Because Owning And Flying Your Beechcraft Can Be Done Safely AND For Less Money!
  Engine Monitor Thoughts (Yeah, You Should Have One!)

 

 

The JPI EDM Engine Monitors are not CSOB priced items, but I believe they pay for themselves in fuel savings and engine diagnostics!

 

 

Get the Fuel Flow option and oil temp probes installed and connect the EDM 760 to your GPS and know your instantaneous NM/gal and Fuel Remaining at Destination

 

Psst....see that fuel flow, yeah, I'm running Lean of Peak at 10,000' with a TAS of about 162KTAS. Want to read more? Click HERE for my settings or click the picture above and read the photo caption info.


Below is a recent flight instruments video of 21.6GPH total @ 9,000' yielding 183KTAS.



Here's a note that I sent to a fellow Baron owner who asked me about engine monitors:


I have flown behind my EDM 760 for nearly 19 years now (2/2023) and find it to be a very good device. It did, however, need a screen replacement at about 1500hrs TIS. I am told the EDM760 is NLA new. If you have the panel real estate for a 790, that looks like it could do the job very well.


RPM and MP monitoring are superfluous IMHO, Oil temp, CHT, EGT, FF (that talks to the panel GPS for Fuel Remaining at Destination or Waypoint) and OAT (assuming you don’t have a G5 or AV30 with an OAT probe) are key measurements in my view. PS: Don't let the installer put the OAT probe in the belly if you have a Baron because the heater exhaust comes past the belly!

If you are primarily interested in high KIAS below 8,000’ and FFs on the order of 12.5 gph/side or more then you are likely to be operating in the “Red Box”. Below 8,000’ is where one must be judicious with FF and MP if you intend to be kind to your horses. Above 8,000’ you can’t hurt the engines with MP or FF.

Takeoff power and climb out are where the EGT values and FF are key to staying out of the Red Box. For the IO470L this means a T/O FF of about 24gph at sea level and a hand on the mixture levers to keep the EGTs in the range of 1250°-1300° during the climb. At TOC, I pull the MP to my cruise power (or leave it at WOT if I’m at my usual 10,000-13,000’ altitude) and then the FF to my cruise flow of generally no more than 11.5gph/side. I then switch to the aux tanks and note the fuel used in the climb and add 62 gallons to that number. This then becomes my fuel consumed changeover point for aux tanks exhaustion. Baron drivers with interconnected tanks don't participate in this changeover drill.

Check HERE if you'd like to spiff up your Main/Aux Fuel Selector placard.

Depending on headwinds I might pull back to 10gph/side at those cruise altitudes to achieve the required “FRAD” fuel remaining at destination that makes me comfortable given the expected WX conditions. This is where the FF in the JPI that is talking to the GPS will pay big dividends. It will also pay big dividends in alerting you to your changeover point for aux tank exhaustion.

The vast majority of my trips are from DTO to ATW, about 800nm, non stop, so I am extremely mindful of NM/gal and FRAD during the entire flight.

My engines are currently (2/2023):

RE: 2340 SFRM
LE: 1874 SMOH

All but 400hrs on the RE are put on by me and I have been well served by Aero-Shell 100W (sans additives) with engine heaters for winter ops. My stage lengths are quite long, rarely poking holes in the sky or $200 Hamburger runs, except for routine training proficiency. I also have been well served by Air Wolf remote mounted spin on oil filter adapters which allow me 50hr oil & filter change intervals.

 


 

Here is another little tidbit submitted to CSOBeech.com by a Beech owner contributor, as regards a fuel flow transducer for a very popular digital fuel flow instrument. He found that the $210 Flowscan #201A-6 was the same one used by his instrument manufacturer who wanted $650 for their replacement part.

 

 

Here are additional comments from this contributor:

 

"the Floscan 201-B6 is rated up to 60 gph, while the -A6 is rated for 30 - either would work for my plane. However, the -B6 is made in a range of K factors closer to the original 201 provided by Shadin, so I ordered it instead.  I installed it using the original Shadin metal box, fire protection, and mounting... a perfect fit. Flew the plane today, works fine. My K-factor was 28,600, and is now 29,750 - just 4% difference. This was easily programmed into the Shadin using their instructions HERE"
 

As always, consult your A&P/IA for their assessment on the airworthiness of any part equivalencies and substitutions.

 


 

Fuel Exhaustion is So "Old School"!

 

 

 

 

I would install Fuel Flow linked to my GPS before I bought wiz bang GPSS or WAAS stuff, but that's just me. After all, one of the biggest causes of engine stoppages is fuel mis-management. I am regularly within a gallon of my JPI indicated fuel consumed on 100 gallon top offs. This kind of fuel consumed accuracy makes fuel management and situational awareness on long distance trips where deviations for weather or headwinds, a virtual breeze.

 

Additionally, if your engine ever had a runability issue, the data download of the EDM760 can be downloaded and sent to any number of engine experts for analysis. This could greatly shorten your engine troubleshooting time.

 

See the JPI Free Download Software HERE

 

Download the Install Manual HERE

 

Download EZ-Save, a really nice download utility program (in a zip file) to pull the data out of your JPI HERE

 

Download EZ-Plot, a really nice plotting program to view your JPI data HERE

 

Here's a helpful article by Mike Busch: "Interpreting Your Engine Monitor" just register with Avweb to view it, it's CSOB free!

 


 

Here's Beech Lister, Mike T's, analog (digital internals) fuel flow backup gauge.

 

 

It's a 1.25"  UMA gauge P/N N20-11F0-3500, Mike spoke with UMA to get a custom built gauge to be compatible with the Floscan 201B-6 transducer and a custom face for 35gph to supplement his EDM 700. Mike reports a cost of $155 plus shipping back in August 2006, when he ordered the gauge.

 

He likes it because it is helpful to him during takeoff and The Big Pull to LOP operations. The EDM 700 and the UMA share the same transducer. Installation was easy, since UMA included a sketch showing how to wire it to share the JPI transducer and they also included the proper diode to prevent crosstalk with the JPI.

 

This lets Mike monitor his EGTs in the climb on the EDM700 while at the same time monitoring an accurate analog fuel flow display.

 

Sounds like a great gauge company to work with. See the UMA website HERE