Pilot Products

New gauges on the horizon

The age of electronic engine instrumentation is upon us, and not a moment too soon. With a variety of sources for high-accuracy instrumentation — as opposed to the simple but often inaccurate items we're used to — this arena is becoming full of players. But there's a catch for owners of production aircraft: many of these newfangled indicators are not yet approved for installation as primary devices, meaning that you can't just rip out your old tachometer and put in this next-generation hardware. In essence, these products are restricted to Experimental-category airplanes and for use as secondary instruments by everyone else. Fortunately, the picture is changing, with more of these instruments being approved for primary use every year.

Among the latest to join this electronic team is Horizon Instruments, which introduced its P-1000 tach three years ago. (That tach, a many-featured unit with liquid-crystal display, is approved for primary instrumentation in a wide range of aircraft.) Horizon's newest entries, the Model 336 gauges, are substantially unlike that effort and consist of independent modules that differ mainly in behind-the-bezel programming and the number of digits on the display. Horizon currently has modules for engine rpm, manifold pressure, and voltage (including a secondary timer). Other applications will follow later this year, including temperature gauges for exhaust gas, cylinder head, oil, and turbine inlet; oil pressure; fuel pressure, quantity, and flow; and amperage and vacuum pressure.

Consisting of 0.4-inch-tall LCD numerals and an array of segments making up an analog arc, the 336s fit in a 2.25-inch instrument hole. About 6.5 inches deep (with rear-panel connector), the indicators are remarkably small, given their sophistication. Backlighting comes from a clever application of light-emitting diodes arrayed behind the LCD; theoretically they should last the life of the instrument.

Horizon Instruments founder Ron Jacobs has the current- production trio mounted in his Beech Bonanza, intentionally scattered around the panel to help disclose any display or optical shortcomings. We found none. The numerals are bright enough in daylight to offer a quick, no-squint interpretation of the values depicted, and the arc-style analog presentation helps to give easy reference to operational limits. (The thin plastic filter that contains the range markings can be altered in the field.)

Horizon's Model 336 manifold pressure gauge offers a steady report of throttle position, thanks in part to its solid-state transducer. Likewise, the tachometer module presented its information with a reasonably sure hand. Though it continues with the P-1000's one-rpm resolution, Jacobs says that new processing routines help to reduce the hunting of the last digit — a problem with the earlier tach that resulted in frequent complaints. The 336 tach also includes the p-lead warnings and mag-drop calculation of the P-1000, remarkably handy and intuitive features. The voltmeter performs equally well.

Sometime in mid-1996 Horizon expects to have approval for the manifold-pressure, tach, and voltmeter modules as primary instruments, as part of an STC process that always seems to take longer than expected. (Jacobs has the advantage in that the P-1000 is already approved, if that holds any sway with his local FAA Flight Standards District Office types.) Right now, the instruments can be installed as secondary sources with Form 337 approval. Homebuilders, as always, can use their fertile imaginations with impunity.

What happens if the airplane's electrical system fails? Horizon says that because each 336 gauge consumes 200 milliamperes, it's possible to rig a small ELT battery as a secondary power source that will last several hours. Of course, many production aircraft already have electric gauges that become quite stupid in a power-starved panel.

Suggested retail price for each module is $495, placing the Horizon offerings at the top end of the market by a significant margin. Jacobs says simply that the price reflects his company's choice of large-scale integration of circuits and flexible processors. And any technological advance can be expected to carry a price penalty.

Unfortunately for Horizon, competing units from Electronics International — approved as primary instruments, like the models we installed in our Better Than New 172 — and J.P. Instruments undercut the Model 336s by as much as $200 each. In their favor, the Horizon 336s have larger digital displays than the Electronics International units, as well as the bonus of analog representation over the J.P. Instruments' numbers-only readout.

For more information, contact Horizon Instruments, Inc., 556 South State College Boulevard, Fullerton, California 92631; telephone 800/541-8128 or 714/ 526-1919. — Marc E. Cook

HCI G meter

Ever wonder how many Gs you just pulled in that steep turn? Or just what kind of load that last encounter with turbulence placed on the airplane? Aside from aerobatic mounts, few airplanes routinely contain instruments for measuring and recording G loads. And with the typical instrument running $300 to $400, the G meter isn't something every pilot will install on a lark.

But with the Hereford Camera and Instrument (HCI) accelerometer, the outlay of just $75 will get you a small and simple G meter. Housed in a rectangular aluminum body less than an inch wide and about 4 inches long, the HCI accelerometer can be mounted on just about any surface in the cockpit. Inside, a brass bobweight is suspended between two calibrated springs and rides on graphite skids. An orange pointer aligns with markings that range from minus 4 to plus 8 Gs.

Installation is straightforward and the HCI unit performs as expected in flight. Even when placed on an instrument panel that is subject to some vibration, the HCI device seemed unaffected. When tried in the same airplane with a conventional accelerometer, HCI's proved its accuracy. (The company says that a purpose-built centrifuge tests each accelerometer and verifies accuracy to within 10 percent before shipping.)

You will notice that the HCI product has no telltale marks or recording hands. Indeed, to read any G loads you must be looking at the instrument at the time of the event. This omission is what makes the HCI offering so inexpensive but also is what limits its usefulness to serious G-watchers.

For more information, contact Hereford Camera and Instrument, 3461 Dissen Road, New Haven, Missouri 63068; telephone 314/237-3605. — MEC

Intellivox Intellitimer

Pilots tend to fall on either side of the gadget fence. Some love having every toy — er, tool — imaginable in the cockpit, while others prefer monk-like in-flight austerity. It's for the widget lovers that Intellivox makes the Intellitimer. No mere clock-watching device, the Intellitimer uses a combination of a synthesized voice and beeps to give the pilot a versatile talking time-keeping tool.

Installation is simple: Connect the Intellitimer between your headset and aircraft radio, find a convenient location for the processor box (which measures 3 2 3.25 2 0.7 inches), and strap the control button to the yoke. All of the Intellitimer's functions are manipulated through this single switch; additional controls for emergency bypass and volume levels are on the main box, but they are seldom used.

You can set the Intellitimer to count up or down. In the count- down mode, you simply hold the button until it calls out the time figure you want and arms itself. One more poke of the button and the timer starts counting. It says, "Timer started" and then alerts you by voice at each of the full minutes remaining, and issues a short tone every 10 seconds. When it gets to 30 seconds remaining, it calls out, "Thirty [seconds] remaining." It also talks to you at 20 and 10 seconds remaining. When the time's up, Intellitimer issues a different-pitch note and pesters "Time expired" until you punch the control button. The count-up mode works similarly, except that it makes a voice announcement of the elapsed time every 10 seconds.

There's also a fuel-management timer that allows you to set the count-down portion in 10-minute increments. It calls out the time remaining every 10 minutes, and when five are left. As before, the Intellitimer will not back down when time has expired until the pilot jabs the control button.

As part of the system, the Intellitimer will delay call-outs when there's activity on the radio. After a brief alignment period, it had no problems interfacing with two different radio/intercom packages and faithfully discontinued its shoulder-tapping during incoming radio calls or intercom chatter. We also failed to use up the single 9-volt battery's life during several months of use.

Given the Intellitimer's $199 price tag, it's certain that purists will sneer and call the Intellitimer an expensive toy. Conversely, pilots who have no trouble melding numerous tools into their flying habits will have a different — and considerably more positive — opinion of the Intellitimer.

For more information, contact Intellivox L.L.C., Post Office Box 9961, Trenton, New Jersey 08650; telephone 800/449-8081 or 908/792-1913. — MEC

Flying Down to the Caribbean video

Current Productions' fifth video, Flying Down to the Caribbean, shows what experience will teach you. Current's Frank Augustine has put into this Caribbean production everything that he's learned from previous releases. Voice-over duties have been handed off to a professional, and the dialogue has the feel of a scriptwriter's hand. Moreover, the visual presentation is both more clever than before and far less repetitive.

As in the other videos, which cover flying to Baja, the Bahamas, and Belize, Current Productions spends a fair amount of film time to set up the pilot's preparation for the trip. A comprehensive listing of references is given, and examples of many of the customs encounters are shown. In addition, practical advice on how to handle different local customs is liberally sprinkled throughout the tape, a worthwhile and valuable resource for any first-time Caribbean adventurer. On this tape, Augustine and crew take the viewer as far down the chain as St. Eustatius, including stops in the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.

Flying Down to the Caribbean also offers extensive explanation of various getaway sights once in the island chain and gives recommendations for hotels and restaurants. In a familiar format, the film follows the flight of two Mooneys through the islands, with plenty of in-flight footage to keep the tape from dragging.

Price for the Caribbean tape is $39.95 plus postage from Current Productions, 5104 Smoki Drive, Prescott, Arizona 86301; telephone 520/776-7768. — MEC

Briefly Noted

As has been uttered in many a cockpit, when you gotta go, you gotta go. At least that's the theory behind American Innotek's Brief Relief and Disposa-John. The Brief Relief is designed for liquid waste, and includes a sealed bag containing an odor-eating chemical that turns to gel when wet. The Disposa-John is intended for solid waste and includes a small roll of tissue paper; both come packaged with a wet-nap for clean-up. The Brief Relief has a suggested retail price of $3; the Disposa-John costs $3.49. Both are available at most pilot supply stores; more information can be had from American Innotek, 1565 Creek Street, Suite 108, San Marcos, California 92069; telehone 619/471-1549. — MEC

Unless otherwise stated, products listed herein have not been evaluated by AOPA Pilot editors. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors. However, members unable to get satisfaction regarding products listed should advise AOPA. To submit products for evaluation, contact: New Products Editor, AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701; telephone 301/695-2350.