Odd approach and landing check

[Corkery]

In another developer's manual for a single engine prop light aircraft they provide the following advice under 'approach and landing':

"Prior to joining the circuit, check that sufficient fuel remains for the landing and, if
necessary, an overshoot."

This aircraft does not have separate fuel tank selectors so I was left thinking 'I'm overhead a suitable airfield and I don't have enough fuel for landing; what exactly am I supposed to do!' Presumably fall out of the sky!

Am I missing something?

[DHenriques_]

In another developer's manual for a single engine prop light aircraft they provide the following advice under 'approach and landing':

"Prior to joining the circuit, check that sufficient fuel remains for the landing and, if
necessary, an overshoot."

This aircraft does not have separate fuel tank selectors so I was left thinking 'I'm overhead a suitable airfield and I don't have enough fuel for landing; what exactly am I supposed to do!' Presumably fall out of the sky!

Am I missing something?

Actually, it's the source who wrote the manual that's "missing something". The manual should read,
"Prior to TAKE OFF, check that sufficient fuel is on board for the flight, the landing, and an alternate destination if necessary".
Dudley Henriques

[Corkery]

Yes, that's much more useful advice

[AKar]

I actually know some anecdotes of flights that eventually ran out of fuel - but only after they have been planned with insufficient fuel, flown without paying attention to actual fuel state (even including unnecessary detours for which the fuel wasn't enough in the first place!) and ran out of suitable alternates while having no accurate weather info. And even then they ended up into the field only after screwing up the approach, leading to completely unnecessary go-around, when the fuel finally ran out.

-Esa

[William Hughes]

All the hilarity aside (and it is really funny), if you know you are short of fuel on the final approach that may affect your decision to over-shoot and go around. Also, things can happen that drain fuel very fast that you might not know about. Even in aircraft with no fuel selectors. It might also affect your decisions about how close to make the base turn, whether or not you can use power to control your descent rates, and so on and so forth.

Slithering an aircraft onto the ground fast and sliding into the fence at the end might be a better outcome than having an engine failure during a climb during a missed approach. I'd probably choose the first option. You will have slowed down quite a bit before thumping into the fence.

And you might have also controlled the energy a bit more closely if you knew your aircraft was a glider...