In the ‘old days’ jerrycans of fuel were the only way to fly to (more or less) remote places: getting fuel to strips in the Amazon or Himalayas might otherwise need months on the back of pack animals. This was necessary at the time, and research, infrastructure, and attitudes to risk have improved since the 1930s; but it’s probably still necessary. Susi Air in Indonesia still does this: one in every x flights in the mountains takes a full load of Jet-A1 in plastic barrels for subsequent aircraft to refuel. Closer to home, in their heyday Robin demonstrator aircraft would have jerrycans to guarantee the return flight; any passengers would have to carry them on their knees.
I used to fly an Aquila run on mogas, which meant a round trip to the petrol station and pouring/spilling fuel, but a microlight pilot recommended a siphon hose with a ball bearing at one end – a quick shake to get the flow started and the jerrycan is empty in a couple of minutes. I think it was called super jiggler. Interestingly we never earthed the aircraft, but I don’t now remember why. :/
Following from Maoraigh’s jacket there was a freak accident in France of someone wearing nylon downwind of an aircraft being fuelled causing a fire. I’ll try to find either the Info-Pilote article or BEA report.
In a similiar vein I asked some while ago whether I could carry diving tanks in the aircraft. The collective wisdom and answer was yes.
Yes; climbing from sea level to outer space increases the stress on the cylinder by 1 bar, i.e. about 1/200 (for a 3000psi cylinder) i.e. 0.5%.
A leaky jerrycan would leak more though… I would definitely keep them the right way up.
I probably wrote this before but I know a pilot, based in shall we say southern Europe, who flies a GA plane with about 20 plastic jerrycans (10 litre ones) in the back, full of avgas 
It’s a great solution for airports with no avgas or with expensive avgas. I did see his plane once, thus loaded. Attitudes to risk do vary…
Peter wrote:
Attitudes to risk do vary…
Between fuel starvation and fuel fire, one rationally will choose the first one as it gives more time in the air 
Unless flying above arctic circle (e.g. Alaska, Yellowknife), a tow aviation fuel browser will cost you 1-2K£ and has cheaper highway transportation cost than a regular flying commute. Besides, you can sell much of it back to visitors…
In southern Europe, the weather is hot & you can drive your car in highways, so it is mainly attitude to risk rather than financials or convenience
if any wants to use a “jerrycan” i can recommend something like this
as they are not painted so less chance of rubbish in the fuel and they are very robust
I had red jerrycans. I went to Tesco Inverness to fill them. The first pump didn’t work. Leaving my car, I carried them to the nearest pump being vacated. It didn’t work. And some more. Then an angry lassie appeared from the counter.
“Excuse me, red cans are for deisel, and your trying to put unleaded in them”
I denied this, saying I was putting EN228 Mogas, as approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency, which I had a right to do as an EU citizen.
She demanded to see this authority, and I produced and started to read the EU document on transport I had printed out and kept handy.
A few minutes of gobbledegook, and she went back and switched the pump on.
Afterwards I sprayed my jerrycans green, to avoid bother.
Usually red cans are stronger and cost more than green ones.
Isn’t red the colour used for 100LL labels etc.?
