Can I remove the windscreen OAT probe, and use an alternate one
 

I just bought a Fuji FA200, complete with Cambrai cover - unfortunately made for a different Fuji. The hole in the cover for the OAT probe is in the wrong position, so when the cover is strapped down, there is a lot of tension on the probe. There are cracks emanating from the hole in the windshield, some have been stop-drilled, but the probe rotates rather freely.

It is a daft place to put the probe, most modern aircraft don't do this, so I would like to remove the probe, fill in the hole, and install a new, electronic probe - one that is already FAA TSO approved. I want to keep the aircraft IFR legal, so an OAT is a must.

My questions are -
Can it be done?
Does it require a Minor Mod application to the CAA?
If so, is it likely to succeed? (Any prior examples?)

Thanks

I have a FA200/160 with the windscreen probe but made my own cover to suit. My friend rebuilt a FA200/180. In the process he installed a 4mm thick windscreen so he didn’t need the rubber strip on the central bar. He also did away with the windscreen thermometer and replaced it with an electronic one which has a small sensor sticking up between the windscreen an the top cowling panel.

The windscreen temp probe is also the best first indicator of airframe ice...... keep it !

Surely easier to modify the cover?

pumkinpilot
You are making life hard for yourself.
Contact Michael Whitley at Cambrai covers and he will modify the cover for you.
Cambrai are located at Langtoft about a mile down the road from Eddsfield airstrip in Yorkshire. Fly in, meet Michael and discuss. I have done this a couple of times when I wanted covers modified/cleaned etc.
http://www.cambraicovers.com/

Thanks for the comments so far. (I agree the OAT probe makes a good ice detector!)

Good to see that someone has already done this - in Oz, I think?

That is definitely my preference. I just think a probe sticking through the windshield is archaic, unnecessary, and a liability - putting the cover on/off in a gale, it makes a wonderful sail, and one slip could result in the probe suffering more stress, probably breaking the windshield.

Any UK engineers out there, that have knowledge of this sort of thing, and the minor mod route?

If the probe was mounted on the aft fuselage, similar to the VHF antenna, would that work? I expect any permanent wiring change would need a Minor Mod raising, but what if it was just plugged into the cigarette lighter - would that keep it simpler? And legal?

All comments appreciated.

There may be an STC mod for the prob position. Have a goggle for it...





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Good to see that someone has already done this - in Oz, I think?

Yes. VH-FJY

Hi pumpkinpilot .
It's the Fed's who decide whether or not it constitutes being a major or minor mod.
I'm sure that it probably will end up being a minor , but make no mistake , they'll want to know every little detail of it's removal , how you intend to blank it off , type of material the blanking plate will be made of , type of fasteners holding it in place , spec. of the sealant , and it'll need signing off by an LAE .


Sorry mate , not trying to goad you into slashing your wrists or anything , but the guys who recommend you to leave it in place are spot-on.


Considering the CAA's tariff for this type of thing , I would definitely recommend just having your cockpit cover altered slightly.

The person most interested will actually be the mechanic who you're asking to sign out the modified aircraft. The feds will provide the reference material for major vs minor.

Or, make a 'donut' out of polystyrene (placed just before you chuck the cover over), so that this takes the 'pressure' of the cover and not the probe?

Going down the aircraft modification route seems a little extreme (at all levels).

My tuppence.