In the normal hover attitude (4 degree nose up), indicated fuel is approximately _____% less than actual fuel.

• A. 5%
• B. 10%
• C. 15%
• D. 20%

Answer: (B)

In a hover with a small nose-up attitude, the fuel quantity indicator tends to read lower than the actual fuel on board because the sensing system is affected by the tank geometry and the attitude. The MH-65E’s main tanks and their sensors don’t measure the total fuel mass perfectly when the helicopter isn’t level—the fuel shifts with the tilt, and the sensor position reads a lower level than the true amount.

For a normal hover attitude of about 4 degrees nose-up, this effect amounts to roughly a 10% under-read. So the indicated fuel is about 10% less than what is actually present. Practically, if you see a gauge reading, the true fuel is about 1.1 times that amount; this helps with accurate endurance planning and ensures you don’t overestimate use based on the gauge alone.