Best clock to install in 2025

[rbmaze]

3 hours ago, Utah20Gflyer said:

I’m sure the 330 has the same timer as the 327.   It really is the best aviation timer I’ve ever used.   Try it out next time you get up in the air and see what you think.  

I will definitely give it a try soon.

2 hours ago, EricJ said:

If the DPE has been identified just ask them.   It's not an unusual issue so they may have dealt with it before, or they may just quote the reg.

Thanks for the insight. I guess I shouldn't overthink it and I'm not trying to skirt the regs, just trying to make it a smooth day for everyone if I ask.

[rbmaze]

38 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

If anyone needs a clock, I have the MidContinent digital with dual USB ports (you have never have too many) that came out of my panel.

Pinecone, I sent you a DM. Thanks!

[KSMooniac]

Double-check the Mid Continent clock & charger... i was checking out at OSH in 2023 to buy their latest one with the USB-C/high power option, and was told at the last second that it is only for 28V airplanes.  The other variants with USB-A ports will work with our 14V birds.

[McMooney]

On 3/30/2025 at 4:29 PM, rbmaze said:

I have a '69 M20E and it currently lacks a panel-mounted clock. An IR checkride is my near future, so I want to get this properly sorted out.

I've thought about some options and I'm not sure what to go with. Planning to install this during my annual early this summer. My current panel has dual G5s and I have a GSB 15 for USB power. I am lacking a voltmeter so the AV-20 or other clocks with such a feature are a plus. Also I am very interested in installing an EDM900, so this will negate the voltmeter need, but I am going to hold off until after the annual since it will be my first. Or maybe I should skip the clock for now and just install the engine monitor right away.

What I am considering:

SC-5 Superclock

I like the look and functions, such as indicators for expired timers. Seems to have an intuitive interface. Lower cost. Dislike that the battery only lasts 10 years and is not field serviceable. Dated design.

AV-20-S

Looks like a great setup, but there are redundant features. I am planning to install an OAT probe on my G5. Is there any sense installing an AV-20 with another probe? I don't really need a backup AI with dual G5s as far as I know. The AoA indicator seems hit or miss in usefulness. Most expensive option, but nice display and interface.

CH93 series w/ USB

More modern than SC-5, but interface looks bare bones. I already have dual USB ports, but a backup would not be horrible to have.

The clock will go under the vacuum gauge on the left. EDM 900 will eventually mount vertically where the white card is to the left of the 530W. At that time I will remove the FS-450 and move the CDI to its position.

What would you install here?

Does yoru 430/530 count ?   My gns480 clock counted for the IR checkride

[AndreiC]

Somewhat unrelated question: I have in my panel the original (1970) 8 day clock that came with the plane. Not sure if it is a Waltham or some other manufacturer (pic attached). It works well, but over 3-4 days it loses about 15-20 minutes, which is a lot. Do you guys know if this can be adjusted relatively easily in the field, or does it need to be taken to a watchmaker?

[N201MKTurbo]

8 minutes ago, AndreiC said:

Somewhat unrelated question: I have in my panel the original (1970) 8 day clock that came with the plane. Not sure if it is a Waltham or some other manufacturer (pic attached). It works well, but over 3-4 days it loses about 15-20 minutes, which is a lot. Do you guys know if this can be adjusted relatively easily in the field, or does it need to be taken to a watchmaker?

It needs to be taken to a watchmaker. In the old days, watches were serviced every 5 years. These clocks are panel mounted pocket watches. It needs to be disassembled, cleaned and reassembled with new lube. The lube is amazing stuff, it is designed to have extremely low volatility so it doesn’t evaporate. Good watch oil is about $1000/oz, but then one drop will oil about 10 watches.

[dkkim73]

1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Good watch oil is about $1000/oz

Ah now that just fits right in with aviation.

I've been looking for a timer, too. A nice multi-function panel unit (e.g. coupled with a CO meter or USB port) would be nice but cost a bit more. The avionics have lots of timer options but on the G1000 it's too much button-pressing and heads-down. Probably going with a backlit version of my old kitchen time. Agree on the value of analog sweeps. One of those older Walthams would be useful and aesthetically-pleasing.

Edited April 2 by dkkim73

[N201MKTurbo]

The Mid continent units look nice. Getting that clock serviced will cost a few hundred. For twice that you can have one of those fancy new ones.

[Hank]

27 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

The Mid continent units look nice. Getting that clock serviced will cost a few hundred. For twice that you can have one of those fancy new ones.

Some of us prefer sweep hands and pointers to non-moving arrays of digits. I can recognize hand position and understand it immediately, while it takes a second or two staring at a digital display.

I have this clock in my yoke, and love it. It times my flights, and every time the hands overlap, I switch tanks.

2 hours ago, AndreiC said:

Somewhat unrelated question: I have in my panel the original (1970) 8 day clock that came with the plane.

2 hours ago, AndreiC said:

I'm not worried about it's accuracy over more than 4-1/2 hours. At the top of my Pre-Talkeoff Checklist is Wind and Set Clock, a task i usually don't after priming and before engine start. Yes, it's on there twice . . .

[laytonl]

I would add the Av20.  You don’t need an oat probe when you use it as an AI. And, it can be used as a clock.
 

also, who really needs a sweep second hand?  I haven’t time an approach in years.  50 years ago just about all my approaches were NDB.  Thank goodness, that’s gone.   Lee

 

[N201MKTurbo]

2 hours ago, Hank said:

Some of us prefer sweep hands and pointers to non-moving arrays of digits. I can recognize hand position and understand it immediately, while it takes a second or two staring at a digital display.

I have this clock in my yoke, and love it. It times my flights, and every time the hands overlap, I switch tanks.

I'm not worried about it's accuracy over more than 4-1/2 hours. At the top of my Pre-Talkeoff Checklist is Wind and Set Clock, a task i usually don't after priming and before engine start. Yes, it's on there twice . . .

I prefer a sweep second hand too. That's why I have an A-13A-1. It is a stopwatch too.

 

[EricJ]

I just ordered one of these since it should be an easy replacement for my decrepit LC-2.   We'll see how it is.   I'll post a pirep if I remember.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/flightdatafc50.php

 

[McMooney]

I should get my yoke clock fixed, it's missing a knob and no longer ticks.  Never actually plan on using it but, i like it for some reason.

[rbmaze]

11 hours ago, laytonl said:

I would add the Av20.  You don’t need an oat probe when you use it as an AI. And, it can be used as a clock.

I'm curious to know why you'd choose this option, since it's the most expensive. Do you think it's worth having as another backup while having dual G5s? Or just a good clock?

[rbmaze]

8 hours ago, EricJ said:

I just ordered one of these since it should be an easy replacement for my decrepit LC-2.   We'll see how it is.   I'll post a pirep if I remember.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/flightdatafc50.php

 

Looking forward to your pirep once you get it in. Does seem like a good option.

[KSMooniac]

11 hours ago, rbmaze said:

Looking forward to your pirep once you get it in. Does seem like a good option.

It looks intriguing, but looking through the Q&A, it seems it powers up in G-meter mode instead of clock.  Not the best option for us vs. a Pitts or similar.  Minor nuisance to change it every start...

[laytonl]

On 4/3/2025 at 1:23 AM, rbmaze said:

I'm curious to know why you'd choose this option, since it's the most expensive. Do you think it's worth having as another backup while having dual G5s? Or just a good clock?

Benjamin Franklin said “a man who has two watches will never know what time it is”.  In my Mooney I have a G3x and a g5 backup.  The av20 is the tie breaker.  And, the av20 was originally installed in my Citabria, so it was a no cost addition to the Mooney.  Lee

[EricJ]

On 4/2/2025 at 10:24 PM, rbmaze said:

Looking forward to your pirep once you get it in. Does seem like a good option.

So I bought one of these, with the USB connection:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/flightdatafc50.php

It arrived yesterday and while I haven't put it in the airplane yet I put it on my bench and powered it up, mostly to see what the current draw actually is and whether the USB port affects that.   I had only downloaded the manual for the non-USB version, but have since downloaded the manual for the version with the USB port.    There is a power wire for the direct battery connection, and a separate wire that powers the backlight and the USB port.   The backlight/USB port wire connects to switched power so it only draws when the master is on, so even if you leave something plugged into the USB it won't drain the battery.

I did confirm that powering it with the battery connection alone it draws 0.00065 A, or 0.65mA, just like the manual for the USB version says.   That's not gonna bother your battery for a long time.

It's super easy to program and I set the time, date, etc., without even reading the manual.   That's light years better than the LC-2, which for me requires reading the manual regardless of what you want to do with it.

It does a lot of cool stuff, including a timer that's easy to use, and a flight timer that records how long the switched power has been turned on, plus the G-meter, and plus a display of the voltage at the battery connection, and OAT if you connect a probe.   The USB port can also be used to access a data logger, do software updates, etc.

So far I think it's a really nice clock and very impressive for the price.

Here's the support page with links for manual downloads, etc.:

https://www.fdatasystems.com/support

They make some other cool stuff, including a CO detector that can interface to other integrated electronics, etc.

[201Mooniac]

1 hour ago, laytonl said:

Benjamin Franklin said “a man who has two watches will never know what time it is”.  In my Mooney I have a G3x and a g5 backup.  The av20 is the tie breaker.  And, the av20 was originally installed in my Citabria, so it was a no cost addition to the Mooney.  Lee

I did the same when I installed my G500TXi and GI275, the AV20S is the tiebreaker and also a good clock (I think at the time I borrowed the idea from Skip).

[dkkim73]

3 hours ago, EricJ said:

So far I think it's a really nice clock and very impressive for the price.

That looks like great value for money. Their CO detector also. That is on my upgrade short-list (I have a little external Forensics unit which is great, but doesn't log via the G1000). Wrote to ask if theirs interfaces with the G1000 easily.
 

[EricJ]

I installed this in the airplane the other day and did a two-and-a-half hour flight with it.   It's nice!   The flight timer feature is really nice, and sticky, so even after you shutdown it retains the last length of time that the master switch was on.   It also shows its input voltage, and since it is wired directly to the battery it is a nice alternate view to your battery condition.   The stopwatch timer, clock, date, etc., are easy to use and access and the display is easy to read. 

I checked current draw on my bench and in the aircraft, and it was consistently about 0.00065 A (0.65mA), which is what the manual says it should be.    I bench-tested the draw on the LC-2 that I took out, which was only 0.00011A, so quite a bit less.    Neither is going to draw your battery down significantly, and it is roughly the same as the battery's self-discharge rate.  

Edit 4/12/25:   Today I noticed that the flight timer just accumulates time while the master is on, so if you fly multiple legs with shutdowns in between, it'll still accumulate flight time for all of them until it is reset.    Resetting it is super easy, too.    This seems really useful to me.

 

[N201MKTurbo]

21 minutes ago, EricJ said:

I installed this in the airplane the other day and did a two-and-a-half hour flight with it.   It's nice!   The flight timer feature is really nice, and sticky, so even after you shutdown it retains the last length of time that the master switch was on.   It also shows its input voltage, and since it is wired directly to the battery it is a nice alternate view to your battery condition.   The stopwatch timer, clock, date, etc., are easy to use and access and the display is easy to read. 

I checked current draw on my bench and in the aircraft, and it was consistently about 0.00065 A (0.65mA), which is what the manual says it should be.    I bench-tested the draw on the LC-2 that I took out, which was only 0.00011A, so quite a bit less.    Neither is going to draw your battery down significantly, and it is roughly the same as the battery's self-discharge rate.  

So,you are saying this clock cut your battery’s shelf life in half?

[EricJ]

9 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

So,you are saying this clock cut your battery’s shelf life in half?

No, by a factor of nearly six!