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Re: Mechanical fuel pump breakdown

Subject: Re: Mechanical fuel pump breakdown
From: Fred Fillinger <fillinger@ameritech.net>
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 12:11:23
> An article earlier this year in Sport Aviation shows a diagram with the 
> electric
> and mechanical fuel pumps in parallel, with the return line T'ing off the off
> the line just before the carb.  They mentioned that it was a better way, but
> that the industry had gravitated to the pumps 'in-series' installation.
> 
> Cleve Lee
> A198 Mono XS Jabiru 3300
> 

That article was written by an opthamologist, who said that in vapor
lock, the vapor bubbles are too big to squeeze past the little needle
valve in the carb.  While a good article overall, I mention this
because he implies that both the industry and FAA are wrong, regarding
a series system, because of this Big Bubble theory. I'd argue that a
parallel system of the type described is asking for trouble, but I'm
not an opthamologist. :-)  

Whether or not the Rotax pump is a peculiar problem while other
versions are not can be answered with actual data.  The following
Service Difficulty Report database tells me no; one SDR suggests the
Diamond Katana is a series system.  NTSB also negative on fuel
blockage in the pump.

  http://www.landings.com/_landings/pages/search/search_sdr.html 

Gov't DB's are finicky, so one best enters only ROTAX912* under engine
model.  Like gov't data also, there are 912-powered airliners (no
frills carrier?).

Regards,
Fred F.


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