Three years ago I swore by analog panel meters. Now I won't touch them.

Switched a repair shop over to digital displays on a King Air last year and the troubleshooting time dropped by half. Anyone else ditch the old steam gauges for good?

3 comments

3 Comments

annas8728d ago

You ever try teaching a 20 year vet how to actually USE trend data instead of just staring at a needle? I did that swap on a Baron and the first week was rough but after they saw a voltage regulator failure coming three days before it popped, they were hooked. The secret is to set up the alerts so they actually give you actionable info, not just a wall of numbers. Most guys get overwhelmed and ignore it, which defeats the whole purpose. I found that limiting the display to three key parameters per screen keeps the old heads from getting lost. And yeah, the history graphs are a lifesaver for the intermittent stuff, but you gotta teach them to spot the pattern not just look at the last readings.

annas8728d ago

Went FULL digital on a 172 panel two years back and never looked back. The TIME savings when diagnosing an intermittent alternator issue was insane - no more sitting there watching a needle bounce around and guessing if it's the gauge or the actual system. You can pull up history graphs on most modern glass displays now too, which is a GAME CHANGER for spotting trends before they become problems. I still keep one analog backup because old habits and all, but honestly the only thing I miss is the aesthetic. The learning curve for the older guys was rough for about a week, then they refused to go back.

kelly_west7426d ago

Buddy of mine put glass in his 182 last spring and swore the trend graphs saved his engine.