WWII U.S. NAVY FLIGHT SAFETY CARTOON FUEL TANK SELECTION GRAMPAW PETTIBONE 34164a

Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Visit our website This black and white, animated U.S. Navy training film from 1945 was probably made by the UPA Studios. It is from the “Granpaw Pettibone“ series. The toon features the sage title character, a retired pilot himself, recounting a fatal incident involving pilot mismanagement of fuel -- the crash was caused by the pilot failing to select the correct fuel tank. According to Pettibone, out of 1000 engine failure incidents caused by pilots, 50% were caused by inattention to fuel tank status. At 2:53, a pilot discusses how his tank went dry at low level and by the time he switched over, he had lost too much altitude and crashed. Other pilots talk about similar mistakes -- not turning on the fuel pump, or turning the selector to a non-existent drop tank. At 4:44 Pettibone summarizes lessons learned. In 1943, U.S. Navy Commander Spencer “Seth“ Warner created the “Grampaw Pe