Ernest,
If I can ask, without a shutoff valve, how would you service/replace
your fuel pump (short of draining the tank)?

Mark S.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On
Behalf Of Ernest Christley
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2005 3:52 PM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] fuel cutoff valve necessary?

This really doesn't apply to planes with multiple tanks, as the fuel
shutoff generally does double duty as a selector.  But I have only one
tank, so the cutoff valve is really only useful in case of an engine
fire or in preperation of an emergency landing.

With a fuel pump that blocks flow when it isn't running, what useful
purpose does the cutoff valve serve beyond increasing pilot workload?  
Won't cutting power to the fuel pump provide the same service and
eliminate several failure modes?

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