Mechanical Vario

Piep audio was made and sold through Winter in Germany but that was some
time ago.....I actually bought the very last ones they had probably 5-6
years ago...maybe longer....and had some repaired by them about the same
time ...but they said then no more parts existed for these..Another Winter
first instrument that faded from view but was really very interesting at the
time was the Stollfarhtgaber, actually the first Speed-to-fly
variometer/airspeed indicator all-in one....all done mechanically and
pneumatically with no need for volts of any kind...these too and parts for
them are no longer available
Funny as we seem to advance towards more sophisticated do-everything
electronic gadgets how we look back on what worked then and would still work
today with a lot less time setting up, reading manuals and sorting things
out on RAS..... I never remember having to have all these conversations and
technical workshops on how to wind or smoke a barograph and never once had
the software or PC link or lack of a serial port miss a turnpoint done on a
Kodak.....)
All in the way of technology...and to many a giant leap sideways )
So while many might claim an electronic vario is a must for a back-up I
still personally prefer a mechanical running on a probe...it to me also
shows to me what I feel in the flight more naturally than any electronic
one.
tim

Please visit the Wings & Wheels website at www.wingsandwheels.com


"Bob Kuykendall" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Sep 25, 4:51 pm, wrote:
thats what i would really like.

I think what you're looking for is a Piep audio. There were a lot of
them about in the 1960s and 1970s. Very simple and reliable. Two knobs
(volume and threshold), two hose connectors (static and capacity), and
a plug for +12DCV and ground. They have fairly low restriction, so you
can plub it in series with a mechanical vario without problem. They
seem to like a one-pint flask, but they're not particularly picky. I
had one for ten years and really liked it.

I bet if you ask around among the old-timers in your area you'll find
somebody with one in the bottom of a box of junk. It'll probably still
have the Graham Thompson sticker on it.

Thanks, Bob K.