DanM20C

Anthony! I think that is my favorite post of yours. I couldn't put it any better. I could dig out those charts but I don't like them. I think everyone behaves so differently to exposure that they don't have much value in the real world. They could lull someone into a false sense of security, "the chart said 200ppm will only give me a headache after 2-3hrs and I'm only 1hr from my destination, I'll continue on" Those charts also assume sea level. I have been trying to find data for CO at altitude and there isn't much out there. The only study I have found suggested that the effects of hypoxia due to CO and due to altitude have at minimum, an additive effect. Altitude hypoxia can have a physiological response increased breathing rates(hyperventilation) to try to get more 02 in your system. If CO is present this compounds the problem as the CO and Oxygen are fighting for the same spot on your hemoglobin and generally the CO wins. I don't know why I haven't thought of a checklist for a CO alarm. This one is perfect. Thanks Paul! I might change #3 for us turbo guys if the ppm is remotely high, maybe 100 or more. We don't have mufflers so I get my heat (at least the 231) from 2 heat shrouds around each (L&R) exhaust header. If I"m getting CO through the heater I'm probably more worried about fire than CO at this point. Cheers, Dan

CO was the cause of the crash. The crash was the cause of death. It doesn't take a lethal doses of CO to knock someone out. I was out for 2hrs and somehow still woke up. By the time the first person goes under the cognitive ability of the rest is so diminished there isn't much hope for them to recognize what is happening. People keep telling me stories about CO near misses. One was at my home airport in the 70's. 3 guys in a flying club went flying on a nice winter day and visited several airports. The back seat passenger went to sleep. the two front seat guys were joking about Bob falling asleep. About 15 min later the right seat guy fell asleep. The pilot couldn't figure out what was going on but was close to an airport and landed, apparently barely making it to the ramp. All three came out fine but spent the night in the local hospital. Dan

@kevinw, Thanks! The student pilot was Patrick Kellen (36). I believe he is the father of Samantha, the 15yo. I'm assuming the pilot succumb to CO first causing the right front occupant (Patrick?) to notify ATC of what they believed was a heart attack. At this point they all would have been severely impaired from the CO. The crash was a result of that impairment and not the experience level of the student. I feel so bad about this one. Dan

He didn't do the upgrade. I'll run it by him today. Thanks, Dan

Thanks Hank! I went over to POA today to see if they were talking about this accident and read your post. I'm not a member there so it was much appreciated. I think I will register though, now that I know there are some friendly faces over there. @Candy man , For aviation purposes all 3 of the Sensorcons work well. The Standard and Industrial are basically the same, except that the Industrial has a vibrating Alarm and is Intrinsically safe (can be used in explosive environments). The Industrial Pro is Intrinsically safe, has an adjustable alarm, and a 24hour Time Weighted Average to track total exposure. If you plan to just stick it on the panel I would go with the Standard. If you fly more then one airplane, such as CFI's, the Industrial's vibrating alarm might be of use. I use one for that purpose. Cheers, Dan

To be fair I only accepted the Guardian. I already have 3 sensorcons. I just tried the code and it worked for me. coaware This is the way to go. I think the two units compliment each other nicely. The Guardian always has power, can (should) be integrated to your audio panel for audio alerts, depending on what model it may be able to show PPM on your JPI. The Sensorcon can still be used for early detection and troubleshooting. Thanks! I'm so glad you are spreading the word. With everyone's help this problem can be eliminated. Thanks Mike, The feeling is mutual! I'm just trying to follow your example. Cheers, Dan

Last week a Piper Dakota went down in Iowa with 4 on board. It was believed that the pilot had a heart attack and a student pilot passenger was attempting to divert to a near by airport. The recent toxicology reports showed the victims all had elevated levels of CO. This is the first CO accident that I know of since mine nearly 2 years ago. It's hitting me hard. Through Mooneyspace, Beechtalk, and other online forums we have reached a lot of people. In my estimation its around 700 detectors that have been sold thought the discounts or a direct result of my accident. It's a great number, but clearly we have a long way to go. I think most everyone on Mooneyspace has a detector. But if you don't, get one. If you do, try to convince your hanger neighbors and fellow airport bums to get one. I wish I would have got my story in front of this pilot and convinced him to buy one. https://www.kcci.com/article/state-medical-examiner-gives-causes-of-death-in-fatal-small-plane-crash/25182073?fbclid=IwAR3e1gn_onOp7_V2K4xHeEYFe41zyfpWw9A4v0fRhp8VABjtVO313aT2OEU The discounts are still being offered from Sensorcon and Guardian. Both generously offering us pilots 20% off. http://www.sensorcon.com Code: aircraft2017 http://www.guardianavionics.com Code: coaware Dan

I did this on my K about 6 months ago. Worked great and took less than 10min. Cheers, Dan

The 14.9 number works great but is only for LOP ops with a 8.5:1 compression ratio. When ROP HP is more a function of MP and RPM, hence why the "key" numbers work out well. So when rich of peak use "key" numbers (what ever they are for your airplane) and when lean of peak use FF. Cheers, Dan

The heat shroud around the muffler should be removed every annual and the muffler should be inspected. Preferably under low pressure and soap and water looking for bubbles. No need for cutting. A Sensorcon or other similar low level detector is a good tool to catch an impending muffler failure. I test the heater for CO on every flight by holding the Sensorcon in front of the heat vent and look for changes with it on and off. @Frozen Flying I'm glad my little field trip encourage you to get a detector and saved you from a similar (or worse) fate. Thanks for sharing! Cheers, Dan

@Frozen Flying, I'm so glad you made it down safely! Another save from a CO detector. This is a good time to plug the detectors that are offering discounts. Guardian has offered a 20% discount on all their CO products. It's very generous and may not last much longer. Code: coaware Sensorcon makes an excellent portable and they still have the 20% discount code active. Code: aircraft2017 I like redundancy so I have a Guardian, and 2 Sensorcons Cheers, Dan

Thanks Mark, but I am no expert. I encourage people to use their CO detector (high resolution) as a tool to get to know their particular airplane. When there are deviations from "normal" you can quickly determine and troubleshoot the problem. CO during ground ops is common and expected. Many report slightly elevated readings during climb and decent too. It you see this it is worth troubleshooting. In cruise there should none. Testing the heating system is as simple as watching for a rise with the heat on, and a drop when off. this can be done quickly by holding the detector in front of the heat vent. If you get a repeatable rise (even small 5-10ppm) when turning the heat on you know there is a breach in the heating system. A problem that will most likely get worse over time. The nice thing with these modern detectors is it allows us to catch problems early. The above chart the @Andy95W posted above is not conservative enough for me when it comes to aviation, yet the FAA uses it in their literature. I had one new airplane owner report getting headaches and overall felling unwell after every flight, some less than an hour. He then purchased a Sensorcon and found an average of 150ppm during cruise. According to the chart he should have felt nothing. I think everyone reacts differently. Andy's 100ppm emergency limit is a good one. Anthony, I don't have any environmental details handy for the sensorcon. I'll reach out to them an see if I can get more info. Cheers, Dan

It’s probably just due to the timing not being exactly where it was before. Lower CHTs would be indicative of timing being slightly retarded from previous. Generally you should see slightly higher EGTs too. The greater mag drop could also be a difference in timing between the two mags. Cheers, Dan

I was thinking the same thing. If #4 is cooler (EGT) than the rest when ROP and hotter when LOP, or vise versa, It's probably related to that injector flow. If #4 is hotter all the time (LOP and ROP) it could be a valve. Also check the area between #2 and the oil cooler. Especially near the case, this is the area that the oil filler, dipstick, and oil temp probe are located. This area should be sealed off well. I have seem some poor to no baffling in this area. Cheers, Dan

Sorry Don, that didn't quite come out right. My dad passed away fairly young, he would only be 75 now. I always thought he lived though the best time in history in terms of cars. Before he graduated high school he had owned several MG's (TD and MGA Twin Cam) and a Austin Healy 100-6. By the time I hit HS there wasn't much to pick from with my funds. A Triumph Spitfire was the best I could do, it was a rusty piece of junk. Cheers, Dan