Fuel Shut Off

[Dave Fisher]

Since we had talked about it in class, I decided to shut her down using the emergency fuel shut off instead of the ignition. I flipped off all of the switches then moved the fuel selector to "Cut Off". 30 Seconds later she is still idling nicely. That can't be good. So, I moved the selector to the left tank, right tank and completed the circle back to cut off. Still running very nicely after 60 seconds. Anyone try this lately?

[Eric Schnellbacher]

At idle, it might take much more time than that for the fuel to run out in the carburetors.  Try it again, but this time either let it idle for at least 5 minutes or move to an area where you can run up the engine rpm a bit more.  This is a good exercise for one to do to show you just how dangerous it can be to not turn the fuel selector on.  A quick taxi and run up could lead to an engine out situation on takeoff if the fuel selector is left in the off position.  Use your checklist..... 

[Dave Fisher]

I used the fuel cut off to shut her down. I left the Master and Instrument switches on (as well as the ignition) and twisted the fuel control to cut-off. After 2 minutes I got a "Low fuel pressure" alert, and after almost exactly 3 minutes the engine quit. Nice to know.