Tool Crib

STICK IT Won't Let Go
When Peter Burgher was building his Aventura amphibious airplane, he grew frustrated while trying to work under the instrument panel, trying to manipulate nuts and washers with one hand without being able to see. Burgher tried all the old standbys--a little Permatex on the end of a fingertip or Vaseline in a box-end wrench--but neither worked to his satisfaction. Burgher therefore began experimenting and finally decided to consult with a company in Ohio that specializes in formulating adhesives to help develop a product to solve the blind-finger-holding-hardware problem. "We tried 31 different formulas," Burgher said. The chemists used a force-measuring machine calibrated to a specific insertion and withdrawal force to test each formula. "Number 31 was pretty close to our criteria," he said, plus it was biodegradeable. Now called STICK IT, the product comes in a tube and feels like slightly soft wax. Put a dab on a finger, and it can hold fairly heavy items like nuts and washers. If the STICK IT stuff is stiff, Burgher explained, it can be softened by slight warming. "Warm it up in your pocket to get it at the ideal pliable state," he said. STICK IT can be cleaned off using mineral spirits. It doesn't harm electronics nor does it promote corrosion or irritate the skin. STICK IT is available through Aeroworks for $9.99 per tube. Aeroworks is also seeking distributors for STICK IT. Aeroworks, phone: 616-527-1302, www.aeroworks.com.

QC Offers 24- to 12-Volt Converter
Many modern aircraft run on 24-volt electrical systems, which makes it difficult to plug in 12-volt devices, such as handheld GPS units, computers, or portable DVD players. To resolve the problem QC Avionix has introduced the new PC 24-12 power converter. The PC 24-12 plugs into a typical accessory outlet (cigarette lighter) and converts 24- to 30-volt power to 13.5 volts, suitable for any 12-volt appliance. A built-in "electronic switching regulator dissipates minimal power," according to QC Avionix, and delivers "a clean five amps at 13.5 volts." The unit includes over-voltage and over-current protection and filtering to prevent interference. The female 12-volt accessory plug includes QC Avionix's Velcro tiedown, which keeps the male and female plugs secure during flight. Retail price of the PC 24-12 is $149.95. QC Avionix, phone: 978-897-3891, www.qcavionix.com

Oil Level Sensor Tests Successful
Quebec, Canada-based Intempco Controls has developed a prototype sensor that dynamically measures turbine engine oil level while the engine is operating. Intempco tested its LTX60 wireless radio-frequency oil level sensor in a Falcon 20 operated by Canada's National Research Council (NRC). NRC uses the Falcon jet for micro-gravity research flights, flying parabolic flight paths to induce brief periods of micro and zero gravity for researchers conducting experiments.

Business jet operators typically check engine oil levels daily, which is not a problem when done at the jet's home base by company technicians. Oil level checks must be done at specific intervals after engine shutdown to obtain an accurate reading, and this can be a chore for pilots to do when away from home base. An oil level sensor system like the LTX60 could transmit to a display in the cockpit and eliminate some of the frequent oil level checks.

Gulfstream offered an STC for an oil-level measurement system with a gauge installed in the baggage compartment, relieving pilots of the need to find a ladder to perform an oil-level check during trips away from home base. But most turbine engines must be checked manually.

During the Intempco tests, the Falcon 20 was flown for five flights, each with four parabolas. The test was designed not only to assess the accuracy of the LTX60 but also to measure the amount of oil vented overboard during the parabolic arcs. "The recorded data show that the oil loss measured by the LTX60 for each flight was identical to the amount of oil added after each flight," the company stated, "within a tolerance equivalent to the error in reading the dipstick (less than � pint)."

According to a company spokesman, Intempco is considering creating a commercial oil-level sensing system with the LTX60 and is currently evaluating the market potential. Intempco Controls, phone: 514-337-7471, www.intempco.ca.

Jet-Powered Golf Covers
Golfer and jet-engine expert Bob McCabe couldn't help noticing that aviation golf tournament giveaways often included golf club covers with company logos embroidered on. He thought there might be a market for jet-airplane-themed golf covers, and thus the JETPOWER golf headcover was born. The patent-pending headcovers are made of weather-resistent PU (synthetic) leather, and the interior is lined with polyester. Headcovers are large enough to fit up to 460-cc oversized drivers and come in three styles, the two- or four-engine jet airplane or the jet engine headcover in blue, black, or camouflage. Custom logos are available, either by sewing the logo directly onto the headcover after the cover is manufactured, by gluing an embroidered logo patch onto the headcover, or by embroidering the logo onto the headcover during manufacture. JETPOWER, phone: 708-588-6302, www.jetpowerinc.com.

Four-way Tip Articulation
Lenox Instrument's VideoFlex Series offers technicians a compact video borescope system with the video display mounted on the borescope hand-piece. The polyurethane-impregnated tungsten braid-protected working portion of the borescope comes in lengths up to 24.6 feet and is available in tip diameters of 6 or 8.4 millimeters. The four-way tip articulates through 150 degrees and can be manipulated using one hand. The hand-held control works with most types of light sources and includes interfaces for auxiliary monitor connections, video output, and 12-volt DC power. Lenox Instrument, phone 215-322-9990, www.lenoxinst.com.

Measure Diameters with Pi Tape
Need to measure something round, from the outside, to a high degree of accuracy? Pi Tape has the answer. The company's Precision Diameter Tape allows technicians to measure the true diameter of round and out-of-round forms. Pi Tape comes in various sizes and configurations, and is made for uses such as measuring outside diameter of pipes and cylinders. For O-rings, Pi Tape makes a special O-Ring I.D. tape.

Pi Tape also offers calibration services for all of its specialty measuring products.

Contact Pi Tape, phone 760-746-9830, www.pitape.com.