Did not fly for a couple months, so during the pre-flight for the next flight there was crap in the un-heated pitot tube. I had it covered but it still got dirty.Cleaned it out best I could but some of it went into the tube. Now my airspeed is all over the place. Is there a way to clean the stuff out of the tube? John
dirty pitot tube
- Thread starter sonex0x
- Start date
Airspeed that is erratic is often due to water, or possibly debris, that is trapped in either the pitot or in rare cases the plumbing upstream. The pitot itself is designed to drain moisture, but if some has found its way beyond the actual pitot and into the line, it can cause erratic airspeed behavior. Whether it's debris or water, you could start by blowing some compressed air from the back side of the pitot (disconnected from the pitot line), no more than 10-15psi. Similarly, you can do the same thing with the actual pitot line, disconnected from both the ADAHRS and pitot tube, and try clearing it out, again pushing some air from the far side (ADAHRS side) to have it come out of the piece of the line that would normally connect to the pitot. If you think there is actual debris in the pitot, you could also flush it with hot water, again going from the back. The idea here is to get whatever gunk is in there back out the way it came in, minimizing the opportunity for it to lodge further in the pitot or plumbing.
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- Mar 23, 2005
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"I see a small screw on the bottom of the pitot, would I be able to take out that screw and clean it that way?"
No, that would not accomplish anything. The internal tubing is glued and potted in place. You would most likely damage it if you try to disassemble the pitot.
No, that would not accomplish anything. The internal tubing is glued and potted in place. You would most likely damage it if you try to disassemble the pitot.
K
KRviator
Guest
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt (and second pitot)...Damned wasps... :-[