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Pitot-static test on a Cessna 172 threw me for a loop yesterday
I was doing a standard pitot-static system test on a Cessna 172 at work yesterday and the altimeter was reading 200 feet off at sea level even after a full system flush. Turned out a tiny piece of tape from a previous repair was stuck inside the static line near the drain port. I've never seen tape cause that kind of error before, has anyone else run into weird debris blocking static ports during testing?
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kim.xena1mo ago
Had a buddy who found a dead spider in his static line on a Piper Warrior once. Weirdest thing ever, it was just sitting there blocking the port but not crushed or anything. He spent three hours chasing a 300 foot error at low altitude before he finally pulled the line and found it. Tape makes more sense though, at least it's man made!
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clairem471mo ago
Oh man, that's rough. @kim.xena I've had some weird static line issues before too but never a dead spider, that's super unlucky. Three hours chasing a 300 foot error sounds like a nightmare, especially at low altitude where every mistake feels huge. Tape is definitely more predictable, spiders just do their own thing I guess.
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kim1911mo ago
Did you ever find out what got the spider in the first place?
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