Air Compressor

FPK1

FPK1

Line Up and Wait
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FPK1
Trying to collect everything I need in my hanger by the time my new Tecnam P2010 MkII arrives... The plane is basically a 172 1/2 and I'd like to know what kind of air compressors you recommend to maintain the pressure in the tires?
 
FPK1 said:
Trying to collect everything I need in my hanger by the time my new Tecnam P2010 MkII arrives... The plane is basically a 172 1/2 and I'd like to know what kind of air compressors you recommend to maintain the pressure in the tires?
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I use a nitrogen tank for my tires and strut.

I bought this for 99 bucks for a couple air tools I use once in a while.
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I also keep CO2 around because it is cheap and you never know when a beer keg party might break out! Kidding about the beer tap. I use CO2 to test oil and fuel lines I build and to blow things off etc.
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I like the California Air Tools compressors - very low noise - I have one in my shop at home and in the lab at school.
My hangar, however, has my old airless ****ing obnoxious loud compressor since it gets used so seldom.
 
Who's doing your annuals? A good-sized compressor in the hangar can make your A&P/IA's life considerably easier. And you'll make a lot of friends, because everybody will want to borrow it.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
I like the California Air Tools compressors - very low noise - I have one in my shop at home and in the lab at school.
My hangar, however, has my old airless ****ing obnoxious loud compressor since it gets used so seldom.
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+1 We had two of them for years and also use them professionally on our job sites. MUCH quieter than pretty much anything else on the market, no issues whatsoever.

To fill tires or check the compression of your engine, the smallest size is more than sufficient: https://www.amazon.com/California-Air-Tools-CAT-1P1060S-Compressor/dp/B01LYHYHEA/
 
Probably from Harbor freight or Costco, if they offer. I have a large oiless one because I often paint my cars and my airplane.
 
find out what the cfm requirements are for the tools you will be using and add 1 to 1.5 cfm for selecting compressor



Air Tool Description Average CFM @ 90 PSI
Angle Disc Grinder - 7" 5-8
Brad Nailer 0.3
Chisel/Hammer 3-11
Cut-Off Tool 4-10
Drill, Reversible or Straight-Line 3-6
Dual Sander 11-13
Framing Nailer 2.2
Grease Gun 4
Hydraulic Riveter 4
Impact Wrench - 3/8" 2.5-3.5
Impact Wrench - 1/2" 4-5
Impact Wrench - 1" 10
Mini Die Grinder 4-6
Needle Scaler 8-16
Nibbler 4
Orbital Sander 6-9
Ratchet - 1/4" 2.5-3.5
Ratchet - 3/8" 4.5-5
Rotational Sander 8-12.5
Shears 8-16
Speed Saw 5
 
Last edited:
AKBill said:
find out what the cfm requirements are for the tools you will be using and add 1 to 1.5 cfm for selecting compressor



Air Tool Description Average CFM @ 90 PSI
Angle Disc Grinder - 7" 5-8
Brad Nailer 0.3
Chisel/Hammer 3-11
Cut-Off Tool 4-10
Drill, Reversible or Straight-Line 3-6
Dual Sander 11-13
Framing Nailer 2.2
Grease Gun 4
Hydraulic Riveter 4
Impact Wrench - 3/8" 2.5-3.5
Impact Wrench - 1/2" 4-5
Impact Wrench - 1" 10
Mini Die Grinder 4-6
Needle Scaler 8-16
Nibbler 4
Orbital Sander 6-9
Ratchet - 1/4" 2.5-3.5
Ratchet - 3/8" 4.5-5
Rotational Sander 8-12.5
Shears 8-16
Speed Saw 5
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You missed Rivet Gun... (2.5 - 3.5)
 
CherokeeGirl said:
Thanks for both the useful and humorous comments. I'm not completely happy about it, but I do feel a bit better about it. I'm starting my A&P classes in August specifically so I can both understand and not be at the mercy of other shops for all my repairs.
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Good for you. What school are you going to?

Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
You missed Rivet Gun... (2.5 - 3.5)
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His plane is mostly composite I think, no need for a rivet gun.... :rolleyes:
 
Harbor Freight has a good selection. I have a 10 gallon Cambell Hausfeld that I bought used on Craig's List for about $75. I had to replace the drain valve on the bottom, but other than that it's been a workhorse. You don't need something that big if you're just going to fill your tires, but I like the extra capacity to run air tools, use a blow-gun to clean off the work bench, etc. When I had my helicopter, I had a little one-gallon compressor for the tires that worked just fine.
 
I have one of the Harbor Freight panhead compressors in my hangar. Cheap and slow to build up pressure but good enough for my needs. My IA was able to use it for my compression tests. I also keep one of those Harbor portable tanks that I can loan to other pilots if they need to air up their tires.
 
I bought one of these for the hangar and have been generally happy with it:

https://www.sears.com/craftsman-cm-...AG_G-cIkHZVkwXD7W-xoCmj8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


My main concern was getting something which could share the single 120V/20A circuit with the 1000W worklight/heater I use in the winter. If you have more electricity available I suggest a larger belt driven (i.e. not direct drive) unit as they are generally quieter with a larger but slower running pump. Conventional wisdom is that oil lubricated units are more durable, although there is debate about that.
 
You crawl under the cowling with the battery operated Ryobi and you'll be thankful you went the cordless route....
 
flyingbrit said:
I suggest a larger belt driven (i.e. not direct drive) unit as they are generally quieter with a larger but slower running pump. Conventional wisdom is that oil lubricated units are more durable, although there is debate about that.
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Or, the California Air Tools direct drive oilless quiet compressors.
You can hear it kick on here in one of my videos as I keep on talking in a normal voice. Well, normal for me...
 
You can always taxi it over to #227 and use mine.
:)
 
leak-stop tubes are probably cheaper and less annoying.

Failing that, though, +1 on the nitrogen tank and regulator setup. Cheap, cheerful, no electricity or fore-planning required.
 
I fill my tires with a custom mixture of 78% nitrogen, around 21% oxygen, a little argon, a smidge of CO2, and some water vapor tuned to match the ambient air. I put it in with a battery powered Ryobi or the little $25 garage sale special compressor one of my partners picked up.
 
Mxfarm said:
what is everyone paying for a nitrogen cylinder?
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Little enough that I don't remember. I think the 10 year tank lease was like $100, and fills are maybe $10. Thankfully my plane doesn't really leak much so I still have 3/4 of a tank after a year. The regulator was the most expensive part. My shop charged me a little over $100 to air up my struts the first time, so it seemed like a pretty justifiable purchase.

My main struts take 250-300 psi when the fuel tanks are full, so the n2 bottle is somewhat necessary. The op doesn't appear to have that problem, so about any compressor will work. My experience has been that the tires rarely need air, and there's a compressor in nearly every hangar, so don't be afraid to go cheap.
 
DaleB said:
I fill my tires with a custom mixture of 78% nitrogen, around 21% oxygen, a little argon, a smidge of CO2, and some water vapor tuned to match the ambient air. I put it in with a battery powered Ryobi or the little $25 garage sale special compressor one of my partners picked up.
Click to expand...

Not quite enough nitrogen and just a smidge too much oxygen. If you tweak that fill slightly, your Leak Guard tubes should hold the mix better.
 
what compressor you need is not determined by what tools you use, or what your air needs are. its determined by the power available in your hanger. my hanger is on the end of row, with a single 15amp 120v outlet. my compressor draws 15amps on start up, guess what, with power loss to the end of the row it cannot start with any air pressure in the tank. I bought a smaller one that will run for general stuff.
 
DaleB said:
I fill my tires with a custom mixture of 78% nitrogen, around 21% oxygen, a little argon, a smidge of CO2, and some water vapor tuned to match the ambient air. I put it in with a battery powered Ryobi or the little $25 garage sale special compressor one of my partners picked up.
Click to expand...

Sounds complicated. Are you doing a partial pressure blend or using a premix supply?
 
unsafervguy said:
what compressor you need is not determined by what tools you use, or what your air needs are. its determined by the power available in your hanger. my hanger is on the end of row, with a single 15amp 120v outlet. my compressor draws 15amps on start up, guess what, with power loss to the end of the row it cannot start with any air pressure in the tank. I bought a smaller one that will run for general stuff.
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No outlet needed

upload_2022-1-12_9-8-3.png
 
I recommend getting a higher power compressor with a hose since airing tires is only one use. As I mentioned you will need to add air to the nose strut and clean the engine with a spray wand at annual at least. This requires a hose. And riveting for repairs needs air also. And spraying touch up paint.
 
That’s what I love about POA. “What do I need to put air in my tires and strut?”

And the answer eventually becomes a 20 HP compressor with a pair of 100 gallon tanks fed by 3-phase power, with a mil-surplus 60KW generator for backup, and a refrigerated dryer…


Just in case.
 
DaleB said:
That’s what I love about POA. “What do I need to put air in my tires and strut?”

And the answer eventually becomes a 20 HP compressor with a pair of 100 gallon tanks fed by 3-phase power, with a mil-surplus 60KW generator for backup, and a refrigerated dryer…


Just in case.
Click to expand...
Even better is that the op doesn't even have oleo struts. He could get by with a $10 tire inflator.

A little nailgun type compressor is nice to have so you can run a blowgun, but anything beyond that is overkill. If he's doing riveting and painting on a brand new airplane.... well, the compressor is the least of his worries.
 
Yep! I'd get the cheapest compressor you can find locally with a tank on it. So that you can run the compressor when you're not in the room and let it max out, then turn it off and fill the tires quickly. Just a time/convenience thing. Or, if you don't mind waiting around while it fills up tires, find the most expensive tire inflator that plugs in to 120v.
 
My situation is complicated because we have Amish hangars. No water, no light and no electricity. I am supposed to get an 18v Milwaukee cordless compressor delivered today. I had a HF generator and a nice little HF compressor, but the draw from the compressor kept on taking out the starting capacitor.
 
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