Definition
A cockpit-mounted valve control that allows the pilot to choose which fuel tank, or combination of tanks, supplies fuel to the engine. Common positions include LEFT, RIGHT, BOTH, and OFF, though exact positions vary by aircraft.
Plain English
A switch or knob in the cockpit that lets the pilot pick which fuel tank the engine drinks from.
Context Anchor
You will see or use the fuel tank selector during preflight checks, before takeoff, in cruise fuel management, and during engine-failure or emergency landing procedures.
Why Pilots Care
Selecting the correct tank restores or maintains engine power when one tank is empty or contaminated, directly affecting the success of an emergency landing.
Grounding Statement
The fuel tank selector controls which tank is allowed to send fuel to the engine.
Intuition Check
Do not assume the fuel tank selector is just a gauge or indicator. It is a control that can change the actual fuel path to the engine.
Example Sentence 1
When the engine started running rough, the pilot moved the fuel tank selector from LEFT to RIGHT to see if the problem was tank-related.
Example Sentence 2
Before the go-around, the pilot confirmed the fuel tank selector was set to both to prevent imbalance on the next approach.