Hobbs?

[DeLtaFoxY]

Im sure this may have been asked before...

 

On turbine aircraft....say a 206....does the hobbs meter count like the r44 or at engine start like the r22...?

 

gracias

 

[yzchopper]

On the 206 you have the maint. hobbs and then the collective hobbs. You bill off of the collective hobbs. When the collective is raised the hobbs is activated. My answer is the R44. Hope this helps.

[PhotoFlyer]

Calvin?

 

The hobbs meter will start at different times in different aircraft, no matter if it's a turbine or not. For instance, I flew a schweizer that didn't turn on until the aircraft left the ground(squat switch on the landing gear). Another schweizer I flew started the hobbs on a transmission pressure switch.

 

I'm not sure when the hobbs activates on the 206 I fly, since we track actual flight time (takeoff to landing), and not hobbs time.

Edited January 6, 2010 by PhotoFlyer

[nikon858]

206 I fly tracks collective activated (maint hobbs) on the side of the console, and on the dash is oil pres. hobbs...which if your smart is the one you bill.

[Goldy]

which if your smart is the one you bill.

 

Really smart would be to bill based on a hobbs tied to the master switch!

[rick1128]

It is not a requirement by the FAR's to have a Hobbs meter. Just that you track flight times in a manner acceptable to the Administrator. I have seen helicopters that have no hobbs meter and the pilot records all the times manually. Helicopters with just a hobbs meter connected to the collective and those with a collective hobbs meter and a hobbs connected to either the master switch or an oil pressure switch.

 

I have also seen companies that will have the pilots record all pertinent times, but still have a hobbs meter install. Hobbs meters have been know to fail. It has been my experience that the hobbs meter will over time be more accurate than all the pilots flying that machine. Not due to any incompetency on the pilots' part. More due to differences in watches, rounding methods, etc.

 

Here's a question to consider. All the wheeled helicopters I have dealt with have a collective switch on the maintenance hobbs. Maintenance times in the FAR's are wheels off to wheels on. So shouldn't the hobbs meter switch be on a landing squat switch?

[nikon858]

Really smart would be to bill based on a hobbs tied to the master switch!

 

[delorean]

For a while, our flight time was downloaded off the satellite tracking. It cuts out often for a few minutes, so all the times were screwed up. Went back to the collective Hobbs.

[500E]

DL

What margin of errors were you getting ?, due to? antenna sighting, shielding due to low level, or poor GPS unit performance

[helonorth]

I don't even know if the 206B I fly even has a Hobbs. We bill by the minute, from collective up to collective down. That's what goes in the maintenance logs and that's what goes in my log book. It's a much simpler and accurate way to record the time IMHO.

[delorean]

DL

What margin of errors were you getting ?, due to? antenna sighting, shielding due to low level, or poor GPS unit performance

 

It "pings" once a minute to a satellite, then bounces back down to Canada, is processed, then goes over the internet to our company's op center, is processed through the company's software, etc.

 

So, any error in this process screws everything up. It was usually short by 0.1 every other or third time.

 

It was a good idea, but it just didn't work.

[rotorrodent]

Really smart would be to bill based on a hobbs tied to the master switch!

 

 

Goldy,

 

Actually one should have it tied to the coffee pot. That way you can log the time spent thinking about flying!!!

 

Rotorrodent