Hole in Cowling

[Unit74]

And every auto engine is in liters.

Because quoting them in gallons is just too small a number for consumers to appreciate.

 

[Jim K]

Because quoting them in gallons is just too small a number for consumers to appreciate.

That's why I'll always be a fan of cubic inches. Much more precise, too.

 

[asicer]

That's why I'll always be a fan of cubic inches. Much more precise, too.

But not as precise as cc. To be fair, that matters more for them rinky-dink Yoor-Peen engines than 'Murrican V8's:
Alfa 1751
Cosworth 1498
VW 1192

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Nautical miles and knots at least have a basis in physical geography.

As in on ten millionth of the distance between the north pole and the equator along a line passing through Paris?

 

[Albany Tom]

I've yet to figure out what problem the metric systems was supposed to solve. That grade school teachers couldn't teach to multiply and divide by 12? All of the units are effectively random and arbitrary, despite claims to the contrary. How many times have they changed the definition of kilogram or meter? Is it to just try to scrape something positive out of the French revolution?

One of the most annoying things about the metric system is the confusion of mass and force. In the happily simple standard system, we deal with lb mass and lb force and the engineers know how to work with it. Using the wrong unit for mass is pretty harmless. Anybody that doesn't need to understand it doesn't even notice it. But in the metric system, everything force related is in Newtons, or it's supposed to be, but people can't do that math in their heads...nor should they have to be...so there are fun mixes of force calculations done in kg-force, which is a bit goofy. Either way you slice it, though, picking a different arbitrary unit that has fewer parts not divisible by 10 really doesn't make all that many things simpler.

Maybe if we started measuring weight in Newtons it would be better. Next time someone gives me a measurement in kg I'm going to ask for Newtons.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

In the happily simple standard system, we deal with lb mass and lb force and the engineers know how to work with it.

Except when you use Slugs and Pounds, or Pounds and Poundels in an attempt to get g out of Newton's laws.

so there are fun mixes of force calculations done in kg-force, which is a bit goofy.

Not goofy, totally ****ed up. Someone should be shot.

 

[Albany Tom]

Well when Laurel and Hardy go to metric Walmart to figure how many Newtons of rope rating needed to lift their 400kg piano out a window, they're going to be confused. Because metric. Another nice mess they've gotten themselves into.

 

[ljsuter]

Returning to the original topic.... I had a small hole that slowly developed in the top of my cowl. It proved to be the baffling rubbing against the metal because the cowl chafe tape had disappeared from that spot. After my A&P patched the hole I glued on some https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/cowlingchafeseal.php?clickkey=5364
per his instructions. Problem was corrected.

Larry

 

[Spring Ford]

Because quoting them in gallons is just too small a number for consumers to appreciate.

Yes, engines should be specified in tons of ice. A unit of power.

 

[Dan Thomas]

As in on ten millionth of the distance between the north pole and the equator along a line passing through Paris?

The distance between lines of latitude one minute apart. The length was variable depending on your distance from the equator, so it's been fixed at 6076 feet. I think it's actually 6083 feet at the equator., less near the poles.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

The distance between lines of latitude one minute apart. The length was variable depending on your distance from the equator, so it's been fixed at 6076 feet. I think it's actually 6083 feet at the equator., less near the poles.

That's the nautical mile.
One ten millionth of the distance between the pole and equator is the (original) meter.

 

[Dan Thomas]

I've yet to figure out what problem the metric systems was supposed to solve. That grade school teachers couldn't teach to multiply and divide by 12?

Just 12? Hm. Let's see:

12 inches in a foot.
Inches are usually divided into eighths or sixteenths or 32s.
A yard is three feet, or 36 inches.
A statute mile is 5280 feet.
A city block is 660 feet.
An acre is 43,560 square feet.
Standard barometric pressure is 29.92 inches of mercury.
A US gallon of water weighs 8.33 pounds at room temperature.
An Imperial gallon of water is 10.02 pounds at its max density.
A cubic foot of water is 6.2 Imperial gallons. 7.4805 US gallons. Around 62.2 pounds.
A ton is 2000 pounds. A pound is 16 ounces.
Water freezes at 32°F. Boils at 212°F at sea level pressure.

And that's not talking much about rods or chains or fathoms or leagues...

Metric.

10 millimeters in a centimeter. 10 centimeters in a decimeter. 10 decimeters in a meter. 1000 meters in a kilometer. A liter is 1000 cubic centimeters, or milliliters. A liter of water weighs one kilogram. 1000 grams in a kilogram, so a cc (ml) of water weighs one gram. A metric tonne is 1000 kilograms. A hectare is 10,000 square meters. Water boils at 100°C, freezes at 0°C.

So a lot of it is based on water. And everything is base 10. Unfortunately, atmospheric pressure isn't nicely aligned with the weight of water, so we end up with 1013.25 hectopascals (millibars) as standard sea level pressure. I have seen one altimeter calibrated in millibars.

Aviation is a mix of metric and US and other stuff. Fuel is in US gallons. Altitude in feet, temperature in Celsius, distance in nautical miles. Weight in pounds, pressure in pounds per square inch. Barometer in inches of mercury. Lead content of avgas is typically measured in grams per gallon, a real mixup.

Back to holes in cowlings.

 

[PastZTL]

Just 12? Hm. Let's see:

12 inches in a foot.
Inches are usually divided into eighths or sixteenths or 32s.
A yard is three feet, or 36 inches.
A statute mile is 5280 feet.
A city block is 660 feet.
An acre is 43,560 square feet.
Standard barometric pressure is 29.92 inches of mercury.
A US gallon of water weighs 8.33 pounds at room temperature.
An Imperial gallon of water is 10.02 pounds at its max density.
A cubic foot of water is 6.2 Imperial gallons. 7.4805 US gallons. Around 62.2 pounds.
A ton is 2000 pounds. A pound is 16 ounces.
Water freezes at 32°F. Boils at 212°F at sea level pressure.

And that's not talking much about rods or chains or fathoms or leagues...

Metric.

10 millimeters in a centimeter. 10 centimeters in a decimeter. 10 decimeters in a meter. 1000 meters in a kilometer. A liter is 1000 cubic centimeters, or milliliters. A liter of water weighs one kilogram. 1000 grams in a kilogram, so a cc (ml) of water weighs one gram. A metric tonne is 1000 kilograms. A hectare is 10,000 square meters. Water boils at 100°C, freezes at 0°C.

So a lot of it is based on water. And everything is base 10. Unfortunately, atmospheric pressure isn't nicely aligned with the weight of water, so we end up with 1013.25 hectopascals (millibars) as standard sea level pressure. I have seen one altimeter calibrated in millibars.

Aviation is a mix of metric and US and other stuff. Fuel is in US gallons. Altitude in feet, temperature in Celsius, distance in nautical miles. Weight in pounds, pressure in pounds per square inch. Barometer in inches of mercury. Lead content of avgas is typically measured in grams per gallon, a real mixup.

Back to holes in cowlings.

I think the decameter and hectometer sorta get the short shrift. Everyone's all about centimeters and stuff, but jump right from meters to kilometers. Sad.