If you are still calculating fuel status manually then isn't it high time you switched over to an automatic single or multi-engine aircraft fuel management system – if not for your own safety, at least for the safety of your passengers?
A modern single or multi-engine aircraft fuel management system especially like the ones manufactured by J.P. Instruments not only just displays the fuel consumption and fuel in the tank(s), it can be integrated with your GPS so you know if there will be enough fuel for your selected flight path. You can even change the flight mid-way and the integrated system will recalculate the fuel requirement as well as reserve quantity at end of flight path or balance fuel on reaching selected waypoint.
A modern single or multi-engine aircraft Electronic Data Management Systems especially like the ones manufactured by J.P. Instruments (e.g. the FS-450M) has the following built-in features:
1. Fuel quantity can be set to display in litres, gallons or pounds
2. Programmable low fuel alarm
3. Programmable low fuel time alarm
4. Bi-directional serial GPS interface
5. Works using solid-state pulse generating rotor fuel flow transducers
6. Real-time fuel flow rate
7. Fuel consumption in real-time
8. Fuel consumption by each engine
9. Balance fuel
10. Time to empty (EOT) at the current flow rate
11. Quantity of fuel required to reach next waypoint
12. Projected fuel balance on reaching next waypoint
13. Can calculate/display nautical miles per gallon of fuel.
Modern single or multi-engine RPM Sensor management system especially like the ones manufactured by J.P. Instruments e.g. the FS-450M Fuel Scan (FAA Approved); measure the fuel flowing into each engine by using small turbine transducers. As fuel flow increases, the transducer turbine rotate faster which in turn generates a faster pulse rate. These are measured in thousands of pulses per gallon of fuel and results in very accurate fuel reading.
Modern single or multi-engine Aircraft Flight Instruments also have programmable alarms. The pilot can programme the Fuel Management System (FMS) to display a visual alarm if the fuel falls below a pre-set limit. Once the fuel level falls below the pre-set limit, the FMS will show time left (in minutes) to empty. Once the pilot is alerted as to the fuel status, the pilot can switch off the alarms.
Modern single or multi-engine aircraft fuel management systems takes into account both main as well as auxiliary fuel tanks and before take-off, the pilot can key-in the precise quantity of fuel in the tanks.
