Fuel gauge

[Mike Busutil]

Would it be possible to get an option to request Jester to read the total fuel remaining and have him respond with something like "Fuel remaining is 57%". 

I like doing long flights and often carry external fuel tanks. I'm still getting use to the fuel gauge and how it displays for external tanks and then resets to internal when drop tanks are released. Having a quick option to ask Jester for the fuel total would save some time doing the math of internal lbs plus external lbs onboard. 

I'm still really new to the F-4 and have not made my way through the manual and have not been in the rear seat yet so I don't know if Jester even has a fuel gauge...

Thanks and what and absolutely Beautiful job the HeatBlur team did with this model. 

[Rudel_chw]

22 minutes ago, Mike Busutil said:

I don't know if Jester even has a fuel gauge.

 

It doesn't have any ... fuel management is a pilot's duty, not the WSO's

[Longiron]

Still there is some magic code for his call outs.

He will ask about fuel when internal is getting low while you have full external tanks.

[3000 Black Jets of Allah]

2 hours ago, Mike Busutil said:

Would it be possible to get an option to request Jester to read the total fuel remaining and have him respond with something like "Fuel remaining is 57%". 

I like doing long flights and often carry external fuel tanks. I'm still getting use to the fuel gauge and how it displays for external tanks and then resets to internal when drop tanks are released. Having a quick option to ask Jester for the fuel total would save some time doing the math of internal lbs plus external lbs onboard. 

I'm still really new to the F-4 and have not made my way through the manual and have not been in the rear seat yet so I don't know if Jester even has a fuel gauge...

Thanks and what and absolutely Beautiful job the HeatBlur team did with this model. 

Yeah Jester doesn't have a fuel gauge in the back. Also, the fuel gauge in the front doesn't display the amount in the external tanks at all, it only shows internal fuel at all times.

Honestly it's pretty simple to keep track of, just pay attention to when the specific tank you have selected stops feeding the internal tanks for a while, and understand the amount of fuel in the externals from the start, and what fuel flow you've been flying at for a certain period of time.

[Grundar]

Yeah Jester can't monitor the fuel, there are no such gauges in the WSO cockpit which is why he will prompt you regarding fuel at times.  Well technically Jester will know when you are very low fuel when the Master Caution light illuminates at critically low fuel levels.

Diesel Thunder has a wonderful video regarding the Fuel System and Management: 

 

Personally what I do is factor in the following;

Total Internal Fuel = 12000lbs of Fuel (fuselage and wing tanks)

External Fuel:   Centerline Tank = 600 Gallons of Fuel - equivalent to 4000lbs of fuel.

                         Wing Tank (always carried in pairs) 370 Gallons of Fuel per tank = 740 Gallons which is equivalent to 4800lbs of fuel (2400 per tank).

Total Fuel (Internal and Centerline tank): 16000lbs

Total Fuel (Internal and External Wing Tanks):  16800lbs

Maximum Total Fuel (Internal, Centreline and Wing Tanks): 20800lbs of fuel.

 

I check what I have before take off to make sure I have the correct values and then I will reference the Fuel Totalizer for status.  It registers only internal fuel so I make sure that I am using any external tanks early, especially the centreline tank which obstructs the operation of any front fuselage mounted Aim-7's.  I reference the Fuselage Fuel Tape to determine if i have empty internal wing tanks or not to get an idea where I am sitting at.

I also pay attention to the fuel flow gauge.

- This gauge does not display extra fuel consumption via afterburner use, you have to watch your Fuel Gauge totalizer spin lol.  But for approximation I multiple your current PPH x4 to estimate fuel usage in afterburner.

So knowing that I am using external tanks first and that I can drop them if necessary also means later on I am seeing a complete fuel remaining picture without having to reference back to external tanks etc.. It also means i can jettison them in combat if required without worrying about having a sudden big reduction in available fuel.

One caveat is that you have to monitor when your external tanks are empty so you can move the switch around as necessary, especially given that selecting external tanks prevents any flow from the wing tanks until deselected.

So when Jester inevitably asks me how is our fuel status I'm much more confident in giving him a more accurate answer rather than fobbing him off lol.

[IvanK]

Edited June 9, 2024 by IvanK

[dogsbody59]

He hasn't got a gauge