On 21 Aug 2006 17:45:28 -0700, "tom" wrote:
The one time I took off with a non-functional ASI, it was because the
pito tube was blocked by this big red thing that stated: "REMOVE BEFORE
FLIGHT". Fortunately, I had enough time in that plane to fly
confidently without the ASI.

Never had a blocked pitot tube and thus an inop ASI, but I have had a
blocked static port and thus an altimeter that wasn't quite right... I
had washed the plane and apparently there was still some water
blocking the static port... It disipated soon enough... No big deal...