Flying on the Cheap - Instruments

To All:

Recently a fellow discovered my post about flying on the cheap (Oct
2001) and got so excited he had to give me a call. Although he
wasn't quite ready to begin building, my article convinced him to
take the plunge. As his first step toward building an inexpensive
flying machine he'd purchased the first of the instruments he
planned to install in it.

A clock. One that cost nearly $200.

I stared at the telephone for a minute then hung it up and went back to
work. In terms of flying on the cheap, two hundred bucks is enough for
a fuselage or a set of wings. Common sense is remarkably uncommon
stuff in the world of aviation.

Flying on the Cheap means VFR-Day; the epitome of fair-weather flying.
No IFR timed turns nor precision descents into the murk. And the odds
are, you already own a perfectly good clock for that kind of flying.
In fact, it's probably strapped to your wrist right now.

The same is true with regard to your altimeter. VFR-Day you can SEE
the terrain. Your only need for an altimeter is to ensure vertical
separation and avoid the bureaucratic wedding cakes and for that you
don't need a precision instrument. A cheap 2" altimeter - - the kind
from J.C.Whipme that reads fifteen thousand feet in one turn of the
dial is more than good enough.

Ditto for your Magnetic Heading Indicator, which most folks call a
compass. A good car or small boat compass, such as the adjustable
jobbie made by Sherrill, costs less than ten bucks. (*) Accuracy-wise,
once you swing the plane, remember east is least and fill out the
correction card, the Sherrill is about as good as a B-16 although its
card is marked only in ten degree increments. Most aviation compasses
are marked every five degrees but here again, we're talking Flying on
the Cheap and VFR-Day. You're not Lindy hopping the pond nor heading
for thirty seconds over Tokyo, you're slip-sliddin' your way over
to Joe's to shoot a few landings, getting in your ten hours a month
so aren't a hazard to the rest of us.

If your inexpensive home-made flying machine has a strut-braced wing
you may not even have an ASI in the panel, falling back on the simple
air speed indicator Wilbur made for the Wright 'Flyer.' (And if
you don't know what that was, you should.)

Which isn't to say that flying on the cheap means flying on the
stupid. See that fishing vest hanging on the back of the door?
That's my Flying Costume. No silk scarf nor sheep-skin jacket but it
does happen to include an inexpensive GPS unit along with a cheap
'ramp' radio. Not rock-bound; a modern, programmable 720 channel
aviation communications unit. Since flying on the cheap often means
flying without an electrical system, each unit is complete with its
battery pack and external antenna. And if you'll take a closer look
at that set of cheap Harbor Freight ear-muffs hanging by the vest
you'll see it's actually a Flying-on-the-Cheap head-set that works
jus' fine, thanks - - even though it cost me the best part of a
twenty dollar bill.

The point here is that poking around southern California under VFR-Day
conditions does not mean equipping your aircraft for a full-stop at
LAX. But neither should it preclude that possibility. Indeed, going
ANYWHERE in southern California under visual flight rules mostly means
keeping the hell out of everyone's way. That dictates the need for
good lights, good communications and knowing where you are at all
times. That's where the GPS unit comes in. It can tell me my
altitude and ground speed faster and more accurately than I can figure
it out for myself, even a whole panel full of expensive dials, an E6-B
and forty years of experience.

Alas, as soon as you mention radio and GPS it sounds as if you've
torpedoed the whole idea of flying on the cheap. But unless you live
in one of the square states, having GPS and comm capability is the
reality of General Aviaition in today's America. Not because you
need it to get where you're going; you need it to keep from becoming
a hood ornament on some Part 135 hot-rod whose arrivals and departures
from local airports has a lot in common with FEMA following a
hurricane.

Trust me here, you really do need the GPS, and once you have it you can
toss about a thousand bucks worth of steam gauges in the trash. But if
you have a seriously bad day, you'll still need to get the bird home.
That's where the car compass and altimeter comes in handy. And like
I said, you've already got a clock.

-R.S.Hoover

(*) American Science & Surplus

wrote)
Trust me here, you really do need the GPS, and once you have it you can
toss about a thousand bucks worth of steam gauges in the trash. But if
you have a seriously bad day, you'll still need to get the bird home.
That's where the car compass and altimeter comes in handy. And like I
said, you've already got a clock.


My 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan has a digital readout (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W,
NW) compass and an extremely accurate digital OAT thermometer - in a console
above the windshield.

The real-time fuel burn (mpg) is fun to watch while driving - if I select
that mode.

How does my minivan's compass work?


Montblack

"
How does my minivan's compass work?


Montblack
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives...5336.Eg.r.html

On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 20:13:14 -0900, "Ron Webb" wrote:


"
How does my minivan's compass work?


Montblack
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives...5336.Eg.r.html

I once tried out an aftermarket auto compass/altimeter in my Fly Baby, with
mixed results:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?C18C25975

Ron Wanttaja

I use a variometer/altimeter made by Flytec, for hang gliding. I can velcro it into anything I fly. It cost me $300 used; I've seen some available for around $100.

:^)

The Monk

I'm startin' with a vario. The FlyTec looks like a pretty good unit,
but I havn't tested it myself. I don't recall the brand attached to the
trainer-wing on my tandem flights a few years back, but it worked quite
well. It had both an audible and visual display for altitude, and made
all sorts of cool "Ur' goin' up like John F***ing Glenn" noises when I
hit the ridge lift.

Most of the new varios are a combo GPS / compass unit that will allow
you to input dozens of waypoints for flying XC, if you're so inclined.

When I took my training courses in HG, the instructor told me to feel
the wind on my face, and use that to judge airspeed. When he pitched up
hard, I knew way before the wing stalled that there wasn't enough wind
to keep flying. Maybe not technical enough for powered machines, but a
vario should have an ASI in it, and if it doesn't, Hall Brothers makes
a low-speed one for about $20. Yep, it looks like a red thingie inside
a test-tube. I'm assuming, of course, that you didn't spend extra $$$
on anything silly like an enclosed cockpit on your Poorboy Pober.

Please note: a Richard animometer (sp?) reads about 10% low versus the
fixed unit at the Lifesaving Station ...according to Wilbur's notes.
Also, the yarn should be centered between the front ruder supports when
launching from the Grand Junction Railroad.

Harry "Wright Brothers Geek" Frey

RS, it pleases me greatly when I find I've come to the same conclusions
as you.

I'm just finishing work on a cheap slow flier. It's a departure from
standard, at least for the wing, so I've overengineered the safety side
(BRS, 5 point harness and a pilot's parachute). But for
instrumentation, I'm minimal. Handheld GPS and com (since I'm in the
busy traffic of So Cal, I'm addicted to com)

EGT and CHT for the single cylender 2 stroke. RPM. Fuel level is
visible. Altimiter - So I can get a good idea of rate of climb.
Airspeed is a plastic tube with a red plastick floatie disk. That's
it.

OTOH, I have the Uber Panel in the expensive fast flier. Two missions,
two solutions.

Richard Riley wrote:
RS, it pleases me greatly when I find I've come to the same conclusions
as you.

I'm just finishing work on a cheap slow flier. It's a departure from
standard, at least for the wing, so I've overengineered the safety side
(BRS, 5 point harness and a pilot's parachute). But for
instrumentation, I'm minimal. Handheld GPS and com (since I'm in the
busy traffic of So Cal, I'm addicted to com)

EGT and CHT for the single cylender 2 stroke. RPM. Fuel level is
visible. Altimiter - So I can get a good idea of rate of climb.
Airspeed is a plastic tube with a red plastick floatie disk. That's
it.

OTOH, I have the Uber Panel in the expensive fast flier. Two missions,
two solutions.


I guess I'm a hard headed old coot. (well, DuH!)
I simply won't fly a two-stroke without an EGT.

Problem, though, is that the EGT runs so (you favorite explicative) high
anyway that a micro seizure can put it over the limit in a mater of seconds.
You'd almost have to be staring at it to notice a needle or two width jump.
Specially on the little 2: gauges with a short swing!

I've always wanted to ask Jim if there was a simple circuit that could
monitor the EGT and notice the RATE of increase that would indicate a pending
problem rather that an already existing one. Maybe blink a light, ring a
bell, or apply electric shock as needed?

Jim, anything in you S&M cap that might work here?

Rich(OUCH)ard

On 19 Feb 2006 20:13:36 -0800, wrote:



A clock. One that cost nearly $200.

I stared at the telephone for a minute then hung it up and went back to
work. In terms of flying on the cheap, two hundred bucks is enough for
a fuselage or a set of wings. Common sense is remarkably uncommon
stuff in the world of aviation.

Flying on the Cheap means VFR-Day; the epitome of fair-weather flying.
No IFR timed turns nor precision descents into the murk. And the odds
are, you already own a perfectly good clock for that kind of flying.
In fact, it's probably strapped to your wrist right now.

I agree with all you write however....

my tailwind is gloriously day vfr. not a spare anything except for one
item.
my aircraft also has one of the old vacuum (or is steam) cessna black
and white artificial horizons.

that single instrument has saved my life three times now.
I dont fly stupidly but I do fly as often as I can all year round.

I have been caught 3 times in 6 years.

once we were out a mile from the airfield enjoying the canyons between
those glorious white fluffy clouds that just hang there is the same
position for hours at a time. truely glorious flying!
a wind change zippered up the canyons at about 150knots.
I was turning away from a zipper in a steep turn when we were engulfed
in the white opaque stuff.
1,000ft and 60 degree angle of bank seemed like tinsel town at the
time but the AH got me out safely.

a crack of dawn flight to photograph the turquoises and azures of the
local coast as only the early sunlight reveals caught me the next
time. I could see the far island quite clearly but a check below for
the coastline revealed nothing ...nothing at all. everything had
vanished. the engine started icing about then and a dive for the carby
heat and a crack open of the throttle and all was well again.
then the far island vanished as well.
a quick look around showed that in fact everything had vanished.
a check with the local tower had them call back cavok and visibility
unlimited. a question to them as to why my visibility unlimited was so
damn opaque revealed nothing. (they were only 3 miles away)
evidently a sea mist had formed around me.
a 180 and 5 minutes on the AH had me back into transparent air again.

the third occasion was a rainshower. never saw it coming and the fine
mist made the windscreen a frosted glass portal to the world.
the AH saw me through again until it eventually cleared.

I agree with all you write about cheap flying, however if as a result
of the economy you fly frequently then sure as apples you'll end up in
the situation where an Artificial Horizon will save your bacon.

Stealth Pilot
western australia