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Old 6th Jul 2012, 19:04
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SadPole
 
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@Mike744

Pitot tube was invented in year (get this) 1732 so it is quite safe to assume we did learn a thing or two about better ways to measure gas flows since then;

Pitot tubes allowed to measure approximate air-speed without need of electronics or even electricity (except for heating the damn thing) and thus were a great tool from the very beginning of aviation.

Original Pitot tube provided two pipes with static and dynamic/impact pressures that were connected to a mechanical gauge where the different pressures acted upon a membrane that was driving a air-speed gauge needle.

See this Popular Mechanics article from 1944.

Popular Science - Google Books

This isn't to say that everything that is that old must automatically be bad - but the problem is that all countries have aviation laws that specifically require Pitot Tubes and other such archaic things and it simply seems easier to throw some electronics into 300 year old sensor than to change all the laws, I think.

So, "modern" Pitot tubes no longer output their readings in form of two hoses but have a silicone pressure sensor instead - and this is the extend of the "innovation" in the aviation sensor field.

On the other hand, in cars you can now find all different types of mass flow electronics.

Last edited by SadPole; 6th Jul 2012 at 19:13.
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