Found some gauges, are they for a plane?

T

twolf1

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Oct 26, 2015
Messages
3
Display Name
Display name:
twolf
So, story goes... my dad was at his storage unit and saw some people making trips back and forth between a unit and the dumpster. He asks them what's up, and they say they had a family member die and they're cleaning the unit out and tell him he's free to take whatever he wants.

In one of the boxes, he found several Westach gauges--brand new, unopened.

As best as I can figure out, Westach makes gauges for aviation applications... but this is just a normal 3" gauge, unlike some of the "surface mount" type gauges I've found.

What do you guys think? Are these something that are used in planes, or just a hot-rod type deal?

P21zhG2m.jpg
 
Welome to POA! I approved your post, which was in moderation because of the link to the image. New members need a certain number of posts (5?) before they can post links and attachments.

Hopefully someone can answer your question.
 
Indeed, I had PM'd another moderator to try to get it out of the queue. Thank you, sir!
 
Looks automotive to me. Most piston planes are air cooled and wouldn't have a water temp gauge.
 
Last edited:
Welcome to POA.

It doesn't look like anything I've seen in an airplane. It's hard to read in the image, but is the right-hand gauge labeled 'Water'? If so, I'd guess this is more likely for a marine application than for an airplane.
 
Stingray Don said:
Looks automotive to me. Most piston planes are air cooled and wouldn't have a water temp gauge.
Click to expand...

oooh, indeed. I assumed planes just had radiator/coolant just like cars! Good point!

Pilawt said:
Welcome to POA.

It doesn't look like anything I've seen in an airplane. It's hard to read in the image, but is the right-hand gauge labeled 'Water'? If so, I'd guess this is more likely for a marine application than for an airplane.
Click to expand...

As Don mentioned, it's a "water" aka coolant temperature gauge--which planes apparently do not use.

Looks like a case closed, thanks everyone!
 
I wasn't sure whether some very old airplanes were water cooled or not.
 
Nope, not aviation. Westach makes automotive gauges for various applications like classics and diesels.
 
Here's a link about liquid-cooled aircraft engines.

http://www.liquidcooledairpower.com/lc-radiatortech.shtml

Liquid cooled aircraft engines are not new. In fact the very first engine flown by the Wright brothers and many of the earliest aircraft engines were water cooled as well as some famous ones that were used during World War II such as the P-51 Mustang, the P-38 and the Lancaster bomber.
Click to expand...

That's not to say this gauge came from an aircraft. I have no idea. But I don't think it can be dismissed that easily.
 
Automotive/Marine/Tractor instrument due to the way it mounts. An aircraft instrument will have screw holes in the front to mount to the panel instead of simply fitting into a hole with a U-bracket holding it from the rear.
 
That's assuming that they don't use the same basic round gauge and just mount it to an aircraft bracket, but from the pictures of other Westach aircraft gauges it doesn't appear that they are constructed that way. Even if it were an aircraft gauge, I doubt there are enough water-cooled aircraft out there for anyone to ever want to buy it. Its only value is in marine or automotive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top