One of the most difficult problems to detect in light aircraft is loss of the alternator. Most aircraft have an ammeter or loadmeter that displays the condition of the charging system. But when the alternator fails, what happens if the pilot doesn't notice that the loadmeter is reading zero or that the ammeter needle is tilting to the left of the center, instead of to the right? Usually what happens is that the pilot only notices that the alternator isn't working when the radios begin to fail. By this time, the ship battery is nearly dead, and it may be too late to rectify the problem by cycling the alternator switch. QCAvionix president Robert Glorioso wanted to figure out a better way to alert pilots to charging system problems, so he designed the AS-1 Alternator Status Indicator. The AS-1 is simple to use, just plug it into an available 14- or 28-volt cigarette lighter outlet. Two LED lights on the AS-1 indicate proper charging (green) and alternator failure (blinking red). Failure is also accompanied by an audible alarm. The blinking red light and alarms also alert when the master switch is left on after the engine is shut down, thus helping prevent unnecessary dead batteries. One caveat: in our experience, the AS-1 doesn't start beeping until battery voltage drops, and this can take a few seconds after the master switch is turned off. The AS-1 sells for $59.95. QC Avionix also makes the ELT Evaluator, for testing emergency locator transmitters, as well as a simulator for testing EGT and CHT probes, and an ELT locator to help airport personnel track down inadvertently switched-on ELTs. QC Avionix, phone: 978-897-3891, www.qcavionix.com

Aviation Labs Oil Analysis Results Now Online

You dutifully send your engine's oil sample off for analysis then patiently wait until the results arrive in the mail. That's a lot of lost time wondering how healthy your engine really is. Now the wait is over. Aviation Laboratories (www.avlab.com) has announced that customers who use the company's Metal Check Aircraft Engine Oil Analysis program can access their oil and filter analysis lab results online.

According to the company, customers will be able to view, print, and download all laboratory results and recommendations. And along with getting current results, customers will be able to access all of the past analysis data on their engines for trend analysis.� Phone: 713-864-6677, web: www.avlab.com

Laser-Based System For Turbine Blade Inspection

Manual jet engine blade inspection is a tedious yet critically important job. This is why a new automated solution developed by LMI Technologies and Oryx Systems could be of interest to MROs. Based on LMI's Laser Twin Sensor, the system inspects blades while in motion.

Here's how it works: the Laser Twin Sensor is mounted at a diagonal position below the rotor. It projects a 30-micron-diameter laser spot onto the rotors as they spin. The laser spot is reflected back onto twin position-sensitive detectors via twin-imaging optics; these are mounted on either side of the laser emitter. The beauty of this approach is redundancy; if the reflected spot is obscured by a change in the blade's surface, the other position-sensitive detector can still see it.

With this data, Oryx's signal processing software can determine each blade's length, thickness, and shape. The measurements are made within 200 milliseconds with a tolerance of +/- 0.005 inch and a resolution of +/- 0.0001 inch. The software can tell operators which blades need to be changed or reshaped, and the system can then be used to check the repairs for accuracy. Web: www.oryxsystems.com

Everybody knows that manufacturers' maintenance manuals are the official source for information about servicing any airplane. But what if you had a way to improve on that information and could present it in a form that is much easier to use? Well, if you were Gulfstream you'd distribute it in the form of CMP Task Cards.

"When you operate 11 different service centers, you get a lot of day-to-day information on how to best handle maintenance on an airplane," explained Mark Burns, vice president Gulfstream customer support. "What we've done with the Task Cards is to expand on what's in the maintenance manual and also add things like safety information and a complete list of tools a technician will need for the job.

"Safety is a big aspect of it," he added. "If we have repeated maintenance-related injuries, we put information about how to avoid them on the Task Cards as a precautionary item." But, as important as safety is, improving safety is just one of the goals of the program.

As Burns explained, technicians are instructed to thoroughly review the cards before they begin any maintenance project. By reviewing not only the procedure, but also the proper tools and any safety precautions, technicians are better prepared to do the job at hand. "Each card takes you down into some pretty deep details about the job and gives you some nuances we've found about how to do it better," Burns continued. "It's a very dynamic tool. It makes it very easy for a technician with an A&P and some big airplane experience to get familiar very quickly with maintaining a Gulfstream."

Burns said that along with being used by all of the Gulfstream service centers, many customers have also petitioned the FAA to use the cards at their own facilities. "We've had great feedback from our operators on this program," he added. "It's one of the things out there that separates us from the competition." The Task Cards are available to Gulfstream CMP members. Web: www.gulfstream.com