Utah-Jay
MEMBER
Heber City, UT
Anyone have any reports on the Belite Radiant Universal Air Speed Indicator?
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...t_10-06964.php
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...t_10-06964.php
Pirep Needed
- Thread starter Utah-Jay
- Start date
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
Are you certified or experimental?
Web
Web
Utah-Jay
MEMBER
Heber City, UT
Experimental
skywagon8a
MEMBER
SE Mass MA6
The Belite requires electricity. You seem to be too anxious to spend money on new stuff than to find out what is wrong with your system. Why don't you just get one of these? Nothing can go wrong.
RVBottomly
PATRON
Asotin County Washington (KLWS)
The Belite requires electricity. You seem to be too anxious to spend money on new stuff than to find out what is wrong with your system. Why don't you just get one of these? Nothing can go wrong.
That's exactly what I've been looking for! I once scratch made one for experimenting with sail area/pressure. I calibrated it out the car window, but only got up to 70 mph. This one looks much more competent.
BC12D-4-85
SPONSOR
Fairbanks, AK.
I've lost track of your concerns and frustration. I can share that many of us have gone that way with often uncertain results.
This was mentioned before, but if you slide a piece of soft rubber tubing over the pitot opening (make it a leak free connection) and squeeze or roll up the other open end you should see some airspeed indicated. Speed doesn't matter, but it should not return to zero until the rubber tube is reopened. That checks for leaks. If you got leaks a new speedo would be secondary to first sealing the pitot line.
Gary
This was mentioned before, but if you slide a piece of soft rubber tubing over the pitot opening (make it a leak free connection) and squeeze or roll up the other open end you should see some airspeed indicated. Speed doesn't matter, but it should not return to zero until the rubber tube is reopened. That checks for leaks. If you got leaks a new speedo would be secondary to first sealing the pitot line.
Gary
WhiskeyMike
MEMBER
West Boxford MA
Airspeed indicator
IMHO there is a cognitive issue in digital or "tape" style ASI's. The steam gauge gives you a clearer picture of the relative speed judged against known stall speed. Even if it is not technically as accurate as a digital ASI (that has plenty of room for doubt and discussion as well subject to the physical mounting system) it offers a relative picture of what's happening against known parameters. Count me out on this one. The wing strut mounted version's probably as good as any, but too tricky to see when you're peering over the nose at a small strip of gravel.
Anything electrical can, and will, also break down the same as mechanical.
IMHO there is a cognitive issue in digital or "tape" style ASI's. The steam gauge gives you a clearer picture of the relative speed judged against known stall speed. Even if it is not technically as accurate as a digital ASI (that has plenty of room for doubt and discussion as well subject to the physical mounting system) it offers a relative picture of what's happening against known parameters. Count me out on this one. The wing strut mounted version's probably as good as any, but too tricky to see when you're peering over the nose at a small strip of gravel.
Anything electrical can, and will, also break down the same as mechanical.
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
This is why Electronics International uses colored arcs on screens and arcs of colored LEDs on smaller gauges. A glance will tell you if a reading is still 'in the green'. If you need a hard reading, you can look at the number display.
And I have had customers with experimental aircraft change out some of the 'all in one' display gauges because, at a glance, it was hard to pick out the specific number for the specific function. I.e., airspeed, altitude, VSI all displayed as numbers, and it takes a moment to pick out the one you need. But sometimes other operators seem to do okay with these displays.
Just something to consider when you pick out a new instrument/display.
Web
And I have had customers with experimental aircraft change out some of the 'all in one' display gauges because, at a glance, it was hard to pick out the specific number for the specific function. I.e., airspeed, altitude, VSI all displayed as numbers, and it takes a moment to pick out the one you need. But sometimes other operators seem to do okay with these displays.
Just something to consider when you pick out a new instrument/display.
Web
JimParker256
Registered User
Farmersville, TX
For those of you who've never looked at them, the Belite gauges show a "trend" in airspeed over time (shows the last roughly 5 seconds of the ASI readings, taken about 3-4 times/second). It does this via a bar-graph display that is both highly legible and color coded (standard ASI color scheme: white/green/yellow/red) based on how you configured it for your airplane.
As you can see below, it's a pretty slick unit! (And no, I don't work for them. I just like their products.)
As you can see below, it's a pretty slick unit! (And no, I don't work for them. I just like their products.)
Attachments
Utah-Jay
MEMBER
Heber City, UT
Jim
It is a very good looking gauge. I also like when you get to Vfe that it shows “FLAPS” above the digital speed on the right
Steve Pierce
BENEFACTOR
Graham, TX
You are showing your age Wayne. All tese kids that have learned on tape will argue with you. They probably have problems reaing our steam gauges.
After many years and hours with round gauges, all of our work planes transitioned to tapes. Some had tapes that moved from top to bottom, some from bottom to top, and one had a fixed tape with the bug moving up the tape, and the tape would “shift” from low speed scale to high speed scale. You’ll get accustomed to whatever you fly. Most interesting, and one the manufacturer could never adequately explain, was a PFD with a tape, but the HUD had round gauges.....
skywagon8a
MEMBER
SE Mass MA6
After many years of flying airplanes with "glass" cockpits using both round and tape symbology, I have found the round presentation to be quicker to analyze and comprehend the information being presented. The round/needle position display can be interpreted by just glancing at the position of the needle, knowing the meaning without caring what the numbers are. The tape display digits must be absorbed into the brain, understood/converted and then analyzed into what they mean.
The youngsters who only know the tapes will never understand how much quicker the round gauges present their information.
A round gauge can be glanced at out of the corner of the eye and understood. A tape must be read to understand it.
Then also, those youngsters are taught to fly by the instruments rather than the feel of the airplane. That's another topic for another day. Loose any of the instruments and they will be lost.
Just my opinion based upon years of flying myself and observing/teaching/checking others.
The youngsters who only know the tapes will never understand how much quicker the round gauges present their information.
A round gauge can be glanced at out of the corner of the eye and understood. A tape must be read to understand it.
Then also, those youngsters are taught to fly by the instruments rather than the feel of the airplane. That's another topic for another day. Loose any of the instruments and they will be lost.
Just my opinion based upon years of flying myself and observing/teaching/checking others.
I’d bet those who have only flown tapes can interpret their readings and trends just as quick as we can round gauges. That said, I like round better but I’d bet that’s simply because that’s what my brain first became used to. Well Pete, guess we’ll never know for sure!! Every time we have one of these discussions I can’t help thinking of that Toby Keith song “Don’t let the old man in”.
skywagon8a
MEMBER
SE Mass MA6
“Don’t let the old man in” There is a lot of meaning in this song when you really listen. Nice tune too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc5AWImplfE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc5AWImplfE
If anyone who prefers, no wait, whose experience has been limited to round gauges gets a couple of hours with a glass panel and airspeed and altitude "tapes" he'll find it's incredibly easy to adapt to the more effective display of information than round instruments provide. I switch back and forth between my very familiar 180 and less familiar glass panel Cub. As I go back and forth it's more of a transition exercise to go to round gauges than glass. That's a pirep.
...and not an opposite PIREP but perhaps supplemental: For me, my particular -12, and my particular ASI (all three trending towards old), when I've done my job properly and am bringing the bird in for a short landing losing the energy and airspeed as I should, my steam gauge ASI starts bouncing around to the point where one cannot read any particular air speed: that's the point I try to get to on short / very short final.
If I'm trying for a short, spot, landing, that bouncing effect is what I look for rather than any particular speed. I haven't seen that same effect in the limited time I spend in glass panel aircraft, although I'm sure it'd be easy enough to determine that "XX knots or mph" is the right speed.
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