REFLECTOR: How to fuel up and live to tell about it.

[Alex Balic]

Seems like even here in Texas, we can get cold and dry enough to build up a
pretty good charge, when that weather starts, I get a pretty good shock
slipping out of my F-150, so I will sometimes hold a key in my hand and
touch with that so at least the arc is between the key and the ground, not
my finger and ground. I would start to worry if I ever felt a noticeable
jolt when reaching for the aircraft gas cap- but Larry's method is a great
one.  I have had a sizeable visible arc a few times when connecting a ground
cable to a 172 that I used to fly back in the day- not that often, but when
the weather was really dry, and I was fueling after a long flight it would
discharge- really makes you remember to connect that clamp...

 

From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of John Dibble
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 2:37 PM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: How to fuel up and live to tell about it.

 

That's exactly how I do it. 

John 

Laurence Coen wrote: 

 All. It's winter and the time for static electricity.  It's also the time
for fueling accidents.  Last week in Kansas City someone totaled his Chevy
pickup at the gas pump to say nothing of what he did to the canopy he was
parked under.  This was all caught in the station surveillance camera. The
gentleman was sitting in his truck with the door open and the gas hose
filling the tank.  He then slid off the seat, turning himself into a 40
thousand volt time bomb.  He walked back and grabbed the fill nozzle.  FOOM!
Since fill nozzles have to be grounded by law and it was in contact with the
all metal truck, this was not a grounding problem of the vehicle.  If this
guy had of touched anything metal as he slid of the seat this would not have
happened. You can ground the metal stuff on a Velocity but you cannot, no
matter how hard you try, ground your fuel tank wings or the gas in the tank
because they are all non-conductors.  The metal ring for the fuel cap is
metal and can have a static charge if it is not wired to the ground of the
plane and you attach the ground clip like you're suppose to. If you follow
this technique it won't matter if it's grounded or not.  Leave the gas cap
in place until the plane is grounded and you have the fuel nozzle in your
hand  Now use your free hand to open the gas cap.  This will guarantee that
the nozzle, you and the gas cap/filler ring are all at ground potential
before combustible vapor is available.  Flowing gas will produce static
electricity so make sure the nozzle remains in contact with the ring during
fueling.  Replace and latch the cap before going to the next tank.  Repeat.
Larry CoenN136LC 

 


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