Fuel

We’re getting close to starting the engine, so now’s the time to find out if there are any fuel system leaks.  We’d already pressure tested the fuel tanks with air, but we wanted to get some real fuel in there to make sure all the lines and fittings are good.

We walked out to the self-service fuel area at Paine, and filled a 5 gallon can.  It was really windy.  Also, it’s worth noting that the fuel came out *really* slow (barely better than a gallon a minute), I think because the hose was almost completely rolled up.

We took this back and filled the right tank.  So far, so good.  John Adams stopped by, so we put him to work quickly holding our makeshift funnel.

Later in the day, we went back for 5 more gallons for the other tank.  This time, we used the other pump and pulled the hose out a little, and filled it in less than a minute.

We dumped it in the other tank, and no leaks there, either.

With 5 gallons in each tank, it was a great opportunity to test the rest of the fuel system.  I disconnected the fuel line from the fuel servo and Kelly switched on the fuel pump.  After just a couple seconds, the fuel was flowing, so no need to prime the pump.  We let it run for a few seconds, switched tanks, and let it run some more.  I estimated the fuel flow at around 75 gallons per hour, which is plenty.