Johan,

Under the conditions you state, yes, bubbles and deadstick are unavoidable. And you are also correct about this being food for thought.

Upon reflection, I normally do most of the "radical" stuff at the begining of the tank and leave plenty of reserve before landing, just in case something happens to tie up our runway. Typically I'll land with 2 to 3 minutes of fuel left. On those flights where I've forgotten about how long I've been up, I'll get a warning from the sputtering my engine does and return to level flight. Usually before the engine dies.

I've not considered this before but basically, the clunk line seems to be acting as the buffer. Unless you happen to hit exactly the right conditions, even on a down line, the clunk should fall forward slightly, and all the way forward depending on the angle. Addtionally, I believe the exhaust pressure insures that there is at least a little fuel.

The filter you mentioned probably does give you more time in that the felt is soaked with fuel and is more likely to be in the fuel during your nose down test, even with a very low fuel level. It does seem to be a good idea, I'll consider it should I start having problems.

Thanks!