During a typical pre-buy inspection or an annual for that matter most of the expensive scrutiny is aimed at the engine, that pricey lump of parts that can soak up money like a dry sponge in water. No one thinks much about fuel tanks, bladders and wet wings because, well, they arent very sexy.
ing a typical pre-buy inspection or an annual for that matter most of the expensive scrutiny is aimed at the engine, that pricey lump of parts that can soak up money like a dry sponge in water. No one thinks much about fuel tanks, bladders and wet wings because, well, they arent very sexy. But a few months ago, we received a letter from a reader asking if we were aware how expensive it is to
replace a tired old fuel bladder, of which there are many in the field. Frankly, we hadnt visited this topic recently and a cursory look revealed that the reader had a point. Clearly, the subject is worthy of further examination. Worth noting is that many airplanes in the fleet still have their original bladders and some in the industry believe the rate of bladder failure is accelerating.
Fuel System Basics
Fuel systems for GA aircraft are sometimes simple, sometimes not. The both-tanks-gravity-feed system shared by most Cessnas is as simple as it gets, but older Aerostars and some twin Cessnas are about the worst. The actual fuel tanks can be one of three types: Rigid, bladder or wet wing.
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