Jerrycans

Achim,

I have flown to St. Petersburg (Russia) and to Odessa and Simferopol (Ukraine) with 3 thirty-litre plastic jerry cans in the baggage compartment. No problems with odor or anything. Just make sure that after refuelling, they are really empty and dry. Also make sure you take along the equipment required in order to get it into the tanks (Schüttelschlauch or similar). It's easy with a low wing, but a little more difficult with a Cessna.

Who's got some experience with carrying fuel in the cabin?

I know a pilot (nowhere near the UK) whose plane is full to the roof with black plastic jerrycans with mogas in them, but I am not going to say who it is

I also know a pilot (nowhere near the UK and not going to say who ) who flies with a professionally constructed ferry tank; a rigid plastic container supported by a wooden framework. It sits where the back seats were. It's wonderful because he can fly all over Europe and never worry about avgas. That installation was done by the aircraft manufacturer and uses a dedicated pitot tube to slightly pressurise the ferry tank; not sure why that is needed (it's a low wing plane) but I gather that great caution is required when doing that.

Can you get fillups if you have a ferry tank, without showing a ferry permit for that flight?

Personally I would use a turtle pack for convenience, safety and a tidy fold up when the fuel has been drawn out if you plan on doing this regularly. As a one off I guess Jerry cans are OK.

Tanking up with Jerry cans, loaded into baggage compartment and back seats, would be a useful rebate from HM Customs in the UK....would they query?

Achim, The flight to St. Petersburg is now 10 years ago and I guess certain things have changed. At the time we paid about 250$ for landing and 3 nights parking. I fear that this would now be well into the four digits (as most other russian airports). I published a report in fliegermagazin 05/2003. If you give me your email, I can send it in to you in pdf.

Never done it myself, so can't speak from experience, but I can see a few issues that need to be solved.

Filling. Make sure you do this outside the aircraft. Spills inside the aircraft are bad news, if only for the smell.

Crashworthiness. You're talking about quite a lot of dead weight. Make sure they are well stowed and secured. (And obviously check for W&B issues.)

Air pressure. The pitot tube that Peter was talking about doesn't so much pressurize the fuel so that it flows into the engine without the benefit of a fuel pump, but ensures that the container is vented to the atmosphere without the danger of the fuel syphoning out. Otherwise, if you go from FL0 to FL90 or above, your containers may burst. With a turtle pack or other type of flexible container these issues are not present, obviously.

(And actually I'm not sure which rigid containers are most susceptible to bursting: those that are empty, those that are 90% full or those that are 100% full.)

Refueling from these containers - static electricity and sloshing. Make sure this is done safely with no spills and such. The easiest method I've seen is by making sure that the jerrycans are above the fuel tank level (set them on top of the wing for instance), and then use a hose with a one-way valve at the jerrycan end. You jiggle the hose up and down in the jerrycan so that it becomes "primed", and then the syphoning action will do the rest. Because you are not agitating the fuel, and only expose the fuel to the outside air inside the jerry can or inside the fuel tank, the chances of static electricity creating a spark and igniting the whole shebang are minimal. And since the jerrycan sits on top of the wing throughout the process, there is a natural bond in place already.

Can you get fillups if you have a ferry tank, without showing a ferry permit for that flight?

I would think that a ferry permit would only be needed if the ferry tank is a "permanent mod", for instance plumbed into the fuel system of the aircraft, but for which no STC or anything is available, OR if the weight of the tank and contents are so that you would depart overweight. The ferry permit then allows you to fly outside the normal certification limits, for some specific flights, subject to certain limitations. But if your ferry tank is STCd and you are within the W&B envelope, I don't think a specific ferry permit would be needed.

I am sure you don't need any certification paperwork for a container carried in the aircraft provided no structural limits etc are exceeded, but was wondering whether the "typical pump man" will be willing to fill up a ferry tank, without you waving a piece of paper in front of him.

You will need an "approval" for the connection into the fuel system, which obviously has to be permanent - at least to the extent of a T-piece with a valve, or however it is done. AIUI, on the FAA scene, an A&P can do that. If I ever did a flight with a ferry tank, I would try to leave the connection in place afterwards, in case it comes in handy one day - though obviously would not want something in the cockpit that gets in the way.

ensures that the container is vented to the atmosphere without the danger of the fuel syphoning out

Presumably, one would not use a pitot tube with a "bladder" type of ferry tank, because it would just keep it fully inflated the whole time?