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IMHO The gauges on the 337 are rather useless. I tend to rely on the Shadin fuel flow and would recommend this instrument is mandatory on all aircraft.
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I concur. The fuel level and fuel flow gauges are very poor – and a totalizer is a great aid for fuel management. However, everyone needs to keep in mind that even with this equipment there are some ways to get fooled. These devices only count how much fuel goes into the engine – not how much you have in your tanks. It simply takes whatever you tell it, and does the math.
1) People do steal fuel from airplanes. The high octane AV fuel is attractive to street racers. Maybe your home airport has no security problems, but what about the various airports you visit for overnight stops?
2) I've had an aircraft parked on a hill lose 25 gallons out the vent tube. I filled it at night, and could see the huge stain on the ground the next morning. Also, the fuel level gauge did not show full anymore. I topped it off and was shocked to find it took 25 gallons.
3) I have had a fuel transducer fail in an intermittent way. Momentarily, the GPH would drop to 0. This would result in an undercount of the consumed fuel. Fortunately, I visually caught this.
The Shadin is a great product. JPI & EI offer these instruments too. Don’t blindly believe anything. Always cross check with whatever redundant info is available. On each fill up, confirm the quantities look correct. And on those overnight stays, treat the estimated fuel remaining with suspicion.