Our pilot was a newaircraft owner and very proud of the mid-70s Piper Cherokee he had chosen forhimself. It was very nicely equipped but lacking one thing he had convincedhimself he wanted to have – a fuel totalizer. This is a device that is displaysthe amount of fuel consumed by the aircraft with extreme accuracy. Thisconsumption is gauged by a sensor that is installed in the fuel line that keepstrack of the amount of fuel flowing past it. With needle indicators beingnotoriously unreliable, our pilot insisted on the peace of mind having atotalizer installed would provide so installed it was. 

One spring day our pilot planned a day trip with a friendabout a two and a half hour flight away. It was a beautiful VFR day and the windswere expected to be favorable – at least on the way there. About an hour intothe flight our pilot calculated that his ground speed was approaching 145knots. He was excited since that was so much faster than the usual 110 or soknots he was becoming used to. His thrill was muted some when a Mooney blastedby him on the right, but he was still very pleased with the tailwinds he wasenjoying.

After arriving ahead of schedule, our pilot and his guestspent the day as planned. They headed back to the airport early that evening toplan the return trip home. Those previous tailwinds would now end up being aheadwind so he picked his altitude accordingly. He planned on 6,500 feet and filedhis flight plan.

He had originally planned on simply reversing the route toget home but shortly into the flight with the sun having gone down, our pilotwas faced with what seemed like an endless mass of featureless darkness aheadon that moonless night. With forecast scattered clouds along the planned route,our pilot decided he didn’t want to risk the chance of disorientation orinadvertent flight into a cloud so he opted to divert to the south about 30miles where he could follow a major highway all the way home.

Our pilot contacted flight services to advise them of the diversionand to change the planned en route time. A short while later with the lights ofthe highway in sight he turned west on course. Almost immediately he noticedthat some of the cars on the highway were actually driving a little faster thanhis humble Cherokee was flying. His ground speed at best was a modest 70 knots!

With his previous flight plan rendered essentially uselessour pilot performed some quick calculations on the fly. With full tanks (whichhe fortunately had begun the flight with) he could lean out to get between fiveand a half and six hours endurance. He should have plenty of fuel, but SHOULDisn’t nearly as confidence inspiring as WILL. Now almost two hours into theflight and still a long way from home, our pilot was considering options. Landat an airport along the way or carry on?

The few airports in the remote area between points A and Bwere now closed for fuel. Accommodations could also be a problem if it came tostaying put. Landing certainly wasn’t a convenient option but definitely a safeone. With landing as his backup plan, our pilot chose to remain in touch withflight services and closely monitor his trusty fuel totalizer to keep a closeeye on the fuel remaining. As long as this number remained acceptable (includinga broad buffer) then the flight could continue.

During the remainder of the flight, our pilot almostconstantly performed fuel calculations just waiting for the number to break histhreshold of comfort. All the while, his guest, in blissful ignorance, waseither listening to music or napping.

About FOUR hours into the flight and now approximately 30minutes from home, and the totalizer never once indicating a number our pilotwasn’t satisfied with, he was confident of his ability to reach theirdestination airport. Finally, much later than anticipated, the Cherokee safelytouched down at home.

Our pilot parked the aircraft and dipped the tanks to checkthe levels. Perfectly in line with the totalizer, he found almost an hour offuel remaining. Despite strong headwinds and a diversion, our pilot managed toremain legal and stay safe. He now never flies with any less than the legallyrequired amount of fuel plus a sizable contingency – full tanks preferred. Justin case!