Fuel Tank Selector

[Rookie]

I'm really serious in buying a F model, but I spoke to a gentleman that has a J. He says the F's have the selector switch in a hard to reach location?!

Any Thoughts??

 

[Steve65E-NC]

Retractable shoulder harness for pilot.  Fixed shoulder harness for copilot. 

[Rookie]

Without wearing a shoulder harness can it be reached from the drivers side?

[Piloto]

On the F and prior models the fuel selector is in front of the pilot seat. To access it you need to pull back the seat and bend down. If you are slim is no problem. Beware of passengers behind you when pulling back the seat.

José

[RobertGary1]

"Hard to reach" meaning you have to loosen your shoulder harness. But in no way not reachable.

 

-Robert 

[Guest]

The fuel selector is in front of the pilot's seat.  For those pilots with a larger forward overhang the selector can be a challenge to reach.  Some have fashioned handle extensions from PVC conduit from Home Depot.

Clarence

[Rookie]

I may need to visit Home Depot! LOL

[Bob_Belville]

It's on the floor, below your right leg. If your waist or age is over 40 you may need a simple arm extension tool. I am both.

Some use a PVC pipe with a slot to fit over the selector arm. I use a piece of wood that is actually an end frame from my bee keeping equipment. (I velcro it to the top of nose well hub behind the JBar. 

 http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/images/117.png

[Brandontwalker]

FYI, the early J's have the selector in the same spot...  just loosen the shoulder harness and it is easy to reach. 

[KSMooniac]

Marginally harder to reach than the later model location at the bottom of the center console.  Not a deal-breaker by any stretch of the imagination.

[Seed3r]

Here comes a newbie question... Do you need to change tanks in flight on Mooney, like on Pipers?

[Hank]

Yes. I change tanks every hour. The switch is in the floor in front of my seat. I do not slide back or use any assistance. I'm well over 40 years old, but my waist is still well under 40" around.

My plane has two tanks that each hold 26 US gallons. Counting takeoff and climb to 8-10,000 feet msl, I can get about 2:30 out of the first tank. Some planes have larger tanks, but also higher fuel burn. On flight plans, if full I always list 5-1/2 hours fuel on board; I've flown 4:30-4:40 twice, and had over an hours' fuel left both times.

[KSMooniac]

 

 

Here comes a newbie question... Do you need to change tanks in flight on Mooney, like on Pipers?

 

Yes, I believe most or all low-wing planes don't have a "both" setting like Cessnas, so you must switch back and forth.  Not a big deal, especially with all the electronics we have in the cockpit these days that allow you to setup a recurring alarm.

[Seed3r]

Yeah, DA40, i flown a bit, has a pump to move fuel from one wing to the other as it can feed engine from only one wingtank...

Old Mooney hard to reach valve, in turbulence, without A/P, sounds like fun... Not

[cnoe]

FYI, the early J's have the selector in the same spot...  just loosen the shoulder harness and it is easy to reach. 

I can't speak for the 1977 M20-J, but the '78 models (and newer?) have the selector in the center of the cockpit which is indeed much easier to reach than the older M20 models. 

The "gascolator" pull-drain is sorta where the selector was in previous models, but I try very hard not to pull on that while in flight.

[MyNameIsNobody]

Non-issue if you are not WAY over weight.  You are at altitude.  Unhook your shoulder harness, reach down to floor and with thumb and trigger finger turn clockwise or counter clockwise (depending on what tank is flowing) and rotate.  Don't stop in the middle because that is the OFF position.  I do NOT have to move the seat back, but you DO need to release the shoulder harness on a fixed belt.  The waist belt remains fastened through the process.  This is literally less than a ten second process and  there is no need to actually see the valve.

[ArtVandelay]

I make it a habit to change tanks when close to an airport that I could glide to, just in case Murphy shows up. With JPI fuel flow, I also record fuel usage per tank.

[N201MKTurbo]

I have a PVC T handle that came with my plane. I don't need it, I have no trouble switching tanks.

If you buy a Mooney I'll send it to you for free!

[Marauder]

I have a PVC T handle that came with my plane. I don't need it, I have no trouble switching tanks.

If you buy a Mooney I'll send it to you for free!

Hang onto it. You'll need one day. I'm thankful Dr. Bill made one for me.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[N201MKTurbo]

$0.75 in parts and 5 min in the garage and I can make another one.

[Andy95W]

Old Mooney hard to reach valve, in turbulence, without A/P, sounds like fun... Not

Not a problem, and I just turned 50.  If my gut gets any bigger I may make the PVC pipe helper, but even then, no problem.

[gsxrpilot]

Yeah, DA40, i flown a bit, has a pump to move fuel from one wing to the other as it can feed engine from only one wingtank...

 

Old Mooney hard to reach valve, in turbulence, without A/P, sounds like fun... Not

It's really easy actually. I generally only ever switch tanks once during a flight. I'll burn one hour on the first tank, then two hours on the second. By then, someone usually needs a bathroom or a break. 

Switching fuel tanks is a small price to pay to fly a low wing.

[Andy95W]

Switching fuel tanks is a small price to pay to fly a low wing.

Yeah, that sums it up...

[RobertGary1]

I exceed 40 on both accounts and don't have much problem switching tanks. Perhaps it's more 50's or 60's.  Or try some yoga to loosen up. 

If you can sit on the couch and touch your toes you should be fine.

-Robert 

Edited October 20, 2015 by RobertGary1

[M20F-1968]

I decided to find a permanent fix for this problem and build an aluminum housing which screws to the floor (actually into the fuel selector using 4 screws) and has an internal steel shaft.  The assembly raises the fuel selector handle up of the floor by about 3".  The steel shaft is held onto the fuel selector by 3 independent mechanisms:  1) geometry of the parts so that it can not come off when assembly in put together 2) roll pin and slot 3)  set screw.  All done with DER approval and proper documentation and sign-offs.  You can see it in my gallery pictures.

John Breda