Most fuel totalisers are installed in airplanes with fuel injected engines. My (our) airplane has a big carburetted engine. I am not sure how much difference that makes for installation.
There is little difference in terms of the usefulness of a totaliser. It simply makes longer flights much safer. Without one, one has to waste a big chuck of one’s range.
Some good suggestions of little things under €1k alright --
Budget EFIS
Fuel Totaliser (Like FP-5L – a calibrated dipstick is a cheapie option here too)
Spare Plugs (or maybe Fine Wire which don’t need removal nearly as often)
Quick Release Oil Drain
Golze ADL (I’m sold on this idea after watching video of it being demonstrated)
Some things that I thought of since -
matched 2K aerosol and paint pedals/seat bases/door jams a nice uniform colour
matched SEM paint and paint anything leather/rubber/plastic "
Decal wrap top section of the exterior
Perspex Restoration
Door Steward Kit
Reinstate missing headrests where applicable
Reman seatbelts
Obviously, these things range from the awesome at the top end of the budget like the Golze ADL to the things that just show pride of ownership.
“Most fuel totalisers are installed in airplanes with fuel injected engines. My (our) airplane has a big carburetted engine. I am not sure how much difference that makes for installation”
Carburetted usually cheaper as only one sensor required. Injected may require additional sensor for return line.
I don’t think any Lyco injected engines use a return line. The link I posted shows the pipes. The plumbing is just two pipes with the sensor in the middle, replacing the old single pipe from the fuel pump to the fuel servo
Peter wrote:
I don’t think any Lyco injected engines use a return line.
The IO-360-L2A in a Cessna 172S does use a return line. The same engine in a C172R does not. As my club has one aircraft of each type, we could see the effects of the different fuel system designs during the hot summer last year. The aircraft without return line was noticeably unstable in idle and we had to use the high temperature procedure in the POH.
ADSB out ……If you have a suitable txpr and GPS navigation source. (Depending on your country of registration!)
STC to connect gtn 650 to trig txpr was about £100, consisted of an airspeed pitot/static switch to switch between air/ground, which is rather nice/handy!
The cheapest and yet most useful upgrade I ever did was a T-Handle for the fuel selector of my M20C
Whoever defined the position of that selector must have wanted all of us to be a Yoga guru. This helps a lot.
PeteD wrote:
ADSB out ……If you have a suitable txpr and GPS navigation source. (Depending on your country of registration!)
How does it depend on your country of registration? There is a Standard Change for this.
I have a fuel computer on my digital engine monitor (carb 4cyl) and do find it very useful.
I’d also perhaps add pilotaware, it seems to work well with skydemon.
