Originally Posted by
Aussie Bart
Thanks Dave but i still think you maybe missing the point, i am not saying that this is how the trap should work, only what would happen in an extreme circumstance. The ONLY reason i see for an air trap is to highlight a developing problem such as a suction air leak. This would show up as a bubble in the trap that is now alot easier to see. In extreme circumstances of air in the trap then it is highly unlikely to cause a flameout if a diffusser is fitted. Even better if this diffusser is custom built to limit pressure drop.
I thought we had by now established through the countless threads that a perfect fuel pickup is impossible to achieve in every flight condition and the function of a header tank is to provide some buffer for these moments when air gets inevitably sucked in without letting it get to the engine.
Pleated paper filters allow the header tank to do this a while longer for the same volume of fuel because they do not let air through while they are partially submerged.
The intairco filter looks interesting though because I've had friends flameout because of a bubble of air stuck in their filter. Transparency allows quicker inspection without removal and is only available on the festo filter which is reportedly unreliable.
So these two seem like good reasons to install a filter but I still dont see any but the bling for the header tank.