Fiberglass or Plastic

[NorthIdahoAvidflyer 374]

I am building a set of wings for a guy's Avid Magnum. He has a set of large fiberglass tanks and a set of plastic tanks. The plastic tanks look to be 5 gallons a piece and there are 6 of them. He planned on either running the fiberglass as mains and two of the plastic tanks in each wingtip. He asked me if he should use the fiberglass tanks or use all six of the plastic tanks. I've heard of people having issues with the fiberglass tanks so I wanted to get some input.

If I were to use the plastic tanks I would need a plumbing diagram.

The plane with have an 0-320 for a power plant. I'm sure he will be running AV-GAS.

Thank you for any input you may provide. My name is Vance Simons. I live in Post Falls, Idaho. You can call or text me at (509) 599-9477. I do have photos I can send.

Thank you

Vance

[Av8r3400 1179]

First:  How old are the fiberglass tanks?  If they are part of the "original" kit, they will have little to no tolerance to ethanol contaminated fuels.  I the owner of the plane will ONLY operate with av-gas, these old tanks will be just fine.  Autogas will eventually destroy them.

 

The fiberglass tanks are structural to the wing.  Not using them will require the addition of drag tubes to the bays where the tanks should be.  You are then the aeronautical engineer on a new design.

 

The small tanks are probably from wing tanks (dot) com.  This is a division of Airdale, the remnants of Avid Flyer.  They are proof to ethanol gas, but installing them becomes a plumber's nightmare of hoses and joints which are all potential leak points.  They are usually installed INSIDE the fiberglass tanks as a repair to leaks (see the website).

 

Brett at Airdale now sells "new" fiberglass wing tanks, also available directly from a member here, which are much more resistant to ethanol fuel.  This is the same supplier who makes tanks for Kitfox, who proclaim them proof to ethanol.  

 

Personally, if it were my airplane, I would go with a new set of fiberglass tanks.