C172 PILOT PLANS AND FLIES 3 1/2 HOUR IFR FLIGHT WITH 5 HOURS FUEL ONBOARD. FLIGHT TAKES 3 3/4 HOURS AND REPORTER DECLARES LOW FUEL APPROACHING DESTINATION DUE TO FUEL GAUGE READINGS. REPORTER IS BERATED OVER THE PHONE BY CONTROLLER AFTER LANDING.

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I DEPARTED FOR ZZZ. ETE WAS 3:30 AND I HAD 5 HRS FUEL. MOST OF THE FLT WAS IN IFR CONDITIONS WITH STRONG HEADWINDS WHICH I ANTICIPATED IN MY 1 1/2 HR FUEL RESERVE. BASED UPON ESTIMATED FUEL BURN; I THOUGHT I HAD SUFFICIENT FUEL TO COMPLETE THE FLT AS FILED. HOWEVER; UPON REACHING ZZZ; MY FUEL GAUGES INDICATED CLOSE TO EMPTY. I WAS VECTORED AND SEQUENCED FOR THE ILS APCH TO RWY X. THIS WAS TIME AND FUEL CONSUMING AND I BECAME WORRIED THAT I MIGHT NOT HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO COMPLETE THE ILS APCH AND LNDG. ZZZ WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS AND I COULD SEE THE ARPT AND RWY. I NOTIFIED APCH OF MY MINIMAL FUEL STATUS; THAT I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TOLERATE ANY SIGNIFICANT DELAY AND REQUESTED EXPEDITED HANDLING WITH A VISUAL APCH. I WAS ASKED TO ESTIMATE FUEL REMAINING IN MINS WHICH I DID AT 20 MINS (BY FUEL GAUGES). I WAS CLRED FOR LNDG ON RWY Y AND THEN RWY X. I LANDED WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DELAY OR INCIDENT. AFTER LNDG; I WAS TOLD TO CALL TRACON; WHICH I DID. I SPOKE WITH A CTLR WHO WAS VERY UPSET AND ANGRY. HE PROCEEDED TO SCOLD AND REPRIMAND ME AT LENGTH. HE TOLD ME (AMONG OTHER THINGS) THAT: 1) I SHOULD HAVE LANDED ELSEWHERE EARLIER; 2) I JEOPARDIZED THE LIVES OF MY FAMILY (ON-BOARD); 3) I DISREGARDED THE IFR 45 MIN RESERVE FUEL REQUIREMENT. 4) I INCONVENIENCED MANY OTHER ACFT. HE THREATENED TO SANCTION OR VIOLATE ME. I APOLOGIZED REPEATEDLY AND TOLD HIM THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY TIME THIS HAD EVER HAPPENED TO ME. BY THE END OF OUR CONVERSATION; HE SAID HE WOULD NOT FILE ANY PAPERS AGAINST ME. AFTER REFUELING; IT TURNED OUT THAT I HAD 7 GALLONS FUEL AT THE TIME OF TOUCHDOWN. I AM; INDEED; VERY SORRY ABOUT THIS INCIDENT. HOWEVER; IN MY DEFENSE I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT: 1) IT WAS NOT EASY OR RISK FREE TO LAND EARLIER BECAUSE OF WX. 2) WHEN I PASSED THE LAST CANDIDATE ARPT FOR EARLIER LNDG; MY CALCULATIONS AND FUEL GAUGES BOTH SUGGESTED THAT I HAD SUFFICIENT FUEL REMAINING TO COMPLETE THE FLT TO ZZZ SAFELY. 3) I DID NOT DISREGARD OR VIOLATE THE IFR RESERVE FUEL REQUIREMENT. I STARTED THIS FLT WITH A FUEL RESERVE OF 1.5 HRS AND ENDED IT WITH A RESERVE OF 7 GALLONS (AT LEAST 45 MINS). 4) THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATIONS WERE VERY WORRISOME. I THINK I DID THE RIGHT THING BY ASKING ATC FOR HELP. HOWEVER; JUDGING BY THE VERBAL BEATING THAT I SUSTAINED AFTERWARD; IT WOULD APPEAR THAT ATC WOULD PREFER A CRASH RATHER THAN A CALL FOR HELP.