Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net> (Marvin Kaye)
To: lml
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 02:29:11 -0400
Message-ID: <redirect-1253441@logan.com>
From: "Skip Slater" <skipslater@earthlink.net>
References: <list-1253082@logan.com>
Subject: Re: [LML] Re: Vacuum v all electric
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Jeff,
   You know as well as I do that we don't have vacuum instruments in
airliners.  I also don't have electric gyros in the 737-800's I fly- they're
all powered by ring laser gyros, which are a bit out of reach for our
airplanes.
   I've been flying planes for 30 years and believe it or not, they were not
all airliners.  I've never personally had a vacuum pump or gyro failure in a
GA plane (knock on wood), but I have had multiple electrically powered gyro
failures in the jets I flew in the Navy.
   In my ES, I have a vacuum powered HSI and horizon, a vacuum gauge AND low
vacuum warning light and an electrically powered turn coordinator for my
S-TEC 55.  That's enough redundancy to satisfy me.  If it's not enough to
satisfy you or anyone else, then by all means go all electric.  I personally
opted for my system to save on cost, complexity and weight.  Changing a
couple of filters a year is not an undue burden to me.  As I said earlier,
my only regret in hindsight is that the vacuum system was a pain to install
and will make it more difficult to remove instruments should the need arise.
   My point is this:  just as some of us prefer Lycs over Continentals, some
of us will have different preferences on instrument power sources.  As a
former military pilot and now airline pilot, I want backups for everything
and I feel I do in my panel.  There's more than one way to skin a cat and
taking a swipe at someone because you felt their experience level made their
position invalid was something I found a bit hard to swallow.
   May the electrons be with you,
   Skip