Settle An Argument....

[PapuaPilot]

Doesn't it matter what type of flight we are talking about? The IFR/VFR thing is an important consideration.

Does an iPad/tablet count as "one" instrument? This would be my first choice because it would give you a ton of information, but I think your question is about one instrument that is part of the plane.

Oil pressure is pretty useless information IMO. How often does oil pressure go bad, how often do engines quit? It's pretty rare if you look at it from a statistical standpoint. Actually I would eliminate all of the engine instruments; you don't need any of them to complete a flight and get the plane one the ground safely. Use your eyes, ears, hands to manage power.

Fuel quantity is not needed. Any pilot worth his salt should know how long he can fly before becoming a glider.

So, if it is IFR my vote is for an attitude indicator. Nobody can use their eyes, ears and butt to fly a plane in IMC without this information. If you keep the plane level and have a good sense of the big picture outside then you have a good chance of getting the plane to VFR and landing safely.

For VFR I would say it is the compass. I guess this is assuming you know where you are, have a paper map and remember how to use it.

Are you going to let us know what your FO's choice was?

[SkyPirate]

VFR a compass and hopefully my FO was a good looking lady so I could claim the compass was broke and find the closest uninhibited island

[FitchUpNorth]

Esser, that was sarcasm my friend. 😄. Research my last name. CRM runs genetically in my veins. The stripes only mean I've been doing it longer, not necessarily better. 😉

I still vote oil pressure. Yes. Some of the answers were good. Fuel gauge, I'd have to say that's ancillary info. I know fuel burn and, if preflighted properly, I know total FOB.

Please please PLEASE, beware of the iPad though process. Yes. Tremendously helpful and informative. But what happens when the battery dies and your 12 volt charging port doesn't work? Same concept, for me at least, as an autopilot (or George as we call him in the big plane), what do you do when George packs it in? Don't let a crutch become a wheelchair.

And a HUD, although great, doesn't qualify as a gauge. Lol. No high tech stuff. Old steam gauges and analog is what the question was geared to.

As for a compass, roads generally run Cardinal directions. That and the sun and s sectional chart, no excuse to be disoriented. (IFR = I Follow Roads/Railroads)

[FitchUpNorth]

Phil,
My FO's choice was a compass. Again, using the sun and landscape, you should have an idea.

As for how often oil pressure goes bad,.... VERY rarely. But when it does, you quickly run out of options. That's the reason for my choice. Oil is the lifeblood of the motor. You can start losing it, and if no gauge, you now are a solo glider pilot before you knew anything was wrong. I know how much fuel I have. I can see the horizon. I can see roads, and have a sectional. (of course, else we wouldn't be legal ;-) ) An iPad, yes, multitudes of info but also a weak link. If it quits, now what? My ears tell me the health of the motor. My eyes and butt give me attitude (yes, I know, vertigo and all that, but even with vertigo, still usually recoverable). No excuse for being disoriented. Therefore that strikes the compass from my list. Attitutde indicator, useful, but secondary. The question was VMC flight, I think I neglected to say that.

There's no WRONG answer..... Just was curious to see what y'all thought. Land it so they don't spill their coffee.....

Denny

[PapuaPilot]

Good discussion Denny.

So your scenario is day/VFR. It makes a big difference on what I would pick. The next question I would ask is:

1. Did we launch in your G5 with a full cockpit of working instruments and had a really bad day (worse then your worst sim ride)? or . . .

2. Are we launching in something like a Kitfox or Peitenpol for a pleasure flight and aren't concerned about an MEL or the minimum instruments required by the FARs?

I would give a different answer for each scenario.

[TahoeTim]

my vote is for an ELT so they can find you in the woods

if any of the other instruments are really needed (showing a failure) , you are in deep doodoo and will need to be rescued anyway

[FitchUpNorth]

Phil,

LOL, boy I really neglected to give the parameters of the argument, didn't I?

GA flying, KF or similar. MEL, IMHO, is crap anyways unless you're flying into IMC or controlled airspace. Lift,weight,thrust,drag don't give a rat's tail about what's mounted on the panel.

Even if, theoretically, we WERE in the GV, I'd still want oil pressure. The airplane will talk to me about what it wants and/or is doing. i.e. stall buffet, overspeed, climb, descend. What I don't know is if the motors are going to stay running. Therefore, I stick with my choice. LOL

[avidflyer]

Those airplanes that fly with a 2 stroke engine don't have an oil pressure gauge. ;-) I've lived through hundreds of flights with no oil pressure gauge. That being said, most of my flying is usually within 30 miles of home and just enjoying the sights and sounds from a my "elevated" observation point. When I am flying behind a 4 stroke, it is definatly comforting to see that gauge in the green. I blew an oil cooler line on my Jabiru engine once and as the cockpit was filling with smoke, I noticed the oil pressure gauge go to zero. I did use the ASI some while trying to land in a short field without stalling. I know that one should be able to feel the plane, and sense your speed without the ASI, but when I was thinking we were on fire and the best thing to do was to get on the ground and out of the plane ASAP, I tried to use it some. Didn't STARE at it though!! :-) I need a good kick in the rear to get back to working on that plane, and maybe someday get it back into the air....... Jim Chuk

[PapuaPilot]

Denny,

Why would you care about oil pressure in the G5. You have a spare engine on the other side.

Yeah, MEL is a whole other issue. I have spent all of my time with single engine/IFR flying 206s, Caravans and Kodiaks over jungles and mountains. You really want your equipment working there, but there are always a few items in the MEL that seem like overkill.

[Esser]

Esser, that was sarcasm my friend. 😄. Research my last name. CRM runs genetically in my veins. The stripes only mean I've been doing it longer, not necessarily better. 😉

Sorry Fitch, sometimes the sarcasm is hard to detect. I just find there are a lot of pilots out there who aren't sarcastic etc. No harm no foul. Hope I didn't come off as too abrasive.