[Absolut Yak]

Guys, I need a little help for a friend of mine. I just came down from a great ride in a Pitts S2B owned by Greg Connell. Part of my payment for the ride was to help him refill the smoke oil tank. Now the procedure to do this is ridiculous.

First, transfer 2.5 gallons of oil into a portable can from the 55 gallon barrel with a hand crank pump. Then, one guy climbs into the front cockpit and removes the cap on the smoke tank which is between the front pilot/passenger feet. Then hold a funnel with a long tube for the second guy to pour the oil into while trying not to overflow the funnel due to viscosity and make sure the first guy doesn't let the funnel tube slip out of the tank and oil up the bottom of the cockpit. Finally, repeat the procedure for a second time because a 5 gallon jug is just too heavy to hold high and still control flow.

Here's what I need. I need a really good How-To to build a pump setup capable of transferring the oil from a portable can into the tank with minimal hassle. Companies like Abell and Jersey Models have great cans, but I'm not sure they can pump up to 6 gallons on a continuous run at an acceptable rate. It would be nice to have the ability to do this in five minutes or less, have it as a single grab-n-go unit, and have it able to sit on a ladder.

If you have a ready built jug capable of doing this, let me know. Ideally it should be a 5 or 6 gallon jug. If you have a good parts list, let me know, and we can fabricate the rest. If someone wants to fabricate one and sell it, let me know. This will really help him between flights at the airshows.

I know someone in this community has the answer or the jug already. Thanks in advance.

Doug