The hardest thing, was once I discovered the failure, was trying NOT to look at the HSI, and DG
Yes, my last vac pump failure was in the FTDK - which has an electric stdby AH just to the left of the T. Even so I found my scan drawn back to the wonky AH. I now carry two suction pads to cover the AH and DG in such circumstances.
The other thing that I now know, with the value of hindsight, is that the vac pump was not delivering full suck (or "blow" in the case of the V35B) for maybe 10 hrs before it failed. Still in the green range but well below what it normally did - particularly at low power settings.
I also find it curious that the suction guage was on the far right of the panel, well out of the easily scanned area.
Yes! The FTDK has a bright orange light right in front of the pilot that comes on at low vacuum/pressure, in addition to the pressure guage on the far righthand side of the panel.
Dr 