<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
          <<  Lancair Builders' Mail List  >>
          <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>
Some of you will recall that I related my tale of woe recently about
getting water in my static system, requiring that I beat a hasty retreat
to the nearest runway, then flew home the next day after digging out
and venting the static line to the cockpit. And NO, I didn't provide an
alternate source originally.

While thinking on how to provide a neat way to switch to alternate air,
I was struck with one of those inspirations I admire so much in others
but experience so seldom myself.

My wife has one of those stinky Mercedes Diesels, a 1982 240D, that she
loves more'n me or the dog. If you don't know the car, a salient feature
is that much of the things on it are powered by a vacuum system. All the
door locks, for instance (plus a lot more). Last year, I had to replace
the master door lock valve that is operated by the driver side lock
button. This thing is a very small vacuum switch that is operated by a
push-pull plunger. It must seal very well as the vacuum locks operate
fine after a week or more of just sitting (if it leaked much, the
vacuum would leak away and it would need to have the engine run to
recharge the system). This one had worked fine everyday for over 14 years
before needing replacement, so it must be fairly high quality.

I think I paid about $25 for it last year for my wife's car (incidentally,
her car is referred to as a "123" type Mercedes). It will make the
perfect alternate static air switch and it's going in N235SP ASAP.

Cheers,

Dan Schaefer