Fuel System Safety Review by Europa Club Safety Officer Mike Gregory 2019
▫️The diagrams are shown in a separate file below. Use forefinger and thumb to magnify. The full article is featured in the Europa Flyer 96.
▫️The chronology of documents is also attached.
▫️Noting that in the U.K. any deviation from the current Europa published fuel system must be approved by the LAA modification system in the normal way.
"Mogas, especially that containing ethanol, should not be left for prolonged periods when the aircraft is not in use – it is recommended to use AVGAS for the final flights before a layup, or else to flush the system through. Ethanol can provide food for fungus growths that can grow inside fuel tanks and subsequently clog filters.” Mike Gregory. Safety Officer
"If your fuel system has gone stale with Mogas after months of inactivity, plan to refresh it before you refresh your flying skills."
Remember
"Expert Users Refresh Overdue Petrol Always"
Mike Gregory. Safety Officer
Mike Gregory
Responsible for promoting safety in all its aspects. These include safety in the hangar and workshop, as well as operating safely in the air and on the ground. Willing to discuss the safety aspects of any Europa accident or incident, actual or potential, and where appropriate to take action through the LAA to develop and maintain safe operating procedures as well as the technical aspects of airworthiness.
Flying Experience
Learned to fly on Chipmunks at Elstree and continued with the Air Squadron. Other experience includes the Miles Hawk III (Magister), Auster, Beagle Pup, Cherokee, Cessna 150, Dyn-Aero MCR 01, Slingsby Firefly, Tiger Moth, and Robin DR 400. Total 760 hours.
Special Skills/Experience
Served 37 years as an engineer officer in the Royal Air Force, including the maintenance of avionics systems and work as a project officer on the introduction to service of the Tornado, Hawk, Bulldog and Lynx. Subsequently worked at Cranfield University researching into design for manufacture in the aerospace industry and distributed design teamworking across industry sectors. Employed until 2010 as an external tutor by the Institute for Manufacturing, Cambridge University Engineering Department, then worked as a volunteer on the e-Go SSDR. Currently an engineering consultant. In 1996 (at Ivan Shaw’s request) designed a circuit diagram for the Europa and wrote an electrical chapter for the builders’ manual, including a section on basic electrics.
Locality
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Aircraft, and Current Status
Building Europa Classic Hi-Top G-CLXU kit number 94 with Graeme Bird.
General Comments
I would encourage everyone concerned with Europas to share their experiences and knowledge to help others to understand what goes right and what might go wrong. Safety is no accident!
Fly safely
