ASI in MPH. Australia. Would you?

[danny_galaga]

I got a bit of a package deal on some instruments but only just noticed that the ASI is in MPH. I'm guessing there's no specific reason I couldn't use it, other than it would probably irk me the same as if I was driving a LHD car in Australia. 

 

Thoughts?

[rgmwa]

As far as I know, kts is standard terminology in Australia. Having ASI in mph would be annoying, but then in the USA they seem to use both so I suppose it's just what you get used to.

 

[Thruster88]

Your plane will be faster

[turboplanner]

5 hours ago, danny_galaga said:

I got a bit of a package deal on some instruments but only just noticed that the ASI is in MPH. I'm guessing there's no specific reason I couldn't use it, other than it would probably irk me the same as if I was driving a LHD car in Australia. 

 

Thoughts?

If you get a Tower operator that says "Maintain 90 knots" when you're in a busy circuit you'd need to be snappy with your arithmetic.

[danny_galaga]

1 hour ago, turboplanner said:

If you get a Tower operator that says "Maintain 90 knots" when you're in a busy circuit you'd need to be snappy with your arithmetic.

Good point. Will swap it for a knts version

[djpacro]

I would and I do.

 

Class D towers wouldn't specify a speed as they don't know what my airplane is capable of.

[kgwilson]

Knots of course  relates to degrees, minutes & seconds on navigation charts etc. Conversion is not difficult these days with any calculator & you can always create knot markings on the ASI for reference. Why the Yanks use MPH is more likely historical and in low and slow RA aircraft where everything on the map is marked in miles. Commercial and almost all GA aviation is in knots, the exception being vintage aircraft.

[danny_galaga]

Hmmmm. What about formation flying? I haven't done that endorsement yet, but will. Would it be better to all be in knots there, or is it all purely visual?

[facthunter]

Have your ASI in Knots and not your bowels.  The ASI only reads correctly at sea level anyhow even if it's calibrated correctly. Nev

[spacesailor]

That asi and all ' instruments ' are ONLY an indicator.

Just mark on the dial your knot , then mark the outside in metric. 

American , English & French.

K I S 

Easy  !?

spacesailor

PS , my new compressor guage has more the than one metric  !.  Klga, kpm, bar, plus someother yet to be acknowledged symbol. 

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by spacesailor

[AndyPickles]

I'm a tightwad.  ASI are spendy. Nail polish is cheap. Unless you are mixing it up with fast and busy airplanes, no need. Formation flying? Even in loose gaggle flying, our group would be pissed if someone was looking at an ASI than at the planes around them. I'd put a dot of Green nail polish Every 10 knots in the zone you actually operate, and save some money.

[skippydiesel]

On 08/02/2022 at 1:16 AM, rgmwa said:

As far as I know, kts is standard terminology in Australia. Having ASI in mph would be annoying, but then in the USA they seem to use both so I suppose it's just what you get used to.

 

My theory: The Yanks just want their aircraft to seem faster (marketing/boasting/etc)

[danny_galaga]

7 hours ago, AndyPickles said:

I'm a tightwad.  ASI are spendy. Nail polish is cheap. Unless you are mixing it up with fast and busy airplanes, no need. Formation flying? Even in loose gaggle flying, our group would be pissed if someone was looking at an ASI than at the planes around them. I'd put a dot of Green nail polish Every 10 knots in the zone you actually operate, and save some money.

I'm starting to lean this way. Just one more thing to decide it for me. I haven't done my navs yet and I was thinking of doing them in my own plane (Ra aus) . Would that matter much? Would it just be up to individual instructors? From memory the ol Jeppesen has ALL the units of measurements used in aviation around the planet didn't it?

[Jabiru7252]

You could have a small conversion chart with critical speeds listed in knots and stick it next to the ASI. It wouldn't take long for the 'conversion' to come naturally. I am curious as to why some places refuse to go metric, it is sooooo much better.

[danny_galaga]

Yep. I guess it's about everyone doing it at the same time. I think Russia and China do metric in their aircraft? Anyway, I've just shot a message to the instructor to see if he would care. 

[spacesailor]

Perhaps  !,

After 100 years of war,s then having a general  making laws to prohibit English words to be spoken in France. ( lorry ).

The old Allies have taken a dislike to the old enimy. ( gave the Poms a hard time getting into that common market )

Very glad we don,t have German DIN  metric, or even the Japanese metric.

Then theirs the problem of which unit to go to , Kg,a / Kg,m□ / Bar ! .

spacesailor

 

 

[tillmanr]

My Kitfox has an ASI reading in mph and my Foxbat reads in knots. 
No biggy , I fly the numbers in the POH for each aircraft. 
My navigation is by Ozrunways and it doesn’t care which aircraft.

Edited February 9, 2022 by tillmanr
Spelling

[facthunter]

There are set standards used in various countries. Why not just stick to them? There's enough confusion as it is.. Nev

[AndyPickles]

4 hours ago, skippydiesel said:

My theory: The Yanks just want their aircraft to seem faster (marketing/boasting/etc)

Lol... prolly true, but the guys who really want to brag seem to use knots. 

 

Our car speedometers read in MPH and KPH, one dial inside the other, and so do many ASI, re Knots and MPH. I don't particularly care, because I rarely use the speed to fly. RPM, fuel burn, and the green, yellow and red arcs, all tell me where I need to be, and the speed is a result of that. With the VERY few exceptions where I'm flying into a busy airport mixing with jets, the speed is secondary or tertiary to the other parameters.

[danny_galaga]

7 minutes ago, facthunter said:

There are set standards used in various countries. Why not just stick to them? There's enough confusion as it is.. Nev

Oh I agree. But I've got lemons to fix other lemons. I have this ASI and its too much hassle to exchange, and who would buy it in Australia? That's why I'm thinking of just using it and being done.

 

Time to make some lemonade!

[facthunter]

You only have to change the dial.  I don't think writing things on the glass is acceptable, legally, nor should it be..Nev 

[onetrack]

Danny - A good instrument repair company should be able to fit a new face to your ASI that reads in knots.

Alternatively, buy a new ASI that is calibrated in knots, and sell your new, unused ASI that reads in MPH on eBay, and make your auction/classified offer available to buyers worldwide, and ship it to an overseas buyer.

[danny_galaga]

Will check out of it's viable to replace the face. It needs the coloured V ranges too, which I guess people just stick on the glass but it would be nicer on the face itself.

 

Facthunter, not keen to write numbers on the glass anyway. If I needed to, I would put a little placard next to the ASI with conversions. 

[Blueadventures]

20 minutes ago, danny_galaga said:

Will check out of it's viable to replace the face. It needs the coloured V ranges too, which I guess people just stick on the glass but it would be nicer on the face itself.

 

Facthunter, not keen to write numbers on the glass anyway. If I needed to, I would put a little placard next to the ASI with conversions. 

If you don't change the face or instrument, put the colour arcs so you know the speed markers for stall, flap extension max speed, rough air, vne etc.

Edited February 9, 2022 by Blueadventures

[facthunter]

Danny, the conversion scale is not appropriate. You don't want the Cockpit instruments to be any harder to relate to reality than they already are. A ribbon is the quickest thing to interpret.. . Nev