Disconnecting Hobbs Meter

[Way2Broke]

I guess the technical question is "recording tach". I do not hold a A&P and have never heard it called that before, but I'll buy it for a buck. So where does it say that a hobbs or recording tach is required? Why not just use actual observed flight times?

 

[avbug]

A recording tach, or odometer function of a tachometer, or an hour meter for that matter (hobbs being a brand, like datacon, and others) is not required unless it's part of the type design. You can use any method you like to record hours on the airframe.

The question posed in this thread is how one might dummy switch an existing installed hour meter in order to allow it to sometimes register, and sometimes not, and hide it out of sight behind a panel. The question is posed by a poster who stipulates that he's asking here because he doesn't not expect mechanics to be moral individuals or follow the "high moral road," who are likely to help him do what he wants. In so doing, one of the conditions of his asking is that we are not allowed to know what he's trying to accomplish. In other words, ask professional career aircraft maintenance technicians to assist in providing information on illegal maintenance (because we have no morals, of course) on the condition that we don't ask any questions.

With respect to the use of a recording hour device, if one is in use, you should continue to use it to maintain continuity in the maintenance documents, or properly show why it's not in use. When I research the component times or aircraft times during an inspection or maintenance, folks switching from one method of recording hours to another, or even simply swapping out an hour meter without recording it, can cause real headaches.

It can also put you in a lot of jeopardy if you can't prove that inspections fell within required time intervals, or that items are not over their cycle limits or time limits. Avoid the appearance of evil.

 

[727gm]

I worked for a company that used two Hobbs meters, both in plain view..

One was used for billing the customer on a government contract, connected to oil pressure on #2 engine. The customer was uncomfortable with discontinuities in Hobbs time between invoices, and wanted to relate it to hand-recorded block times and invoices. The "Rev Hobbs" breaker was pulled during flight training, MX test flights, ferry flights, etc.

There was also a Hobbs for purposes of inspection intervals/total airframe time. This "Airframe Hobbs" had a breaker to pull during time-on-jacks/powered during inspections.

The hiding of the switch sounds nefarious.

However, this person may fly an aircraft that is on leaseback to a flying school/rental club and want continuity for billing for that activity, while also flying it for a non-pilot owner. The hidden switch could shut off the Hobbs for non-revenue owner flights. The tach time would still control aircraft total airframe time/maintenance intervals.

The benefit of hiding the switch would be that the renters would not know of it or use it to take advantage. The weakness would be that some renters could still discover the existence of this switch in the Form 337 filed in the AFM supplements section and the info would spread among the more larcenous-minded members/students.

 

[Learsforsale]

I worked for a company that used two Hobbs meters, both in plain view..

One was used for billing the customer on a government contract, connected to oil pressure on #2 engine. The customer was uncomfortable with discontinuities in Hobbs time between invoices, and wanted to relate it to hand-recorded block times and invoices. The "Rev Hobbs" breaker was pulled during flight training, MX test flights, ferry flights, etc.

There was also a Hobbs for purposes of inspection intervals/total airframe time. This "Airframe Hobbs" had a breaker to pull during time-on-jacks/powered during inspections.

The hiding of the switch sounds nefarious.

However, this person may fly an aircraft that is on leaseback to a flying school/rental club and want continuity for billing for that activity, while also flying it for a non-pilot owner. The hidden switch could shut off the Hobbs for non-revenue owner flights. The tach time would still control aircraft total airframe time/maintenance intervals.

The benefit of hiding the switch would be that the renters would not know of it or use it to take advantage. The weakness would be that some renters could still discover the existence of this switch in the Form 337 filed in the AFM supplements section and the info would spread among the more larcenous-minded members/students.

It looks like someone got behind in their "Word of the day calender" and had to use two in one day.

 

[Metro752]

It looks like someone got behind in their "Word of the day calender" and had to use two in one day.

It's a shame people can't use "big werds" these days.

 

[Gatorman]

It is funny how some things come into real life right before your eyes.....

I am waiting to schedule in a Lear for a prepurchase evaluation but it has run into some problems. It seems that the owner was advertising the the aircraft engines were only 1,000 hours out of MPI and all was well. Come to find out that the pilot was an honest man and certian information had made it's rounds back to the buyer. The pilot told the buyer that the owner told the pilot to only record 1 hour out of every 3 hours flown. Sure enough, it was true.
However, the owner claims that the pilot was angry at the owner and wanted a way to get back at him and made up the lie about the 1 for 3 hours.

So, you may be thinking to yourself....who is telling the truth?

Little did the owner know about his aircraft that the engines contained DEECs and have recorded the hours of operation.....hence the pilot was telling the truth and the owner is a rat finck.


True story.