New Tachometer - PIREPS Requested

[Piloto]

At engine overhaul time I replaced mine with a new mechanical tachometer just like the original one. I like the ability to read tach time with nothing to switch on and that it will not be accidentally erased. I also like the steam gauge look. I have noticed that even on new cars the steam gauge look prevails over the digital one, wonder why. On pilots wrist watches the traditional needles has prevailed over a digital display. Anybody knows why?

José    

[jetdriven]

Needles indicste relative position weithout need for looking at the actual number.  That's why Boeing puts round dials on glass screens, because tapes are worthless.  Also, tach time is less than clock time, with digital tachs you are putting airframe and engine hours on at a greater rate than a mechanical tach.

[PTK]

(Unable to capture quote for some reason)

I agree.  Digital is good technology maybe for moving maps and that sort of thing but NOT in tachs where relative needle position can be scanned at a glance.  I'm keeping my beautiful and classic OEM tach!  Same thing applies to mp, as, altimeter and HSI.  I'm also keeping my King HSI.  It's flawless and a Mooney is just not the same without it.  

Did anybody ever notice the sales pitch  avionics "experts" use?  "...and you can sell your KCS-55A compass system for x thousands of dollars!"  They use the inherent value in this equipment to offset and sell you, inferior imho, glass!  If there is such value in "old" equipment such as these, AND, believe me, THERE IS,  then why take them out?  Also they require you to keep "old" "steam" gauges as bakups!  Heck if it's good enough to HAVE to keep it then JUST KEEP IT!!

 

[DaV8or]

The digital tach that is part of my MVP-50 has both a numerical read out as well as a annalog needle display. I have to say that I end up focusing on the numerical read out primarily. Afterall, don't we run the engine by the numbers? On the old tach I would look at the needle that then points at a number. The digital tach sort eliminates the middle man.

[Piloto]

I agree.  Digital is good technology maybe for moving maps and that sort of thing but NOT in tachs where relative needle position can be scanned at a glance.  I'm keeping my beautiful and classic OEM tach!  Same thing applies to mp, as, altimeter and HSI.  I'm also keeping my King HSI.  It's flawless and a Mooney is just not the same without it.  

Did anybody ever notice the sales pitch  avionics "experts" use?  "...and you can sell your KCS-55A compass system for x thousands of dollars!"  They use the inherent value in this equipment to offset and sell you, inferior imho, glass!  If there is such value in "old" equipment such as these, AND, believe me, THERE IS,  then why take them out?  Also they require you to keep "old" "steam" gauges as bakups!  Heck if it's good enough to HAVE to keep it then JUST KEEP IT!!

I agree with you 100%. There is some elegance with steam gauges. Besides the fact that with my air speed indicator, VSI, altimeter and compass I can still fly the plane without worrying about loosing electrical power. Not to mention the proven reliability demonstrated over the years. Never heard of a software glitch in any of these. For a tach that is located on the opposite end of the panel it is much easier to interpret the needle angular position than a numerical display. Have you noticed that LOC/GS dev is never a numerical indication but a needle position. And that pitch and roll is always presented in an analog graphic instead of a numerical readout. The brain (even that of a baby) can interpret graphical presentation quicker and easier than numerical readouts. Otherwise instead of having color pictures we would have paragraphs of 1s and 0s for images.  

José 

[danb35]

So, if you're really wanting to see a "pointer", you can go for the EI tach which has an LED "pointer" arc around the edge of the instrument.  Why go for an electronic tach?  Accuracy and reliability--no moving parts to break.

Why was this thread revived after being dead for over 3 months?  There was no follow-up question, nor was there additional information...

[jetdriven]

No one addressed the issue of paying full airframe and engine time for taxi.. Given the average hour flight etc thats 10-20% more "hours" on your plane.  You pay for those.

[The-sky-captain]

jetdriven- That's the only downfall I see to having the Horizon tach, other than that it's a great product. I'm not sure why they made the clock start running at 800 RPM, doesn't make much sense.

[danb35]

First, I don't "pay" anything for airframe and engine time, per se.  Second,  my EI tach doesn't start counting until 1300 RPM, which it's very rare to exceed in taxiing.

[jetdriven]

You will pay when you sell it.  Around 14$ an hour deduction for every hour of engine and airframe time