A sputtering engine over Arizona, an electrical problem you'd been babysitting all flight, and a fuel selector with four positions
You're in a Piper PA-32-260, climbing north out of Nogales on the last leg to Phoenix.
It's a clear, hot Sunday afternoon in the high desert south of Tucson.
The day started in Mexico, and you've been managing an electrical problem ever since.
The generator breaker acted up after departure, so you're on battery, cycling the power on and off to stretch it.
Two legs behind you now — Puerto Peñasco to Nogales, then back into the air.
Climbing through 6,300 feet, about 20 miles north of Nogales, the engine begins to sputter.
Under the wings are four tanks: a main and a tip on each side.
There's no BOTH position — the engine feeds from whichever one you select.
Only you know how much is left in each after a full day of flying.
The standard move for a fuel-fed stumble is boost pump on and change tanks.
Do you switch to a tank you know still holds fuel — or switch by feel and hope the engine picks back up?
Four tanks, a stumbling engine, and only you know what's in each — how do you work the fuel?