bakerocb
Joined: 15 Jan 2006
Posts: 727
Location: FAIRFAX VA
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 Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:51 am Post subject: An instrument question |
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3/24/2010
Hello Charlie, Thanks for your kind words. I applaud your desire to learn.
You wrote:
1) ".......... some time down the road wish to have the aircraft IFR
certified....."
The FAA does not have a set process of having an aircraft IFR certified. The
tests and inspections required by 14CFR 91.413 are commonly referred to as a
"VFR cert".
The tests and inspections required by both 91.411 and 91.413 are commonly
referred to as an "IFR cert", but accomplishment and sign off of those tests
and inspections do not constitute any total approval of an experimental
amateur built aircraft for IFR flight.
The attached table will give you an overview of what is required for IFR
flight for an experimental amateur built aircraft.
2) "I must have installed instrumentation that is compliant to a TSO. Do I
understand that correctly?"
If we define instrumentation as a mechanical, electrical, or electronic
device installed in an aircraft that gives the pilot information regarding
the aircraft's internal status then the answer to your question is: No the
instrumentation does not have to be TSO'd.
But if you have devices installed that give information out externally to
the aircraft, or obtain information from sources external to the aircraft,
then the requirement for TSO'd hardware can become mandatory depending upon
what the pilot is doing with the aircraft. One needs to turn to the
regulations to determine which devices and which activities fall into the
TSO required category.
3) "Also, if correct, is this limited to flight instruments or are engine
management instruments (oil pressure, tach, etc) covered as well?"
I think that the answer to 2 above responds to this question.
4) "I am in the process of putting my panel together now and really don't
want to preclude IFR at some future time by putting a lot of cash into
instruments that would have to be replaced should I
wish to have an IFR airplane."
Good thinking. If, for example, you buy a crappy altimeter that can not pass
the 91.411 tests, or be adjusted or repaired to pass the tests sometime in
the future, then you will either have to replace it or limit your flying to
VFR.
5) "And if you don't mind, point me to the right place in the FAR maze so I
may keep it for future reference."
Unfortunately there is no one right place to look. I think that the little
static system test exercise recently posted (now available on Bob Nuckolls'
web site) showed us how interdependent the many different 14CFR provisions
can be. Hopefully the attached table will give the reader a good head start
on self education in this arena and this web site give us free almost
instant access to those regulations:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title14/14tab_02.tpl
6) "Thanks again for your expert advice."
You are welcome. I hope that your questions and the responses helped to
educate others as well. I do not consider myself an expert in any area
(except perhaps in trying to avoid annoying my wife and after over 50 years
I don't seem to be doing so well in that arena either), but instead a
willing, and sharing, student.
'OC' Says: "The best investment we can make is the effort to gather and
understand knowledge."
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