So, airplanes CAN talk dirty...
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HerrGruyere
Line Up and Wait
Teehee!
cleared4theoption
Pre-takeoff checklist
Is that Glenn Quagmire's plane?
Inverted
Cleared for Takeoff
Giggity
hopmedic
Cleared for Takeoff
Ok - yes, funny, but serious question for the guy who doesn't know.... What is it for?
Inverted
Cleared for Takeoff
Its to cage the AI
hopmedic
Cleared for Takeoff
Does that mean to make it centered and level?
AggieMike88
Touchdown! Greaser!
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
Spike; Is that called the Schwing! knob?
cleared4theoption
Pre-takeoff checklist
yes...I've only noticed them on the DA-20 (C172s don't use them)...but I still don't understand why they are needed...or more to the point, why the Atitude indicator needs to be "caged"
zaitcev
En-Route
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Pete Zaitcev
It's for aerobatics. Some of them may even be damaged when they thumble.
hopmedic
Cleared for Takeoff
Ahh.... I think I remember hearing that in a podcast!
Skylane81E
Final Approach
Or some electric gyros, they don't always spool up quickly
Inverted
Cleared for Takeoff
Ya in the case of the plane I am flying (Beech 99) its to center it while it spools up as it is an electric unit. Some units will cage, and lock so they don't damage the unit. The Marchetti has a cage and lock mechanism to do aerobatics.
Yep.
Spike; Is that called the Schwing! knob?
Maybe it oughta be!
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On mine, it is spring-loaded, so I don't think it is intended for use as a caged and locked device, but instead only as a fast-setup knob. It can take a couple of minutes to erect itself, but as long as the motor-speed flag is up, I can "Quick-Erect" it, and it is good to go.
It is, by the way, a Castleberry unit.
rottydaddy
En-Route
Reminds me of the joke about the newlyweds... he very experienced, she rather naive... on their wedding night, he tells her "OK, so remember: if you want sex, pull it once. If you don't want sex, pull it about 100 times."
denverpilot
Tied Down
rainsux
Line Up and Wait
> Its to cage the AI
On my Castleberry AI, it does not cage the AI. Rather, it centers everything, without
having to wait for the gyros to fully spin-up and wait for it to right/align.
On my Castleberry AI, it does not cage the AI. Rather, it centers everything, without
having to wait for the gyros to fully spin-up and wait for it to right/align.
Inverted
Cleared for Takeoff
A lot of them will say pull to cage which to them means centering everything. At least in that instance.
Wait till I take a pic of the "man heat" switch when I get back to the plane this afternoon, this plane is filthy lol.
Wait till I take a pic of the "man heat" switch when I get back to the plane this afternoon, this plane is filthy lol.
Inverted
Cleared for Takeoff
Pic as promised:
This model has man heat and man cool. Its nice, in the winter a man comes from the back and bear hugs you when you switch the dial to it. In the summer the man blows on you...
This model has man heat and man cool. Its nice, in the winter a man comes from the back and bear hugs you when you switch the dial to it. In the summer the man blows on you...
denverpilot
Tied Down
Sexist switch. If a girl is flying the plane, they can't get heating or cooling?
Most any plane that is used for spins and/or aerobatics will have a caging rack to prevent the gyro from racking to the stop and getting tumbled.
Inverted
Cleared for Takeoff
Sexist switch. If a girl is flying the plane, they can't get heating or cooling?
No no, clearly you need to fly a Beech 99. Its not who its for, its who does the heating or cooling. Whenever you select a switch, a burly man comes out and provides the cooling or warmth to whoever wants it.
Jeanie
Pattern Altitude
Like the Cabana boy
denverpilot
Tied Down
Jeanie
Pattern Altitude
No, I think you have to have a pool first and I don't... However, Kevin, my hubby, is my line boy
flightwriter
Line Up and Wait
From my "I've always wondered about this, but am seldom in conversations about caging the AI"-File -- when is this done in the sequence? Do you cage the AI right before the maneuver?
I cage em before I start aerobatics and don't un-cage em until I'm heading home. The AI when doing aerobatics is out the windows, the precision guidance stuff is out on the wings, no need for gyros. I remember when BF Goodrich came out with their EFIS AI about 20 years ago, they had it in Patty Wagstaff's airplane, that was a hell of an advertising statement.
BTW, "Fast Erect" gyros are really nice if you have venturii vacuum.
Red Air Rambo
Pre-takeoff checklist
gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
I have the same gyro in my airplane. Like most self contained electrically driven horizon gyros, this unit uses airflow generated by the spinning rotor to power the erection mechanism (same "pendulous vanes" found in air driven gyros) but since their ability to apply force increases exponentially with rotor RPM (i.e. very slowly until the rotor is nearly at full speed) while the force needed increases linearly, these gyros don't erect from a full stop as quickly as air driven ones. But they will be ready to go within a few minutes of applying power unless they were restarted while still spinning but well off kilter. And that's the only time (restart after a short shutdown) that you need the quick erect function IME.