How to Refuel a Cessna 175 at a Self Serve Fuel Pump

Whether you are beginning the day with a flight somewhere new or just arrived at your destination, you will eventually need to refuel your Cessna 175. Refueling an airplane is more complicated than refueling a car. These instructions will walk you through the process of refueling your Cessna 175 from start to finish. These instructions are meant as a starting point for student pilots and should be used in addition to a licensed flight instructor's advice. These instructions are intended to be performed on a Cessna 175 high wing aircraft; however, these steps can be used for most other aircraft as well. Be sure to learn the refueling process specific to your aircraft.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Before Fueling

  1. Airports can be busy places. You must use safe taxi practices to ensure you do not damage your plane, other planes, property, or someone on the grounds. [1]
    • Airport diagram. Using one, whether printed on paper or an iPad (or similar device), allows you to know where you are located on the airport.
    • Correct control inputs. Wind can make taxing a struggle, and making sure your control inputs are correct will keep your plane from being damaged. The same can be same for taxiing on a soft field surface such as gravel or grass.
    • Communicate with radio. Regardless of whether an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower is present, it is essential to communicate your intentions to other traffic at the airport.
    • Keep a watchful eye out. Ensure you are not getting distracted by things in the cockpit (such as talking to passengers). This will keep accidents from happening.
  2. This will make it much easier to pull the fuel hose out and be in the best refueling position.
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  3. Each aircraft has a different shutdown procedure. Be sure to follow each step of your aircraft shutdown checklist. [2]
    • Master Switch. Ensure that the master switch of the aircraft is turned off.
    • Magnetos. Take extra caution to ensure that the aircraft's magnetos in the off position, and that the keys are in your pocket and NOT still in the airplane. This will ensure that the propeller will not accidentally start.
  4. The ground at the airport is often uneven, and you do not want the plane to roll away. Also, keeping the wind from pushing the plane in any direction is necessary. [3]
    • Nose wheel. Make sure that the chalks are placed on the not wheel. This will keep the plane from rotating around one wheel and getting damaged by hitting something.
  5. This is important because the ground cable will discharge any static electricity around the aircraft and keep any static spark from being created and igniting a fire around both your plane's fuel tanks and the giant fuel tanks. [4]
    • Ground Wire. Each airport has a ground wire at its self-serve fuel tanks. Ensure that this is connected to a metal portion of your aircraft.
  6. Each fuel tank on the Cessna 175 has a fuel tank opening. Using a ladder or step stool, depending on which is available, open both tanks. [5]
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

During Fueling

  1. To make your life easier, leave the ladder or step stool by the furthest wing fuel tank once everything is open. This will give you a much easier time when fueling begins as you will start fueling here. [6]
  2. Pulling the fuel hose out before you start to fuel will make everything much less difficult. Pull it out past your farthest fuel tank so that you have slack in the hose when you get on the wing. Also, make sure the hose locks so that it is not continually pulling. [7]
  3. Each airport has a different system for turning on the fuel pumps and paying for the gasoline, each with a slightly different instruction. Follow the instructions on the screen for your airport's self-serve fuel system. [8]
  4. After payment, you can start filling the tanks of your aircraft. [9]
    • Do NOT use the automatic stop. These do not always work correctly and can cause a spill. It can also keep you from filling up your fuel tanks fully. Be sure you can see the fuel level visually when filling up.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

After Fueling

  1. When your done fueling up, you will want to close your airplane's fuel tanks. Ensure that they are correctly closed. [10]
  2. Once done refueling, shut off the fuel pump. Once this is done, the refueling process is done, and you can collect your receipt if you had chosen to get one. [11]
  3. The fuel hose that you pulled out will need to be retracted. If it was not, it could prevent someone from using the self-serve fuel pump and possibly damage their airplane. [12]
  4. The nozzle will need to be stored so that it doesn't get contaminated with debris or other substance. [13]
  5. The ground wire that is connected to your plane needs to be disconnected and stored correctly. If not, just like the fuel hose, it could get in the way and possibly damage your aircraft or someone else's. [14]
  6. This is important because not all fuel is perfect. It can have contamination in it, such as water or other debris. Each fuel tank is designed to have contamination sink to the bottom portion of the tank where the sump it. It is important to sump all tanks to ensure no contaminated fuel gets into the engine and causes damage or engine failure during flight. [15]
  7. If you walked out of sight of your aircraft, pre-flight your airplane before flying again. This will ensure that nothing damaged your plane during the time you were away and that everything still works. [16]
  8. Remove the chalks from the aircraft's nose wheel so that when you start the engine, your aircraft can move. [17]
  9. Use your aircraft's checklist to properly start your aircraft's engine. [18]
  10. Safely taxi your plane away from the fuel tanks watching out for the self-serve tanks, other planes, and other people. [19]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/students/presolo/skills/refueling-procedures
      2. ↑ https://www.takeoffjunkie.com/how-to-refuel-an-airplane/
      3. ↑ https://www.takeoffjunkie.com/how-to-refuel-an-airplane/
      4. ↑ https://www.aircraftengineer.info/aircraft-refueling-procedures/#gsc.tab=0
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/OD6l5PfKN-o?t=110
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/OD6l5PfKN-o?t=110
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/OD6l5PfKN-o?t=110
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/OD6l5PfKN-o?t=110
      9. ↑ https://www.aircraftengineer.info/aircraft-refueling-procedures/#gsc.tab=0
      1. ↑ https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/august/flight-training-magazine/technique-diy-fueling
      2. ↑ https://www.takeoffjunkie.com/how-to-refuel-an-airplane/
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/WAJ-ofkyfEI?t=725
      4. ↑ https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/august/flight-training-magazine/technique-diy-fueling
      5. ↑ https://www.takeoffjunkie.com/how-to-refuel-an-airplane/
      6. ↑ https://www.aircraftengineer.info/aircraft-refueling-procedures/#gsc.tab=0
      7. ↑ https://www.takeoffjunkie.com/how-to-refuel-an-airplane/
      8. ↑ https://www.takeoffjunkie.com/how-to-refuel-an-airplane/
      9. ↑ https://www.takeoffjunkie.com/how-to-refuel-an-airplane/
      10. ↑ https://www.takeoffjunkie.com/how-to-refuel-an-airplane/

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