Fuel Gauge INOP for initial CFI Check Ride

A Posting from Pilot Instructor Forum 

Hi all,

I am taking my initial CFI check ride this weekend. I went out to fly the airplane (C-R182) from the right seat to practice some maneuvers before the check ride. But, I realized the left fuel gauge is indicating zero no matter how much fuel is in the tank.

It sounds to me like the issue is somewhat controversial. I've heard "fuel guages only need to be accurate when the tank is are empty" and I've also heard that per 14 CFR 91.205 (b) 9 the airplane needs to be equipped with an operable "Fuel gauge indicating the quantity of fuel in each tank".

I tend to agree that the fuel gauge needs to be operable, but there's no time to get the fuel gauge repaired before the check ride. Any advice?

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Yes, per §91.205 a fuel guage for each fuel tank is required for day / night VFR and IFR flight is required to be operational.
You could argue as others did that it only has to “correct” when on empty and I would agree but it has to read something. The other way of looking at it is that the fuel guage has to read something other than empty when their is fuel in the fuel tank.
If your airplane has an approved MEL, it might be allowed to be inoperative provided you verify the amount of fuel in the tank, but for your initial CFI test do not take a chance of busting because of an unairworthy aircraft.

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Remember the Tomato Flames acronym.  F is for fuel gauge.  You must have a functioning fuel gauge.  The acid test is safety.  Do you feel safe flying an airplane with an inop fuel gauge.  I would tend to want to get a ferry permit to get it to a repair facility, or better yet, get it fixed where it sits if you can.  There are too many fuel exhaustion accidents (preventable) per year to take a chance like this.  I know this sounds a little over-reaching, but as a CFI, you are the prime example to the flying public.  To show your willingness to take a chance on an inop fuel gauge sends a dangerous example to your potential students that the Pilot Examiner or FAA Safety Inspector should flunk you for.  Get it fixed then take your exam.

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“I tend to agree that the fuel gauge needs to be operable, but there’s no time to get the fuel gauge repaired before the check ride. Any advice? ”Seems like a no-brainer to me.  You have an unairworthy airplane you’ve been training in and you’re contemplating taking a checkride in it?  for a CFI? BTW, Part 23 says the fuel gauge must be *calibrated* to read 0 when there is no usable fuel in the tank.  Being calibrated to read 0 doesn’t mean that this is the only indication that needs to be accurate.  All scales must be calibrated at a certain weight, and the error increases the further away from that weight that you get.  Even so, the error is usually required to be within a certain range.  Part 23 doesn’t publish that range, but likely there is one.  Someone I know has requested an LOI on the topic from the FAA’s General Counsel’s Office, but it won’t be available until October.

Note: That letter was not published by the FAA General Counsel 
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In reading the above responses a couple of thoughts come to mind.  While by regulation the fuel indicators must function, relying on them for anything other then an indication of possible fuel present is more dangerous then not having a guage at all.  Our flight school had 36 aircraft and there wasn’t a guage in any of them that was even close to accurate.   Many times a student pilot or CFI would request fuel for a plane by reading the guages (without comfirming visually) only to find the tanks topped off.   And conversely, taking off with what they thought were full tanks only to land an hour later with one tank dry.The comment:” There are too many fuel exhaustion accidents (preventable) per year to take a chance like this.  I know this sounds a little over-reaching, but as a CFI, you are the prime example to the flying public.  To show your willingness to take a chance on an inop fuel gauge sends a dangerous example”

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While I wholly agree with the assertions that physically checking and monitoring the fuel quantity using known values is the best practice, the reg is very clear about what is required to be working at all times.  If you fly with a fuel indicator broken (which it clearly is), then you are essentially shooting yourself in the foot.  Yeah, you might get away with it, but then again, you might not.Also, in regard to MEL’s, 91.213 is very specific that any equipment required to be in operation by regulation (such as 91.205) by default can’t be included among the inoperative equipment in an MEL.