane kick out the chocks and fire up the plane without every looking into the tanks. Trust, but verify. Sure the FBO and line guy may take the ultimate blame but that will do you little good if you run out of fuel and kill yourself. The 3 most useless things in aviation are, Sky above you, runway behind you, and fuel on the ground. And, yes, I was a difficult taskmaster but my FBO branch always got the highest marks for safety and performance of any other branch in our district. I never told my guys to be perfect, only to be as good as they could be, and if something went wrong, to tell me INSTANTLY so that we could address it then and there, and heaven help them if I found out about it on my own. The two biggest killers in aviation are laziness and complacency, and I tolerated neither. The same went for our tug and bar tow moves, but that is for a different video.
Coming from a Line supervisor and safety/trainer I totally agree! Too many times I see pilots show up after we pull their plane out of the hangar and just hop in and go with no walk around.. I would also add if a pilot has a line tech add oil to his engine that they please go behind him and make sure the oil caps are properly installed.. I’ve always told my guys, don’t take it personal if the pilot checks out what you did.. we want them to go behind us to double check our work because you can’t pull over in the sky and if you get complacent and they find your mistake then you’ll be more happy they caught it before they took off than after..
I applied for a refueling position at the airport so I guess this is a good video to watch
One thing you forgot: ALWAYS sump your tanks for water and / or debris AFTER fueling ANYWHERE!
Years ago there was a runway in Wasilla, Ak that we could taxi to a regular gas station and get fuel.
Full serve fuel is for those that like to waste money or are lazy or both. Pull up to the self-serve, pull out the ground cable and attach it to your tailpipe. If you have a high wing USE A LADDER, never stand on the plane or strut...if you slip you will get hurt. Pull the hose out long and away from the plane, then walk to to the wing dragging the hose (do furthest wing from pump first). Then walk back to the nearest wing. Straighten the hose again and reel it in slowly so you do not damage the nozzle. Make sure to wipe around the fuel port on the plane with a clean rag to remove splats, spray or spills. Double check the replacement of the fuel caps.
Going from a private student to working at an FBO: there are alot of pilots that need to see this video, specifically 2fly pilots.
Ok…. 🙌🏽 Thank you for this informative information. I’m. flight attendant on her journey to becoming a pilot. 🍀🍀🍀 Any advice you can give me?
Warning… sump tanks after fueling, even if you are just moving the plane to a parking spot.
You may suck water into the fuel lines that doesn’t show up until you are on your next take off roll.
Thank you from Algeria !
I'm not and most likely never will be a pilot, but I'm glad to know about the process of self fueling now anyways
So does pump stop by itself or you have to turn it off?
In video it says it doesn't but dude lifts the hose off with no gas coming out.
I don’t owned a plane nor do I know how to fly them, it’s 1am now and I find this interesting lol
as someone who has no experience with flying planes, this sure is useful
how did we both get here
I always thought there'd be a big yellow box around the fuel area like flight sim taught me all those years
Good, now how do I do this with my 747 bbj? (Boeing Business Jet)
Can you self-serve planes in New Jersey?
Great video 👍!
Measure your tanks first to determine accurately how much you need in each tank before you pay.
Also Non ethanol/ non lead ( clear premium) needs to be available!
This video's a real gas! ;)
3.39? can i use it in the car? jk
cheaper then unleaded atm
Genuinely I was never taught this kind of stuff in flight school (which seems silly). I kind feel like a kid who graduated high school without ever being taught resume skills or how to do taxes.
0:47 dont fall! You'll get a broken rib or a torn foot ligament
Does anyone else pull nose in to the pumps? When you pull through like a car in this video (1) your wing tip gets close to the pumps and (2) you have to drag a hose a long way to the other side. If you nose in, you can get closer, see where you are going, and not risk hitting anything. When I'm done, I push the plane back far enough I can do a 180 and I'm out of there.
Yep that's exactly what I do. The airport I normally fuel at has a hose radius painted on the ground and in order to pull in sideways you have to get the inside wing uncomfortably close to keep both tanks inside the hose radius line. By pulling in perpendicular and stopping just inside the radius I have a ton of room.
Nice video.
WHERE DO U GOT A 100LL FOR $4… ????
it used to be $2 rip
Year 2020. Vote red.
IN a world before Biden became president and made numerous policy changes which have forced up the price of gas.
I was kind of looking forward to seeing the pilot try to taxi out and wonder why he's not moving.
Would be nice if some pilots would learn to put the hose back correctly. Some hit the reel button and let the hose get jammed between the reel and its equipment. Not easy to get unjammed sometimes. Or letting the nozzle end up behind the reel where there is no way the next pilot can get at it.
I love doing it so poor joe like you has trouble .
I'm still learning English, and sometimes it's hard to hear someone talking to me if they're speaking fast. However, I can easily understand what the narrator is saying in this video. What accent is this? is the usual american accent like this?
This man is a good example of someone speaking English to learn from. Your grammar is impressive for learning English. It’s correct.
He's a narrator, so he's speaking more clearly than most people, but yes that's a generic American accent.
@@waterfall3 Thank you very much Mr Alvin and @Pacadet
Here I am, 1 in the AM, tired, has to get up early and also has never touched a GA plane in my life. I blame the algorithm.
Uhm - you mention it's standard practice for the FBO to fill up the airplane? I literally have never encountered that and have always used self-serve fuel.
I work at an FBO and we always ask if they want fuel weather it’s a gulf stream or a Cessna, we always ask!
@@Copilotdave, respectfully, asking if they want fuel (which I do encounter) and “standard practice” for the FBO to fill up are much different things. The way the delivery of the information is here leads the viewer to believe that they don’t have the option for self-service fuel and are obligated to use the FBO fuel.
Incidentally - last summer I had an FBO ask if I wanted full service (FBO) fill-up or self-service. I will almost always do self-service as it’s less expensive. When I told them I’d pull the plane over to the self-service, the FBO operator said “oh, well, the self service is broken, so we’ll fill it up and give you the self-service price. I thought it was amusing because I didn’t have the option for self-service fuel, but had I opted for the full service over the self-service I would have paid a higher price for the fuel but gotten exactly the same result. I just thought to myself “uhm, why didn’t you lead with the self-service isn’t working?”
The flying club I'm a member of is a white-glove type of place. Spotless hangars, good aircraft, and yes, the FBO handles all of the fueling for us at our hangar. You call them up on the radio as you're taxiing in and they're usually there as you're pulling in the alleyway.
Hmm..I don't have a plane. I don't know the last time I watched a plane video. But this video was recommenced....and I live very close to Dupage airport! Interesting......
I watched a lady chop a ladder into little bits of fiberglass and metal after fueling her Cessna at Shafter-Minter. She shutdown and kicked the ladder's remains to the side then fired back up and took off. Lol
Keep the fuel nozzle against the airplane to prevent spark!
At Sanderson field, one must input how many gallons required. Makes it hard to top off not actually knowing the amount needed. So, when attempting to fill my plane, upon switching on the pump, the fuel began spraying out where the nozzle attaches to the hose. I had to shut it off. The company that sells the fuel were not even located in the County! I never did get re-imbursed, and calling the police over the fact was told it was a civil matter, and to take it up with the courts! Be warned, if you are pumping gas at a remote location. I truck my own gas to the field now. So, you either hire an attorney and pay more money, or let it go. What if it had exploded? No, not dealing with them ever again!
Oh my gosh look at those prices!!! I wish...
Am I the only one to notice that it's cheaper to fill up an airplane than my car these days
Avgas is upwards of $8.50 per gallon where I live!
5.59 for 87.. and 6.39 last week for 100ll here in California for me.
£2.48 / Litre over here in England for 100LL... so $11.73 USD per US Gal.
Avgas was
@@grayrabbit2211 I keep track of all my plane expenses since I bought it in Jan 2003 ( I know it is stupid to track how much these things cost 😂) and looked back at gas prices. In 2012 and 2013 we were paying as much and adjusted for inflation a bit less right now. Still hurts and unnecessary imo. In any event I paid 6.75 a gallon in 2013 at Elizabethtown,Ky on my way back from sun n fun .
And don't forget to remove the chocks :)
I miss those prices.
3.90 a gallon for 100LL! Man I need to go to this airport 😅
With today's prices just put it in your car.
j/k of course.
Jesus 100LL is cheaper than Gasoline? 😳
Lol I’m guessing this video is a few years old, right now at our airport it’s around $6.00/gal
when did you made that video lol 🤣 look at the gas prices rn.
Even the gas boy at the airports that pumped gas for flight lessons is now gone
That price is so much cheaper than in Europe
this guy only bought 5 gallons
Short flight. 😂
At some airports there may be a hanger across from the fuel island narrowing the taxi way. Don't be a douche and leave your tail hanging out blocking the taxi way.
Jesus... A group of people felt the need to make a video about this? That's a sign of the current times... Go ATP graduates....
Depends where someone trained. The flying club I'm a member of is quite a white-glove type operation. Shiny, spotless hangars, fueling handled by the FBO staff, maintenance handled by the mechanics, etc.
When I was flight training in 1991 it was easier we'd just call a guy
Disposable gloves are a much better choice. LL100 washes off, modern perfumes do not. Disposable gloves will prevent that $100 hamburger and your next 3 days meals from tasting like someone else's cheap gross ass perfume.
$3.99 per gallon lmao not filmed by me
Avgas was
HA HA! gay