[Nick]

I keep a small 12 volt compressor and puncture repair kit along with my tool kit in the aircraft. Very handy to have when flying into grass strips.

Nick

[PeteSpencer]

What is wrong with a foot pump and normal tyre gauge?

Nothing provided it hasn’t rotted away through disuse

[Dave W]

Edit :altered my search criteria and found ‘em!

Only £300- £400

One of these and a tyre inflator/gauge? Less than £75.

[Marvin]

I carry one of these normally used for Cycle Tyres but suffices for top ups when needed. Inflation from a flat is possible but can take time:


I also have one of these on the airfield which I can charge up and then carry to the aeroplane;

[Shoestring Flyer]

What is wrong with a foot pump and normal tyre gauge?

Nothing provided it hasn’t rotted away through disuse

Hardly going to break the Bank at £7.99 from Halfords is it!
Some people seem to like spending money on expensive gizmos when they are not necessary.
https://www.halfords.com/tools/garage-e ... T4QAvD_BwE

[PeteSpencer]

What is wrong with a foot pump and normal tyre gauge?
Hardly going to break the Bank at £7.99 from Halfords is it!
Some people seem to like spending money on expensive gizmos when they are not necessary.
https://www.halfords.com/tools/garage-e ... T4QAvD_BwE

[/quote]


We bought a compressor because we:
1) Have mains electricity in the hangar and
2) We have:
2 'kin great and 2 smaller vintage Fergie tractor tyres
4 Golf buggy tyres
6 triple gang mower tyres and
3 arrer tyres to inflate.
We thought a compressor would be a tad quicker than your Halfords suggestion.
But thanks anyway

[Shoestring Flyer]

What is wrong with a foot pump and normal tyre gauge?
Hardly going to break the Bank at £7.99 from Halfords is it!
Some people seem to like spending money on expensive gizmos when they are not necessary.
https://www.halfords.com/tools/garage-e ... T4QAvD_BwE

We bought a compressor because we:
1) Have mains electricity in the hangar and
2) We have:
2 'kin great and 2 smaller vintage Fergie tractor tyres
4 Golf buggy tyres
6 triple gang mower tyres and
3 arrer tyres to inflate.
We thought a compressor would be a tad quicker than your Halfords suggestion.
But thanks anyway

OK, your situation is slightly different from the norm having a miriad of things to inflate but for ordinary aircraft tyres a foot pump over the years I have found is quite sufficient and easy to use. Doesn't take many pumps either to blow an aircraft tyre up from flat and a bit of leg muscle excercise can't be bad can it!

[r_w_walker]

I just used the 12 volt tyre pump that came with my car.

Some interesting comments.

I did not like the idea that the existing valve is effectively disabled with these devices.

[townleyc]

What is wrong with the technology that car pressure monitors use? I presume they don't mess up the valves...

KE

[Dave W]

The aftermarket dustcap replacement versiond work just the same way, AIUI. They'd have to, otherwise there's no way of knowing the pressure inside the tyre.

A modification inside the wheel, as in automotive factory-implemented systems, isn't going to be a straightforward (or cheap) aviation refit.

[SteveX]

This thread shows how tragic things have got!! What a waste of money for toys for boys pointless gadgets. Why on earth does anyone need to know the tyre pressures once airborne, look at tyres on walk around, if look ok go flying. Check pressure with gauge every couple of months is ample.

[kanga]

.., look at tyres on walk around, if look ok go flying. Check pressure with gauge every couple of months is ample.

hmm.. early in my PPL career I was renting C150s and C172s from a FC at a grass airfield. One day C172 tyres (spatted) 'looked' fine during walkround (aircraft already parked outside on the hard area), and felt so during taxi out and t/o roll. On landing (fortunately solo), as soon as mains touched the grass on landing, it slewed to one side of the runway grass and juddered to a halt partially blocking the 'runway'. Of course, it may have been a sharp stone or rut which happened to be exactly where the wheel touched, not a low pressure before I started... Anyway, thereafter I tried to be particularly careful during walkround with 'feel' as well as 'look' (including 'creep marks'); although, I confess, rarely with pressure gauge .

Once I was into a syndicate I was having to pull aircraft out of the hangar, and I guess greater rolling resistance would have been obvious

[Stu B]

Like you, Kanga, I like to pay attention to creep marks - but during a holiday in the US I decided to get a check-out to hire a 172. I was invited to do the pre-flight and most was OK - but I had to report back to the instructor that I could not see the creep marks. "What's a creep mark?" he asked!

[cotterpot]

It would be the same in the UK now - creep marks not required.
Our aircraft hasn't had them for years.

[MikeW]

What is wrong with the technology that car pressure monitors use? I presume they don't mess up the valves...

KE

Most work by monitoring the ABS sensors for different rotation speeds due to change of rolling radius with loss of pressure. Not really applicable!