Some of you may recall my episode where I could not use the last 3 gallons
or so of fuel from my right tank which has a flop tube installed.  I
concluded that the flop tube must have hung up on a lightening hole or some
other obstruction which kept the end suspended approx 2 1/2" above the
bottom of the tank.

Well, today, I took the tank off the wing being careful not to disturb the
flop tube as I wanted to see what it was hung up on.  Well, much to my
surprise when I unscrewed and opened up the access plate, the flop tube was
laying exactly where it should be.  Further, I had never cut a lightening
hole in that bays ribs ( which I thought it might have hung upon), plus I
had
installed all the guards that Van's recommends for the flop tube tank (I had
forgotten
the details over the past 6 years).  Well, I was really perplexed in that
the flop tube was not hung up on anything and reached in and grabbed the
flop tube and much to my surprise it came out the access door in my hand!

The flop tube had not hung up, the flare nut holding to the bulkhead fitting
had come unscrewed.  The only thing I can conclude (as I flew approx 150
hours before having the fuel problem) is that I must have not torque it on
sufficiently and the vibration eventually loosened and unscrewed the flare
nut and flop tube. So I was only picking fuel up that rose as high as the
bulkhead fitting.

So flop tube fitting is torque firmly and hopefully finally.

Best Regards

Ed Anderson

Ed Anderson
Matthews, NC
RV-6A N494BW
eanderson@carolina.rr.com