• If you log in, the ads disappear in the forum and gallery. If you need help logging in or getting registered, send request to: webmaster@southernairboat.com

Air speed indicator

dean

Well-known member
http://www.ulparts.com/detail.aspx?ID=166

this is a link to a ultra lite site

I was wondering if this would work on an airboat, i believe it is called a peto tube for air speed

also would your speed be different going into the wind as well as downwind.

seem like an inexpensive way to see how fast or slow your are going

I may try one just to see

has someone tried this ?
 
That's a pretty cool speed meter. It looks a lot like the flow meter on my welder's argon tank.

The instrument tube on a plane is called a pitot tube - but you got the pronunciation right - it's pronounced pito. More info about Pitot tubes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitot_tube
Pitot_tube_types.jpg


I don't think a pitot tube type of speedometer would be practical on an airboat. That is - if cleaning out my cage and bilge after a day of riding is any sign. I suspect that tube would be clogged with ants, seeds or leaves in just a few miles of riding!

I may order one of those wind meters and just attach it to my rudder stick with some rubber bands. Then I'd always have the speed at a glance - without having to put on reading glasses to look at the dang GPS.
 
An airspeed indicator only reads speed THROUGH the air. If it reads 35 MPH and you have a 10 MPH headwind you are onlygoing 25 MPH over the water. If it reads 35 MPH and you have a 10 MPH tailwind you are going 45 MPH over the water. Winds from different angles effect the reading according to the vector of the wind direction and your course.

Not a lot of use in an airboat. GPS seems to be as good or better than anything else we have at our disposal.

Scotty
 
Whitebear is absolutely correct. The pitot tube is something that allows a pilot to know how much wind is flowing over his wings and control surfaces.
It doesn't give an accurate ground speed reading. You need a GPS for that.
 
Unless you are riding in calm wind conditions, at which point it should be pretty accurate.

or, if you know the wind speed, you can do some math and get a good estimate.

You should be able to gage the wind speed by looking at the bubble meter while stopped. (depending how its mounted)

:)

Once you download your GPS tracks into your computer, you'll have all your speed records right there to the tenth/mph in black and white.
GPSspeed.png


Dangit, for those who don't plug their GPS into their computer after a day's riding - you really ought to get it figured out....
It's not that difficult, and there is some AMAZING things you can do with those track logs and .gpx files!!!!

matt.
 
hey Mood what type gps do you recomend that makes the maps on the computer

I have never used gps

thanks
 
Hey Dean how is that Blue Iron holding up? Also I been thinking about trying the Red Hot Iron.
 
Garmin GPS map76 b/w screen or color - it don't matter. Probably find them used on ebay for not much more than $100.

Simple and hand held. You'll have to look a little and order a cable to hook it to your computer. Learn about it by driving around with it on your dashboard. Play with it and you will learn it.

I'm no GPS expert. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. LOL
Seriously - this is my first GPS, and about 10 years ago when when they were starting to become popular I bought a book called "Idiots Guide to GPS" (before I even had a GPS reciever) But the point is I've read and pondered on it just a little over the years. I never spent too much time on it. A little here and a little there.

I did not learn fast, I learned one little thing at a time. It was not any huge effort. I wore out the instruction book that came with my GPS!!! Nothing wrong with reading the instructions.

If you come across something you don't understand, put it aside and learn something else about your GPS that day. Come back to it when you are ready. Don't let it intimidate you.... it's nothing mysitcal - it's just very accurate clocks.

The mack-daddy GPS unit I've seen is on Dave Markett's boat. I think it's a Lorance. That's the one I want to get someday!!!

But once you get one and play with it a little -- get the cable and hook it up to your computer- then you can load new maps to your gps, Get your "crumb trails" (track files) out of the gps and then some other software can overlay them on serial photos - (like above). You can do so much! You can pre-program routes on the computer, then load them onto the gps and have it tell you where to go. Saving map points (Waypoints) is easy on the GPS, but naming them is not. Typing on the GPS just sux. But hooked to the computer it's different with a full keyboard. You'll have a custom map you can carry.

Dang, I apologize for getting this one off topic. There are a bunch of GPS threads on this forum. Search them out - there is good info already out there.

Here's one that sold refurbished for $125 (Buy-it-now)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0134200385
Search this catagory and get one - GPS MAP76
http://listings.ebay.com/aw/plistings/c ... l?from=R11

To make the maps - I use a $15 program called TERRABROWSER (for the mac)
http://www.chimoosoft.com
I don't know what Windows program to use. The map program opens the .gpx files that the GPS software pulls off the GPS. Again, on the mac, I use something called GPSmacPro to let my computer talk to my Garmin GPSmap76

good luck!!!

matt.
 
I am very pleased with my blue iron poly

holding up very well considering all of the solid limestone and rough terrain.

I just repaired two ft section at rear of boat

when i climbed my bottom level at my river lot it was so steep that the back edge broke the poly as the boat went up it was already getting thin at transom

i was sad it broke but glad i made it oh well

i will take a pic of the peice i cut off

really wore well considering
 
Back
Top