altimeter died

[pete duncan]

What could have caused my altimeter to have suddenly become unadjustable below 3500'. I realise that it is damaged so will start with the question .. "do altimeters sometimes just sh+t themselves or is there something more sinister affoot "? Aircraft has pitot and static beside one and other and is covered when in hanger. Unit still reg wrong when out, so not a moisture in hose problem. cheers Pete

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

Mine gave up the ghost a while back after leaving in a shared hanger when touring

 

I suspect a youngster turned the knob past the stop point that did the damage

 

Phil

 

 

[facthunter]

Where's it made? Nev

 

 

[Mick]

Yes they do just go. I have had one do it and know several others that have had it too. The cheaper chinese altimeters are particularly prone.

 

If it is a chinese one it's not really worth repairing, you are better of just tracking down a new one of the same make & model and fitting it. Make sure you note the change in the aircraft's logs.

 

A better option is to upgrade to a better quality American one. You can get reconditioned ones from some of the instrument repair places for reasonable prices ( still a fair bit dearer than a new chinese one ) and it will n0 doubt last alot longer than a chinese one.

 

The only trap here is if your aicraft is LSA registered you must fit a replacement exactly the same as the original or get the original repaired. You can only change to something different with written approval of the aircraft manufacturer.

 

 

[johnm]

Yep - chinese altimeter costs say $ 350 replacement - crap

 

Good one with calibration - or whatever the word is - costs $ 1000 ?

 

Replaced crap with good one

 

jm

 

 

[old man emu]

No! A serviceable US made altimeter with Inst 8 certification will cost you about $500 + GST.

 

That's a sensitive altimeter 0 - 20000'

 

OME

 

 

[johnm]

I might have got fleeced ................ OME:bad_mood:

 

 

[old man emu]

Not if you bought a brand new one. $500 is the price for a used one.

 

OME

 

 

[pete duncan]

The unit was chinese made , I take note of the price reflecting the quality. cheers , Pete

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

In ten years Ive had 3 chineese altimeters fail. They were on 2 second hand aircraft so that doesnt truely mean one will fail every 3 years....... As others have said Chineese in this case truely equals sh!t quality. No instrument technician will ever work on them as there is no repair manuals and parts are non existant thus they can never be certified serviceable, even when new.

 

I personally, because of an electronics technician backgroud, replaced mine with fully electronic version, as I aslo did with the same chinees company artificial horizon as soon as that failed as well (I was reading that the MTBF for mechanical horizons and the vaccuum systems is a mere 20hrs!!!! and that was for quality certified ones!!). The sensors for both are electronic devices with no moving parts. no issues since replacement, as I expected.

 

The cheapness of the Chinese units is of course attractive to the manufacturer but it is absolutely a false economy. If you are buying a new plane insist on a real one!!!

 

Andy

 

 

[turboplanner]

Fly a Cherokee and leave your troubles behind!

 

 

[johnm]

thanks OME - I think it was a new one for $ 1,000

 

In any case - I just thought - I'm an Australian taxpayer - I'm getting fleeced all the time

 

JM