Ok, what's the story here?

PRB

PRB

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Staff member
There has to be a story behind this! I first noticed this in the new Warbirdsim P-51B/C, and thought it must be a mistake. But the WoP P-51D fuel selector is configured out the same way. Then I noticed the SU P-38L panel and suddenly I began to suspect that there was some bizarre inherent problem with US pilots, or aircraft manufacturers, being able to tell the left side from their other left side! Actually I think the P-38 panel probably is a mistake, but there is some logical (to engineers, mayhap?) reason for the fuel selector switch…
 
Think about what the real left and right is.......from the front/nose to the rear. Not as the pilot see's it. Fuel flow from the point of the ground crew/engineers/maintance crews.
 
That's an accident waiting to happen. Could that be why the 737 cut the wrong engine and landed on the motorway in Birmingham several years ago? Maybe he was an ex Mustang pilot who thought his left was his right :costumes:
 
Could it be a rotation order / fuel weight drain order / effect on handling due to CoG change kinda thing?
 
No more than a WAG here, but I'm guessing the selector valve is dependant on the plumbing behind the placard. The right tank's fuel comes from the right side, but selecting it simply has the pointer in a different direction. The P-38 gauges though, I'd bet that's a goof.
 
I'm guessing that it is showing the direction of the fuel flow to the engine and not where the tank is.

LouP :173go1:
 
It's interesting that the main tanks are labeled "correctly"; it's the drop tanks that are "backwards". This is correct - I found one photo on the Internet that shows this placard in a real P-51, and that's how it looks. I'm going with Tom Clayton at this point, that it's an engineering plumbing issue of some sort.
 
PRB said:
It's interesting that the main tanks are labeled "correctly"; it's the drop tanks that are "backwards". This is correct - I found one photo on the Internet that shows this placard in a real P-51, and that's how it looks. I'm going with Tom Clayton at this point, that it's an engineering plumbing issue of some sort.
Click to expand...


Ummmm....guess my idea wasn't good enough? How rude!:costumes:
 
LouP said:
I'm guessing that it is showing the direction of the fuel flow to the engine and not where the tank is.

LouP :173go1:
Click to expand...

In all my time in Mustangs I never flew one with external tanks installed.
The logic behind the fuel selector was most probably due to the vapor return being to the left main tank. The logical sequencing was to start, taxi, and take off on the left main to make room for the unused fuel returning to that tank from the carb. This return could actually be quite high in gals per hour.
After climbout on the left main, if externals were carried, the logical sequence would be to switch to the right drop tank to help equalize the trim situation.
It would have always been a tossup for tank selection going into a mission if fuel was being carried in the fuselage tank, as the Mustang had REAL issues cg wise if engaged with that tank full.
But everything considered, the placement of the right external selector isn't all that odd.
Can't speak for the P38 panel. Probably just a mistake by the dev.
Dudley Henriques
 
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