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Why is there discoloration on my brake bleeder valve?

The fittings are covered with a special cadmium plating with a phosphate coating. The coating provides the best possible corrosion protection for use with magnesium brake castings in a wet environment. The white deposits are phosphate crystals that form from a phosphate sealing process which helps prevent corrosion when installed in magnesium alloy. The white deposits are not corrosion and will not harm the installation. If needed to reduce tightness during installation, the crystals can be softened using plain hot water and a tooth brush. Use the required thread sealants as specified by the appropriate aircraft service manuals.

Do CiES digital fuel senders have TSO Approval? Does CiES have PMA?

Yes, the TSO ensures a quality and repeatable fuel level output under all aircraft conditions and STC demonstrates that these senders are suitable for use in specific type certificated aircraft. This is the only TSO'd fuel sender available for retrofit in GA aircraft. TSO approval ensures that the product manufacturing has been accomplished in FAA approved quality system, as such, TSO products do not require PMA.

Fuel gauges don’t work in the GA aircraft, why would installing your product be different?

Original resistive aircraft fuel senders were designed to measure approx. 20 gallons and provide a resolution of 0.3 of a gallon between readings. These resistive senders were intended for automotive and farm machinery applications and are typically made of steel. The aircraft application places additional stresses on these commercial products, from moisture born corrosion to large movements in fuel in and out of plane of the sender. CiES designed an aviation-grade fuel sender from the outset. We addressed the moisture borne corrosion issues and also addressed fuel motion in all axis and we designed a system to give excellent resolution. Our resolution capability is less than (1/10 of a gallon) for fuel tanks that can hold hundreds of gallons of fuel.

How does the CiES sender work?

The system is easy to understand. We place an aligned magnetic field on the pivot so that this field can be measured by an electronic compass which now points to the float. We place this highly accurate compass inside an aluminum housing and outside the fuel tank measuring the direction of the magnetic field through the aluminum. This solid-state compass electronically points to the float in the same manner that a cell phone compass points to north. It is astoundingly accurate and fuel motion has no impact on operation.

How reliable is the CiES fuel senders?

CiES fuel senders have amassed over 800,000 hrs of operation on Cirrus Aircraft with only thirteen removals out of 23,000 senders for cause. This represents a Mean Time to Failure of over 60,000 hrs. This reliability exceeds every other system on the Cirrus aircraft. Cirrus is so impressed that they specified CiES technology on the Cirrus Jet. To back that amazing reliability, we warranty the senders for non-transferable life.

I have a fuel totalizer, why would I need a working fuel gauge?

A functional fuel gauge is required by regulation and is supposed to work as the manufacturer intended. While some people in aviation cast a broad net on what working means, according to the FAA, it means the ability to accurately show usable fuel in each tank. Gauges that waver or show merely a trend in operation are not functional. Fuel gauges are required, as it takes the fundamental issue of pilot first impression of starting fuel level out of the equation as well as any other fuel anomalies that could happen in flight.

I heard fuel gauges only have to be accurate at zero?

While even some in the FAA Flight Standards Offices quote this as verbatim truth, it is absolutely not true. CiES works with all of the FAA ACO offices and the FAA Small Aircraft directorate. Usable fuel is an accurate value for every certificated aircraft flying. So yes, zero usable fuel is an accurate number, but so is full usable fuel (that value is on the fuel filler placard and in your POH). Using simple math 1/2 usable fuel is also an accurate number. The zero-fuel accurate myth is just that, a myth.

We can output an ANALOG SIGNAL to:

• Aerospace Logic
• Auracle
• Avidyne
• Dynon
• Garmin
• Rochester

What cockpit interfaces do the CiES digital fuel sender interface to?

We can output a DIGITAL SIGNAL to:

• Garmin G950, G1000,
• G500/G600 TXi, G3X, GI275
• Aerospace Logic FL20XD Series
• JPI 900, 930, 960
• EI CGR-30 & MVP-50

What is the benefit to having accurate fuel level?

While there are a lot of theories of why pilots run out of fuel, much of what is commonly reported does not have actual research to support the statements. What we know, is that due to our involvement in this business and having Cirrus outfitting the system on new SR20 and SR22 aircraft since 2012 we now have a growing number of aircraft where fuel indication is proven to be reliable and accurate. The rate of fuel accidents or incidents primarily attributed to starving the engine of fuel is zero.* While older Cirrus aircraft, all of which have totalizers, suffer and continue to suffer fuel accidents, this fleet of new aircraft has not suffered a single fuel incident.*

* We have one incident where a severe heroin addiction was implicated, and an accident where the ferry tank fuel valve failed.

What is the pedigree of the CiES fuel sender?

CiES used Cirrus Aircraft, CiES launch partner, to successfully demonstrate that CiES aviation-proven manufacturing and development process yielded a superior product that is suitable for use in all type certificated aircraft. CiES is qualified to RTCA DO-254 and the digital fuel senders exposed to the aircraft environmental conditions for wing mounting by RTCA DO-160.

Will these sensors work with my existing fuel gauges?

While CiES designed the sender to be able to output to a resistance input analog fuel gauge, there are several issues that make this interface less than ideal. First - an analog gauge has its own characteristic and that has to be matched to the tank characteristic. This would be, at present, a remove, reprogram and replace proposition until the gauge and tank content correlate. Second - Analog gauging for fuel applied to aircraft utilized gauge interfaces that were not designed to be accurate. We see gauge hysteresis and variations that make accurate fuel reporting nearly impossible. CiES is committed to accurate fuel gauging in aircraft, and these interfaces do not allow that to easily occur. Note: if the original aircraft gauge is the only interface that will work for your aircraft, CiES is working on two potential solutions. One will require rebuilt or qualified aircraft gauging, the other replaces the existing pointer driver with a stepper motor.

How do I repair a damaged cowl before installing Cowl Saver?

There are several ways of repairing worn cowl surfaces. Epoxy fill is sometimes used for minor wear, or flush or double flush riveted aluminum doubler plates can be formed and installed over the damage. McFarlane has a high temperature (400deg F) sandable two part epoxy with an aluminum filler that works well for filling minor cowl skin defects; please see P/N 20 GLUE KIT. Consult with your A&P mechanic for the best repair solution for your aircraft.

How much Cowl Saver material goes above and below the rivets?

There is not a concrete answer that will work for every customer; it really depends on each individual installation. As a general rule, as long as you do not put the rivets at the very edge of the material it will not rip out. If you use McFarlane’s retainer strips, they can line up the edge of the material with the bottom of the retainer strip and then put the rivets in the middle of the strip. 

Bi-Flex Cowl Saver can be adjusted for maximum stiffness across the gap between the engine baffling and the cowl. If you have a large gap, you will want to extend the un-scored portion out closer to the cowl so that the stiff un-scored part of the Bi-Flex Cowl Saver is bridging the gap. The stiff un-scored material will prevent air pressure from blowing the Cowl Saver out of position. If the gap is small between the engine baffling and the cowl surface, reduce the amount of un-scored Bi-Flex Cowl Saver extended across the gap. This will give you maximum flexibility for the best possible seal. After adjusting the Bi-Flex Cowl Saver position for the right amount of un-scored material in the gap, trim away any material extending more than 1/8 inch from under the retainer strips.

I have a Cessna 182R with an O-470. My baffle seals do not mount on the metal shielding around the engine, rather it actually mounts in the cowling. Can I install this material?

As long as the non-friction side is mounted towards the surface that the cowl moves against, it should be fine. However, refer to the question regarding FAA-PMA approval.

I have a Cessna 185 with an IO-520-D, can I install this material?

The Cowl Saver material drastically reduces the engine vibration that is transferred from the engine to the cowl and airframe. This is especially noticeable on the Cessna 185 aircraft with the large IO-520 engines. However, refer to the question regarding FAA-PMA approval.

Is Cowl Saver baffle seal material FAA-PMA approved or have an STC?

It is certified to meet AMS3320G, which is the same industry standard specification to which other fiberglass reinforced silicone baffle seal material is certified, however it is not an STC or FAA-PMA product. It is ultimately the installing mechanics responsibility to determine whether the material is appropriate to repair the baffle seals on a specific aircraft.

McFarlane does have FAA approved die cut baffle seal kits for the re-start Cessna 172 aircraft; please see P/N BSC-KT-1. We developed this first because our patented material solves the firewall crack and other baffle seal related problems on these airplanes. McFarlane will develop more FAA approved baffle seal kits as engineering time permits.

My baffle seals attach to the cowl instead of the engine baffles. Can I use Cowl Saver?

Yes. Just ensure that the low friction side is in contact with the engine baffles.

My cowl seal material keeps blowing past the engine baffling creating a big air leak. Will Cowl Saver prevent this?

Yes. Cowl Saver is stiffer than most cowl seal material in the un-scored condition. Bi-Flex Cowl Saver can be adjusted to better bridge the gap between the engine baffling and cowl surface. See the question “How much Cowl Saver material goes above and below the rivets?” for more details.

Should I buy a 3" roll or a flat sheet of Cowl Saver baffle seal material?

McFarlane recommends the Bi-Flex laser scored Cowl Saver baffle seal material for aircraft that have fairly straight baffling and cowl lines. There is no strip baffling material that works well for sealing a curved cowling. You can cut wedges out in the strip and stretch the outer edges or overlap it, but the best fit for a curved baffling is to cut a curved piece out of a flat sheet. Many customers order both the Bi-Flex roll and a flat sheet to give the best and easiest installation possible. You will then have enough material to do several airplanes.

Please also read Customized Flexibility for Optimal Cooling.