Hand held fuel gauge

[Karl]

Last Friday I flew the 40NG, here's my reaction:

Dislikes:
- Tank arrangement does not facilitate visual inspection and it's not easy to "dip" the tanks to verify level.
- I could not get completely comfortable with the pedals. It was a very "glider like" seating arrangement requiring my knees way up to get my feet anywhere near comfortable on the pedals.
- Air conditioning is probably mandatory as we flew on a winter morning and it was still warm (my CFI wears a hat in the DA40's)

Likes:
- Easy enough to just fill the tanks and reset the totalizer.
- Engine! Smooth, quiet, simple to control.
- Entire plane felt very tight and solid
- Light and responsive to the controls
- Great view!

I liked it! I'm thinking I'll switch to this plane for IFR instruction.

There is a special gauge stored under the floor of the baggage bay for checking the fuel more accurately. You hold it on the leading edge and connect to the sediment drain. Very accurate but never seen anyone using it on a frequent basis.

[Boatguy54]

My CFI was aware of that tool, but Said it spilled fuel and it’s hard to get the Jet A smell off your hands. It doesn’t evaporate like 100LL.

[CFIDave]

There is a special gauge stored under the floor of the baggage bay for checking the fuel more accurately. You hold it on the leading edge and connect to the sediment drain. Very accurate but never seen anyone using it on a frequent basis.

We usually advise new owners to take that fuel gauge and store it somewhere where it's not likely to be broken. Store it somewhere you'll remember, so you can pass it on to the *next* owner of the plane (otherwise it costs more than $300 to get a replacement from Diamond). The capillary tubes are made of glass that break very easily. And if you've got a Jet-A burning plane, storing the gauge in the plane after use will make the interior reek of JetA.

Nobody uses it; I think Diamond had to include it to meet certification requirements. With use of the G1000 fuel totalizer + accurate fuel gauges on Diamonds, you really don't need it.

[gordsh]

I have that fuel gauge tool for my XLS and to be honest, if I use it 5 times in succession I never get the same reading. I keep some disposable gloves in my pane for that reason and for testing the oil before I fly...but to be honest I don't use the fuel gauge thingy anymore. Also because I am still training when my tanks get to 50% I fill them up.

[Rick]

I have that fuel gauge tool.....

This "tool" is affectionately known as the "Fuel Draining Device", since that seems to be its primary purpose!
As Dave mentioned, they are easily broken and expensive to replace. Mine is bubble-wrapped in my plastic storage tub in the baggage area behind the rear seats. For some reason, I was under the impression it had to be onboard as required equipment, but I could be wrong about that. It may find a safe place in my hangar to live out the rest of its days...

[Colin]

Very accurate but never seen anyone using it on a frequent basis

I have never seen someone use it even once. I believe my glass broke and someone clever at my field replaced it with a piece of clear plastic tubing instead. It still sat unused for the eleven years I owned the plane.

[blsewardjr]

The fuel gauge is required equipment for VFR daytime flight, i.e., all flights per the AFM Section 2.13. Like many others I carry mine in the ski tube but never use it.

[CFIDave]

Moderators: You might consider placing this external fuel gauge discussion into a separate thread, since it applies to all DA40s, DA42s, and DA62s.

[CFIDave]

We just had a customer order a new external fuel gauge from Diamond, and it now costs $700!
So please take good care of and don't misplace the one you got with your plane (even if you never use it).

[LTek1]

I used mine 3 or 4 times when I first got the plane. It was a great tool for verifying that below 15 gallons, the electronic senders are accurate enough for me to get up and go.

But yeah, mine has also been replaced with a plastic tube.