Oil Level Sensor

[CO_Skymaster]

I've been investigating a product for Aircraft Extras allowing you to place a sensor in the bottom of the oil pan and alert the pilot when the oil level becomes low (around 4 quarts). If I started out with a normal amount on oil on a cross country trip and the sensor went off, I would be looking for a place to land right away. The sensor can be place in the drain holes. The problem I see is the lack of clearance between the nose wheel and drain plug in the front and dealing with oil drains in the rear. It is blocked by the muffler and pulling the sensor all the way out while trying to drain would be a mess. My question:

1. Is there another port on the oil pan for this purpose? (The sensor was designed for Lycoming and it looks like they have couple)

2. Is there any type of STC which allows you to place another port on the bottom of your oil pan?

Thanks for any advice,

Karl

FYI, this is the website and scroll down:

www.aircraftextras.com

[tropical]

First of all if you are going to try to install this in a certified airplane you will need a FAA Field Approval. Good Luck on getting that.

[CO_Skymaster]

I definatly agree since non of this items are STCed. The only way would be with field approval. I was trying to determine if it could be installed before I talked to the FAA about it. I don't see an easy way to physically install this item, so I'm going to scratch it from my wish list.

Thanks for the input Tropical,

Karl

[Ernie Martin]

Let me add my 2 cents worth on why not having it is not a big deal.

First, long before you do damage to the engine due to low oil, the prop will feather. I know of at least two cases where this has happened. Loss of oil, prop feathers (which should lead most of us to look at oil pressure), engine gets shut off, no damage.

Second, you've got two engines, so finding a place to land is not the emergency it is with a single.

If you still want to add a low-oil indicator, it may be a lot easier to install and get a field approval on an oil pressure sensor with warning light that simply connects with a T fiitting to the oil-pressure line that now goes to the oil-pressure gauge.

Ernie

[Skymaster337B]

I know it's not the same thing, but didn't the O-2 have an oil filler system? So that you could add engine oil during flight. They used it to cross the Pacific.

[Ernie Martin]

They did have it for the ferry flights, but I don't know that it was part of the standard equipment and retained after they got to Vietnam.

For those of you who don't know the story, it was the in-flight oil filling that caused the only ditching in the many aircraft ferried from the U.S. to Vietnam.

Cessna and/or Continental had calculated/estimated the amount of oil burned per hour by these new engines on these very long flights and instituted a procedure for in-flight refilling. One of these aircraft had one engine that, by sheer luck, had an impossibly perfect set of tolerances and burned much less oil, so the refilling led to excess oil, plug fouling and engine stoppage. Because the aircraft was so overweight with additional fuel for the trip, the remaining engine was unable to maintain altitude and the aircraft was ditched. The pilot was rescued.

Ernie

[skymstr02]

The inflight oil replenishment system was only installed for the trans-Pacific crossing, it was removed with the ferry fuel tanks on arrival in Saigon.

[CO_Skymaster]

Ernie,

Thank you for the information. After thinking about that scenario, I agree. When I was losing oil on my rear engine a couple years ago, I could not see the oil spilling out and I never saw a drop in oil pressure. I did start to see the RPM gauge pulsing. I wondered what it was at the time, thinking it was an issue with the gauge or sensor. I never saw it again. It was probably because of the low level of oil.

If I see it again, I'll take it as a warning to land at an airport.

Thanks,

Karl