extra gallons at your fi'nger (and wing) - American Bonanza Society

the other transfer pumps wouldn 't work
- once " he " had to land earlier than
planned. The other time he gambled
and made it in - about dry! So, this
" guy" just pulled out th e float
mechanism in the right main, by-passed
" protective" measures, and has
not had a problem since! There can 't
be that much of an idiot factor if a pilot
takes off on either main , runs sayan
eighth of a tank out Of the right one,
and then turns on both tip transfers! If
you are up at high altitude, like in the
Rockies, the right main CAN fill back
up if you start too soon or can't pull
enough HP. Sometimes this " pilot"
then turns off the tips and gets more
out of th e right main.
Another reason this " pilot" made
this alteration is: he gets a different (?)
type of Siphoning than what's been
described in the Dec / Jan issues of the
Newsletter. Throughout th e histories of
both tanks he 's gotten " leaks" through
one or both caps whenever he 's fill ed
them up to the brim. So, although
" we 've " tri ed everything - new
expanders and a-rings - one or both
leaks (and sometimes badly) from time
to time. No big thing , I guess; but it
makes th e white tips pretty stained -
plus one loses maybe two or more
gallons of the high-priced stuff in the
process I So, if this " guy" has a long
way to go Into a headwind , he'll save
the most/ lose the least gas if he takes
and keeps hi-power for a bit but
starts the transfer almost immediately.
We've checked all of the vents along
with whatever else, and it'll siphon no
matter what you do.
A semi-related incident . W've
ordered sloshing compound and two
new pump filters . Tell you why! A few
months ago a (really) great line
technician at Hedrick Beechcraft filled
th e fuel order correctly , but the order
- from the office - was meant for
another Bonanza! We had only wanted
the mains brought up to the bottom of
th e pipe, as we couldn 't see anything
much more than local hops in the near
future. But , this technician followed
orders; and he topped off the mains
AND th e tipsl Maybe a week later I
went out to see if she was still in good
shape - and there, again, was raw
gas in the light cavities! Apparently the
tip fu el had expanded, ruptured some
line (as our great mechanic, Verlin
Schauer, shop foreman at West-Aire,
Colorado Springs, CO , deducted) that I
know nothing about, The tip tanks were
badly stained from th e cavity down onto
th e tip bottoms.
Really, all I can suggest regarding
I Extender tip tanks is DO NOT top
the tips until takeoff time! I'd like to
know any other corrections that ABS
knows of, The quick drains on the tips
leak from time to time, which is anoth er
american bonanza society
reason why ou rs are usually kept
empty.
We have NOT been able to get any
legal weight increase with our tips on
our S. We 've heard that most
Bonanzas, both before and / or after our
model have been gran ted the same,
Any new news?
See you all at the Service Clinic here
in Junel
Dear ABS:
Dale S. May
ABS #3560
I had Beryl D'Shannon fli ght extender
tip tanks installed on my A-36TC and
have used them frequently. The
installation was well done, and I am
extremely pleased with the tanks. I
prefer them over the Brittain tank s,
primarily because my tanks pump into
the mains and I have less fuel
management problems. The addition of
these tanks has allowed me to fly trips
such as Denver to New Jersey non-stop
above 20,000 feet.
The only problem thus tar is that
Allan Peterson still has not obtained an
STC for the additional 200 pounds
gross weight allowance. Thu s, lega lly
we are still limited to the original gross
weight; so th at certainly becomes a
problem. He said he would have th em
by last June; but so tar, still nothing ,
Otherwise, I am completely sati sfi ed
with the installation and th e
performance.
John F. Russo
ABS #1 1755
Dear ABS :
I have the Beryl 15 gallon tanks on
my 1956 G-35. SI N 4509. I have had
these tanks in use for approximately
four years, I have had no problems and
can report only positive results.
My family and I fly from Concord ,
California to Michigan two to three
tim es a year and to Mexico (Baja) two
to three times a year, plus many oth er
trips. The tip tanks increase flexability,
make th e plane more stable, increase
speed (??), but do not slow it down . I
go over the Rockies in a single bound,
summer or winter - and th at is nice.
Fuel management is no problem. I run
the left tank to 1/ 4 then switch to the
right tank, running it to 1/ 2 and start
pumping . Forty minutes later I have
approximately full standard 60 gallons
of fuel. We're a fami ly of four. With
scuba gear, camping gear and fu el
we 'll be at gross; but Baja fields are no
problem. and 12 - 14,000' on hot
days, 16 - 17 ,000' in the winter
seems easy - just takes time. I
believe the plate effect does help
takeoff , climb, rough air and stall
characteri stics .
I use my tip tanks as the reserve ;
and even though I have had no
problem, the way I manage the fuel I
will know about the problem early and
make other arrangements for landing . I
have had no problems with uneven feed
or Siphoning. I do use varying amounts
of fuel in th e tanks, depending on the
trip. It doesn'l seem to matter if you
have five or 15 gallons, the plane just
fl ies nicely . Also, rime ice does not
seem to build any different than on a
propeller spinner,
W. C, Carter
AB S #6595
Dear ABS:
I have Flight Extender tip tanks on
my F-Model Bonanza. They were
installed May 26, 1964.
Usually I keep about seven gallons in
each tank and use thi s occasionally to
keep th e gas fresh . This, I find ,
stabilizes the airplane and gives it a
slightly heavy feel. The tip tanks were
installed prior to my purchasing th e
plane. so th is leaves me without
comparison to th e loss or gain of
speed . I cruise at about 165 mph plus
or minus, with 2 ,300 rpm and
economical cruise (depending on
altitude,)
We have found the tip of the tanks
are a good indication of ice ; they seem
to ice up first.
With th e tip tanks and auxiliary tank I
have a total of 90 ga llons.
approximately , Consequently, I have
never ran out of fuel - very comforting
to have on a long trip.
Word of Caution: Do not run tip
tanks dry. This causes the gas line to
fill with air after refill and causes panic
among passengers when the engine
stops about five minutes after switching
tanks.
Paul H. Eaton
ABS # 4027
Dear ABS:
I acquired the first set of Flight
Extender canted tip tanks when th ey
were approved for sale, in April, 1965.
I waited an extra month for the delivery
to get th e canted tanks. The cost -
$775,75. They were installed for me in
Maltoon, IL for $ 196. These tanks were
installed on my C Model, 6420 , and
effectively doubled the range - 40
gallons to 70 gallons, less reserves.
(See Bonanza of the Month -
October, 1976.)
I fl ew with these tanks from 1 965
until 1978. Th e tanks came with an
approval of a 200 pound gross weight
increase, provided the weight was in
the tips. AI Peterson of Beryl
D'Shannon years later supplied me with
the approval , th at he secured after his
acquisition of Flight Extender; th at lets
you have th e weight in the cabi n if it's
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