Longer Legs

[EDMO 1078]

Have you tried www.excaliburaircraft.com for the football tanks?   I just pulled up their site by looking for auxiliary ultralight aircraft fuel tanks.  Don't know if it is current or maybe what you tried...

EDMO

Well, I just tried clicking on the above and did not get the ad for the tanks the same as when I used Yahoo to search for auxiliary fuel tanks.

Edited 9 Jul 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[Dusty 126]

The wing locker definitely appears structural

I wouldn't want to fly 4 hrs on a regular basis but often 2 1/2 and occasionally 3,

We can often get strange and unforcast winds,an extra 1/2 hour unplanned is quite stressful!

[EDMO 1078]

I found some different ones on Air-Tech site.    Don't look like footballs, but maybe useable -  They are fiberglass, I think, and not plastic, which would be better.

Check out their site for more tanks.   www.air-techinc.com    I checked about 100 different things on Yahoo - never found the footballs again...found some bladder tank makers, but if Dusty has local, that would be cheaper probably.

EdMO

BTW:   On that Excalibur site where I saw the football tanks in Ultralight News, there were some 22 x 11 x (6?) (8?) tires for like $30 each!          Heck, I'm getting old - Maybe that was Bear Perkins site?  I went to too many looking for the dang footballs!

Edited 10 Jul 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[rdooley79 28]

I can't find the football tanks on Excalibur's site.... Where do you see them?

 

That tank you attached the thumbnail of is a "root tube" tank and it used  for quicksilver's and weight shift trikes. I've seen these up close (I've flown weight shift trikes for about 14 years) and not so sure they would be right. Would look goofey even as a belly tank.

 

I've also been searching for a way to fabricate or have a "custom poly" tank made. Not really finding much. The closest I did find is a model aircraft tank maker. They use Kevlar that can use gasoline proof resins and make large enough sizes.

http://www.jettechusa.com/collections/special-orders

 

It would be cool to have a kevlar tank that looks like a bomb with fins and everything mounted to the belly. Quick disconnects.

 

Aluminum is still just too heavy. too bad.

[EDMO 1078]

I think I pulled up "Ultralight News" for "ultralight aircraft auxiliary fuel tanks" - search on Yahoo - and the Excaliber ad must have been on the page - I never could find out who makes them or sells them - I must have searched 100 places.. even tried "football tanks", "Quad City Challenger",  Quicksilver, etc.

EdMo

If your belly tank has fins like a "bomb", you better install a rear-view mirror to look at the F-16 on your tail 

Better off to haul a "Kayak" like ChrisB hauls, but stay away from Cheyenne Mountain and a few other spots!!!

Edited 10 Jul 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[EDMO 1078]

When the crew on here get to Oshkosh, maybe they can find out where you can get the football tanks?

EDMO

Edited 10 Jul 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[Av8r3400 1179]

 

I keep coming back here looking for this type of long legs never to find them.

 

So here you go.

[EDMO 1078]

She already hiked the football !

EDMO

[1avidflyer 1983]

Sorry to change the subject from the long legged girl, but here is what a friend of mine did in his Avid A model.  He does have to unhook the one flaperon control rod to fold the wing though.  Tank holds 5 gallons, and he pumps the fuel up to the main header tank with an electric fuel pump.  Probably could do two tanks if one wanted to.   I know I've posted this before, but it's probably hard to find in the archives as we all know how subject and

topics tend to drift from where they started.  (like the long legged girl ;-)  she does have long legs though and is not totally unpleasing to the eye.  LOL  Jim Chuk

[MarkD 53]

Well I guess "My Bad" cause I did not check to see if the Poly Football tanks were still available...

I have however checked on several Rat Rod spun aluminum fuel tanks and many different sizes are available for the hot rod market. That might even be better than the plastic ones.

I was considering making my own using a 7" aluminum tube (.080" wall thickness)24 to 30 inches long and welding on some aluminum plate on the ends. The filler neck and cap may be a challenge.

Based on material acquisition costs and labor costs for welding for a "One Off" it is not cost effective to build one or two myself. So I am looking for a reasonable alternative.

But as many have already stated, sitting in an Avid Flyer for more than a couple of hours starts to be uncomfortable so maybe the 18 gallon tank I have is just good enough.

MarkD

[EDMO 1078]

Mark,

       Maybe one of the Oshkosh crew will find a source for the football tanks.

As far as making your own "is not cost effective", maybe some non-aircraft supplier might be your best bet.  

      The $250 model plane tanks, and the $465 experimental plane tanks that I have seen, make me believe that you could make your own cheaper, or find some other tanks that would work.

       I put the extra tanks in my wings back when I planned to fly across some very desolate areas of Alaska and Canada, and would rather be sitting in the plane with the fan turning, than to be on the ground with no cellphone reception, no one to come except an expensive helicopter, and waiting for a bear!   I was stranded on the ALCAN highway for 8 hours, with no help and no phone, when my trailer broke down, and that's a main road thru Canada.

       I will probably never use the extra tanks here in the lower 48 because airports are not that scarce, and the ones who have mogas don't have alcohol in it, and my Subaru can use 100LL if I carry a small bottle of TCP or Decalin with me.

Good Flying,

EDMO

Edited 10 Jul 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[rdooley79 28]

The thought of a belly tank made from spun aluminum is an attractive thought. I like it because keeping the load and CG below or slightly in front of my butt is more preferable. I don't like the idea of putting a jug behind the seat mainly for CG purposes.

 

I had a buddy with a kitfox model 1 that made a belly tank that looked like a stubby bomb. He explained that he made it stubby to keep any sloshing fore and aft to a minimum and also it was easier to mount more forward using the hard points that the gear and struts attach to. My only concern with this is the weight of a spun aluminum tank. Do you think an aluminum tank of the same size as a poly tank, which one would be heavier?

 

Aluminum has the added advantage of being strong, UV and alcohol impervious. 

 

Here is a drawing I made that is a design I like.

The top bung would be to a vent line and the bottom bung would be to a facet fuel pump to transfer the fuel to the wing tank. It would be filled by opening a valve that would bypass the facet pump allowing the fuel in the wing tank to flow in to the belly tank. Once full close the valve and the facet pump has a check valve which will only allow fuel to be pumped in to the wing tank when the pump is on. 

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/11nmcl-nkBT9zCXp_VCQUZrX_9MpMqzEv2NPKM1NHILM/pub?w=960&h=720

 

Would look kindof like, with different fitting locations. 

http://www.aluminumgastanks.net/bombtank.html

 

 

BTW we need more topics that need a picture of a leggy bombshell posted.

[1avidflyer 1983]

As far as CG goes with the tank mounted behind the seat, I doubt it would be much of a problem on most Avids. Most of them are near the front of the CG envelope and having a bit more weight further back would help them out. If my memory is correct, 50 lbs in the baggage compartment didn't cause the CG to reach the back of the CG envelope, around 15" instead of the 16.5" allowed. That is with a moment arm of 55 or 57". I'm guessing, but the arm on the fuel tank behind the seat is probably at 25" to 30". 5 gallons of fuel plus the tank and pump is probably 34 lbs. Jim Chuk

[C5Engineer 1170]

Correct Jim. The stock header tank location arm is only a couple inches behind your butt. It would have about the same effect on CG as flying with a passenger. Running my spreadsheet with my airplane at 12.5" it takes around 40 lbs clear on the tailwheel to push it outside of 16" and Leni will tell you 16" is a conservative number. Weight and balance is a critical number but when you start doing the math it's pretty forgiving.