Piston driven modern (last 60 years or so) aircraft generally have a=20
"gascolator" which is a metal bowl with a quick drain at the bottom,=20
fuel enters top center, exits via a brass screen, top around the=20
perimeter of the inlet. Don't think the brass screen will exclude water,=20
only sediment. The bowl is a approximately 2" diameter and 2.5" high.=20
The gascolator is located after all fuel tanks, and before fuel pumps=20
and engine. Standard practice is to drain a few ounces of fuel into a=20
clear transparent cup and observe for sediment, fuel color (grade), and=20
water. The liquid is also smelled to confirm gasoline or jet-a=20
(keorsene) before moving the aircraft before first flight of day, and=20
after fueling.

On 9/5/2010 12:42 AM, RussellMc wrote:
>>> It had a happy ending. Down below was 45 Gal drum of 100/130
>>> aviation fuel bobbing up and down on river. It escaped from a
>>> fuel dump somewhere just waiting for us put the whole 45 gal
>>> into the 52 gal tanks on the helicopter.
>>>       =20
>   =20
>> Were you more worried about getting stranded than the possibility of wat=
er
>> in the fuel?
>>     =20
> I can't speak for Walter on that*, but in a similar situation there is
> an easy and reasonably good* way to remove any water.
>
> If you stand petrol with a moderate amount of water in it the
> majority* of the water will settle. You will probably still have water
> droplets in the fuel that could cause problems.
>
> If you moisten a suitably fine* cloth with petrol it will tend to act
> as a water filter, passing petrol and trapping water. If you moisten
> it with water it will tend to act as a petrol filter :-). Managing to
> get it wet with petrol first is not too hard with care - pour some
> petrol into a container, settle for a while * and decant off petrol
> avoiding the funny stuff at the bottom - or just dip your filter cloth
> in the top layer.
>
> I have no aircraft experience but imagine that they are all fitted
> with water filters.
>
>
>
>    Russell
>
>
> * Determining desirable values for "the majority of", "suitably fine"
> and "a while" is left as an exercise for the student. Survivors will
> be allowed to take the compiler writing course.
>   =20
--=20
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