An ELT Evaluator, the Hanley Smith Bushout, and potable water with Advanced Hyperfine's APT-A2 purifier.

Easy Bushing Removal

Hanley Smith has developed a simple tool for extracting bushings, sleeves, and liners without damaging housings and the bushing itself. The Bushout system features a variable-sized collet that fits 99 percent of interference-fit bushings, sleeve bearings, and liners ranging from 1.75-inch to 7-inch diameter, up to a 7-inch bore length.

"The crux of the patented design," according to Hanley Smith, "is the Bushout's variable collet. The innovative concept is the modular asymmetric element, a relatively thin sandwich of metal, neoprene, and metal. The metal ends are designed to interlock, providing a continuous flexible chain. Interlocking the first and last elements forms an annulus--the collet--the diameter of which is varied by changing the number of elements. In addition to providing adequate peripheral `give' to accommodate bushing diameters requiring less than one full element, the neoprene provides sufficient radial tension for a snug fit, the metal adding the axial strength necessary during removal. The overhanging 0.078-inch nib, which engages the bushing or liner, will withstand a 2.75 ton load. A hollow-cylinder hydraulic ram is used to draw the variable collet with the bushing from its housing towards and into the reaction plate, which is held against the housing by stand-off spacers. For different diameters of housing the reaction plate has a series of heavy duty links that pivot radially to accommodate intermediate diameters, into which the stand-off spacers are mounted.

Bushout can be used to extract bushings from blind or open housings, without damaging the bushings so that they can be reused. The system comes in a kit in a trolley-mounted box. Hanley Smith, phone: 44 (0) 1279 414446, fax: 44 (0) 1279 635101, web: www.hanleysmith.co.uk.

Evaluate Those ELTs

Emergency Locator Transmitters are the forgotten avionics of the aviation industry. As long as they aren't emitting emergency signals, they are frequently left alone. But according to QCAvionix's Bob Glorioso, people's lives depend on proper ELT operation. It's important, he added, to test ELTs regularly for radiated energy, operating frequency, and power output.

QCAvionix offers the ELT Evaluator to perform those important tests. The unit sells for $799.95 and comes with antenna, BNC cables, charger, and an AM radio that meets FAA ELT test requirements. The ELT Evaluator measures output frequency, field strength, and power output of most types of ELTs operating on 121.5 and 243 Megahertz, plus it can be used to make the same measurements on handheld and panel-mounted com radios. QCAvionix, phone: 978-897-3891, web: www.qcavionix.com.

Potable Water, Inflight

Advanced Hyperfine Products announced the availability of its new APT-A2 aviation potable water treatment unit. The $8,900 APT-A2 can be installed under an FAA Form 337 and weighs just 4.5 pounds empty. Power is a choice of 115 volt AC or 28 volt DC and max flow is one gallon per minute. AHP said that the APT-A2 is guaranteed to provide clean water for four years, and this includes a free replacement ultraviolet lamp to be replaced at two-year intervals. The water is disinfected by the ultraviolet lamp, which acts on the water inside the unit's stainless steel water chamber. AHP's instructions for continued airworthiness call for ultraviolet lamp replacement and water chamber cleaning every two years. Advanced Hyperfine Products, phone: 661-295-0828, web: www.goahp.com.