In turbines, fuel weight is much more significant than in pistons. In your airplane, almost 2,500 lbs.

You don't want to carry around unneeded fuel if you don't have to. Less weight means higher performance, particularly OEI.

So for any given leg, consider fueling to a safe amount but not topping off.

This will be particularly important in the summer with your F model if you want reasonable OEI performance. Weight is a very strong factor under those conditions.

Mike C.

With bigger fuel capacity aircraft, topping off makes less sense. I usually just load fuel needed plus a reasonable reserve. For my Solitaire (which burns a hair more than yours), I would plan 600 lbs first hour, 500 each subsequent hour, and 600 lbs reserve assuming no alternate and a near guarantee of getting in at destination, more reserve of course if alternate required or whatever.

For example, I go KSQL-KTRK-KSQL a fair amount (36 minute each way). In VFR conditions I burn about 425 lbs each way (and fuel is much easier to do all at departure for the round trip). So I load just mains (154 gal = 1032 lbs) and outers (69 gal = 462 lbs) for 1494 lbs total. I use about 850 lbs, which leaves me between 600-700 lbs when I land back at home base. I get shorter takeoff, faster climb, faster cruise and shorter landing in addition to more payload than I can carry (if needed). No need to load up the extra 1200 lbs in the tips if I'm not going to use it.

For a 2 hour flight, I would probably load mains + outers + either 15 or 30 gals in each tip. 15 is adequate (1695 lbs total), 30 (1896 lbs total) is a very healthy reserve. Part of my decision making would take fuel price into account if there's no operational reason to choose otherwise.

Finally, there can be downsides to topping off - you can't land with full tips. So if you land with full tips for some reason, you are forced to have an overweight landing inspection before next flight. If you don't have that much in the tips in the first place, you can't make that landing overweight.

Lots of reasons to only load the fuel you're going to need.

James,

Congrats on the new bird. You will love it. I don't fly an MU2 but when I've transitioned to a new bird I've always erred on the high side with fuel. Particularly if weather at destination is a factor. Certainly in your case OEI performance is critical too so adjustment is necessary in fuel load. In our TBM I ways landed with 1.5+ hours of fuel my first year on every flight. Now with 500+ hours experience I still like 1 hour for VFR arrivals. If I was flying an MU2 and hot/high were an issue early in my experience bucket I might add a fuel stop vs extra fuel that robs OEI performance thus enabling mucho fuel when landing, in WX, at destination....

Of course I'm a fuel weenie. (More is better, almost always) ...

What's flying with tips half full like? I realize there are baffles but isn't the fuel movement noticable?

It flies about 600 lbs lighter than tips full.


I've never noticed any fuel sloshing effect in the handling of the plane.

The tips don't actually have substantial baffles. It is mostly just an open tube inside.

Mike C.

I've never noticed that. It's a little bit heavier in roll, but nothing dramatic. It rides better in turbulence just due to the weight.

I mean honestly it really kinda handles like a truck... and with tips full it's even a little sluggisher and a bit more roll inertia I suppose. By the time you are down to 60G each tip its really indiscernible from empty-tips for the most part.

I remember when we first got it and people said how unstable it was and that if you turned away it would be gone in a different direction haha. So far from the truth. Usually it was guys that "had a lot of time in them a few years ago".

I try to manage my fuel real estate. We often just leave the outers full and only run through it once a month or so just to ease the refueling burden (Arizona). There are a bunch of fueling limitations to adhere to, but the 15G outer tanks are pretty low on my radar. So I will often run in Tip Manual mode, deplete the tips and land with 100G in the Main and 15G in each outer, then on refuel you can pretty quickly put 35G in just one of the Main tank openings, then put what you need in the tips and be gone.

For a Full-Full mission, its both caps on the mains though to really top off.

I find the cap difference in the mains is about 2/3-1/3. 2/3 of the fuel to fill the main goes in the first cap, 1/3 goes in the second. So if you need 60 gal to fill the main, the first cap will take about 40 and second cap about 20.

Sandy,

Thanks. This is the route I decided to go. Feb 1st!

Sandy,

Thanks. This is route I decided to go. Feb 1st![/quote]

I was just up there a few days ago, and Reece spent a few hours with me for a little refresher. You will not regret having Reece or Jerry teaching you. Not only will you get fabulous training, but you will develop friendships that will last a lifetime.

Enjoy
Sandy

I was just up there a few days ago, and Reece spent a few hours with me for a little refresher. You will not regret having Reece or Jerry teaching you. Not only will you get fabulous training, but you will develop friendships that will last a lifetime.

Enjoy
Sandy[/quote]

+1 The support of the MU-2 community is incredible. All of the instructors are equally great and friendship really is the norm...

+1 The support of the MU-2 community is incredible. All of the instructors are equally great and friendship really is the norm...

You are stuttering Dave.

Normal withdrawal symptoms. Only known cure is burning Jet-A again...

Mike C.