You should consider connecting the Turtle bag to the fuel line directly.
Hi,
Thank you for your answer.
For the record, I have been in contact with a company based in France, AirProjet. Their job is to make modifications to airplanes and have them certified with EASA. It has a cost, but seems reasonnable and the modiciation can be used several times, so if I use it in 2019 for my trip to Russia, I can re-use it in 2020 for another trip.
Fredpilote
I have owned and maintained a number of DR400 aircraft and my advice would be to install another fuel valve identical tho the valve used to control the supplemental tank ( the tanks under the baggage bay ) into the like between the supplemental tank and the main tank to control the turtlepack and use a cable to control the valve.
There is a hole in the rear seat bulkhead on both sides of the aircraft big enough to route a fuel pipe in to the fuel line in the rear fuselage area.
When operating the system it is important to make sure that there is enough room in the centre tank to take all the fuel from the turtlepack so use the same procedure as when using the supplemental tank but it is essential that both only one tank valve is open at a a time otherwise there is a danger of jettisoning fuel via the vent system.
OK AeroPlus, I think I understand how I can connect the ferry tank to the main tank.
Apparently, to fly legally with it, I need a Permit to Fly form 37 from EASA. Has anyone done this ? Is there a cost ? Do I have to do it myself or does it have to be done by the maintenance guys ? Any previous experience appreciated.
OK, I understand, but with a DR-400, there is no window to open and have the pipe go through. The tanks are not on the wings but at the rear of the plane. It does not seem to be easy to setup. I think I will have the tank inside, and if needed, we can land and then pump the fuel from the TurtlePac to the main tank. To be confirmed !
The TurtlePac can be connected to the fuel line going to the tank in e.g. the right wing. Then you start taking fuel from the right wing on your flight and as soon as some of that is gone, you switch to the left tank and start filling the right tank again with the fuel from the TurtlePac. I have flown this way through Africa and could not get an STC for it, but the insurance company (on paper) included it in the insurance. Technically, it is not legal.
I am checking the TurtlePac 25 for a journey through Russia with navigations of 4 hours into the wild (and even over water for some parts). I have a DR-400 with an extra tank, that makes 110L (100L usable) and 50L extra, total is 150L usable. The TurtlePac gives an extra 94L, that’s plenty for what I need.
The questions are :
- Is that legal (apparently there is no STC, so it’s not official, so not really legal, but maybe within tollerance, I’ll ask my insurance company about it)
- How do you safely mount it ? I am not talking about the actual tank, using the seatbelt, but the intake : how do you connect the tank to the other tanks ?
On my DR-400, the secondary tank is connected to the primary via a valve, the secondary tank empties itself with gravity to the primary tank. The Turtle Pac would need to either empty into the primary or secondary tank. Has anybody got any experience or comments on this ?
Thanks for your help
It would be unwise to attempt an unapproved repair of a Turtle Pac tank. I believe that they are thermally welded, rather than glued. If there is a leak for which a repair is needed, that leak would probably reoccur (at the most inconvenient time) as the glue was softened by the fuel.
Though Turtle Pac tanks are excellent, and I highly recommend them, they are too new in concept to meet the generally recognized standards for ferry tanks, and therefor difficult to STC into aircraft. They can be flown on flight permits, if the local authority is agreeable, and I have done this. Be aware that the point in the aircraft fuel system into which the ferry fuel is introduced is pretty important for safety, and there are design standards for this. Usually for GA aircraft, the more convenient place to connect into the fuel system is the less safe place for the fuel to enter. Fuel should be pumped into the vent space of one or more airframe fuel tanks.
I have used the Turtle Pac several times for flying in Africa but did not bother to get an EASA STC. I did get the insurance company to insure the aircraft with the Turtle Pac installed without the STC and got that on paper. I tried to figure out how to get it installed properly but these ferry permits are hard to get in EASA land.
Does anyone know what material (glue and patch) could be used for repair a Turtle Pac please?
