The day after flying back from the Shuttleworth DOTH I noticed a strong smell of
fuel in the hanger. Investigation led to mopping out about a litre of fuel from
under the baggage bay area.
Further investigation has proved that the fuel tank is leaking. Strangely, it
only begins to leak when 35+ litres of fluid is in the tank. I've taken the
wings
off and checked as best I can to identify where the leak is, but haven't
identified
exactly where it is coming from other than it is from the reserve (starboard)
side of the tank.
I really don't fancy the idea of ripping out and replacing the tank, so I want
to investigate all options before rushing in. Has anyone investigated using a
bag tank inside the existing tank?
My previous aircraft, a Glos Airtourer, had a bag tank as do many military and
other aircraft, Piper Aztec springs to mind, so it should be possible. I'm
thinking
that access could be made between the headrests. Is this a structural area,
if so, how big an access would be allowable? In case you haven't guessed,
I'm not the builder of the aircraft but I would tackle replacing the plastic
fuel
tank if I have to. I just don't like the idea of removing some of the structural
elements of the aircraft to replace a tank with a new one that could suffer
the same fate sometime in the future. At least a bladder tank can be removed
and repaired if necessary.
Any thoughts anyone?
Dave
G-RJWX
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