Portable tire pump?

FlyGirlKHWO

FlyGirlKHWO

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Jun 22, 2013
Messages
202
Location
Delray Beach, FL
Display Name
Display name:
FlyGirl
Is there such a thing for a SEL like my Tiger?

Just thinking about doing some off-airport stuff, and would hate to get stuck with a flat in the middle of nowhere. Is there anything that would be able to do a creditable job of pumping up a wheel long enough to get rolling for t/o and land it?
 
Do you have a cigarette lighter in your plane? If not you probable should consider one for all the other powers things like phones, gps and tablets anyway.
 
That's how I normally service my tires. Bicycle foot pump.
 
I carry one of the tiny plastic bicycle stick pumps. Weighs just a few ounces. Its not going to pump up my 8 inch aircraft tire very fast but it will do in a pinch.
 
I have a light weight battery driven air pump, about the size of a gallon of milk and a lot lighter. Rechargeable gell cell battery. I've had to replace it (battery) once in 15 yrs. I think I picked it up at Target in the automotive section. Newer units are much heavier with battery cables to jump start cars.
 
Just curious, how many people lugging around an electric pump have ever used it? I have never had a need to use my hand pump. Of course i got it about the same time as putting in never leak tubes or whatever they're called.
 
ScottM said:
There are plenty. They make them for cars and are in the repair aisle at most parts stores. They work fine for most GA tires that need <100psi.
Click to expand...

These things actually can generate extremely high PSIs, but they have near no volume and running them long enough to inflate car tires can melt the things.
We had a cordless one of these hanging up in it's charger near the door of the FBO at VKX for a while (might still be there for all I know). I can tell you that a regular bike pump would work faster.

Actually, when I was having a problem with the valve on one of my tires, I just carried around an air tank. I'd top it off at the hangar and throw it in the baggage compartment.

Frankly, I don't tend to worry about it. I can get the whole wheel off the plane in short order and can take it out to the local service station or wherever to be pumped up if needed (or if I can find a bike shop I can patch the tube). Airplane split wheels are a whole lot easier than replacing tubes on my 'bent.
 
Thanks for all the info, friends! The real question is how to reach the valve with the wheel pants on... a major pain. Did just order an adapter for a pneumatic pump, but don't think that would work with a bike pump. (sigh)
 
If you've got reasonably new tubes that are not regularly requiring air, it seems to me that checking pressure before venturing away would suffice. If you land with a flat someplace I doubt a hand or portable electric pump will do you any good. Better to just carry a spare tube. :)
 
If you are seriously considering off airport activity there aren't many items on the list of things that can potentially go wrong that would be remedied by a tire pump. If you are going to land in places that are completely isolated, not near any roads or towns and with no cell phone service then at the very least let someone know where you are going and carry a PLB. Better insurance is to fly with company (another aircraft) Just bear in mind that you can easily and relatively quickly get to a place in an airplane that is a loooong ways on foot from civilization and you are landing on unimproved terrain with many potential unknowns. The risks are higher so plan accordingly and don't get caught with no way out.
 
'Perfect reason to have a SPOT or InReach. You could message someone for parts... No need to get the whole S&R machine rolling for a flat tire.
 
FlyGirlKHWO said:
Thanks for all the info, friends! The real question is how to reach the valve with the wheel pants on... a major pain. Did just order an adapter for a pneumatic pump, but don't think that would work with a bike pump. (sigh)
Click to expand...

We bought a 4" flexible extension hose that you can screw onto the tire valve stem and then hook the pump to that. Over-pump by a couple of pounds and get quick at unscrewing the little extension. With a little practice you can learn how fast it'll air down while you're removing the little extension hose by counting seconds of hissing air... heh, seriously. You can get really accurate at it. Of course, getting within an exact number is kinda silly anyway...
 
most often off field tire failures are not repairable with out a new tire and tube.
 
JHW said:
Just curious, how many people lugging around an electric pump have ever used it? I have never had a need to use my hand pump. Of course i got it about the same time as putting in never leak tubes or whatever they're called.
Click to expand...
I have used mine a few times....but not for emergency type stuff like the OP is describing. I bought it after a time when the flying club plane I was supposed to fly needed a little air and the FBO line guy couldn't figure out how to work their pump. So I took matters into my own hands and got my own pump. I have used it here and there when the tire(s) got a little low.
 
Tom-D said:
most often off field tire failures are not repairable with out a new tire and tube.
Click to expand...

Actually a tube (or at least a patch kit) will get you back to home base most places. I've also had problems with valve stems so I carry a tool (and a few spares) to deal with that.

While I can't do it myself, grabbing a couple of untrained volunteers is all you need to do to change a tire on the Navion. Two guys can lift the wing enough for a third person to shove a couple of 2x4's under the gear leg (most car jacks are not low profile enough to get under the jacking point). After that, it takes a small wrench and a pair of pliers to remove the wheel, split the rim and remove and replace the tube.
 
SoloEqs said:
If you get a bike pump, make sure that you get one with a hose instead of the kind that fit the whole pump onto the valve stem.
Click to expand...
Another thing: do not buy the "snap-on" tips. Buy the "screw-on". Had to learn this the hard way with a few damaged stems. The coaxial tip that presses on the stem must be wide and flat.
 
flyingron said:
While I can't do it myself, grabbing a couple of untrained volunteers is all you need to do to change a tire on the Navion.
Click to expand...

When did we stop talking about off field ops, and flat tires?

Most of the remote field operators ruin a tire by hitting some thing very hard and sharp. or run stub from old brush that punches thru the tire.

You ain't fixen that, with a hand pump
 
Last edited:
A few years ago my brother and myself went to a Maule fly-in up in Montana. We landed at Valier and set up camp. It was a gorgeous afternoon so we decided to fly up to Glacier National Park. We flew through the pass over the gong to the sun highway and down the west side of the park. There was a nice grass strip back there, can't remember right now the name of it but my brother suggested we land there and all of a sudden it dawned on me and I told him we better not.

We had left all of our gear back at the campsite - and I mean ALL of it. We were in shorts and t-shirts, didn't even have jackets with us so all it would have taken would have been a flat tire and we'd have spent a very uncomfortable and cold night at that strip. It was a dumb move taking off without any of our gear but this is how easily we can be deceived. I mean we could see the park from where we left but those are BIG mountains and the distances are a lot greater than your eyes are telling you. Nothing bad happened but it was a mistake we vowed never to make again.
 
Tom-D said:
Most of the remote field operators ruin a tire by hitting some thing very hard and sharp. or run stub from old brush that punches thru the tire.

You ain't fixen that, with a hand pump
Click to expand...

Sure you can. You didn't read. While leaving a hole or cut in the tire certainly will leave the tube vulnerable, but if you can replace the tube, you most likely will be able to get it rolling enough as the ORIGINAL POSTER said to get it back in the air. I guess I was fortunate to not have your expert advise about the impossibility of this when it happened to me.
 
flyingron said:
Sure you can. You didn't read. While leaving a hole or cut in the tire certainly will leave the tube vulnerable, but if you can replace the tube, you most likely will be able to get it rolling enough as the ORIGINAL POSTER said to get it back in the air. I guess I was fortunate to not have your expert advise about the impossibility of this when it happened to me.
Click to expand...

Now if we are going to replace the tube, we must first get the wheel / tire assembly off the axel, then separate the wheel halves to remove the tire, to replace the tube. If we are doing all that why not replace the tire too?

Oh I forgot all we have is a hand pump..

Getting a little carried away are we?
 
zaitcev said:
Replace the tire with what, Tom? Spare tube takes much less space than a spare tire.
Click to expand...

how about a whole wheel assembly aired up ad ready to go.

Which will weigh less? a bunch of jacks, tubes, and tools. or a wheel assembly?

I'll say it again, fix a flat.

or a foam tire . they don't go flat.
 
If you are going off airport do it right and you won't have a flat.
 

Attachments

  • RedneckAirplane.jpg
    RedneckAirplane.jpg
    67.7 KB · Views: 12
Tom-D said:
Now if we are going to replace the tube, we must first get the wheel / tire assembly off the axel, then separate the wheel halves to remove the tire, to replace the tube. If we are doing all that why not replace the tire too?

Oh I forgot all we have is a hand pump..

Getting a little carried away are we?
Click to expand...

Because a tube is easier to carry than a whole extra tire. A patch kit is even smaller.
 
flyingron said:
Because a tube is easier to carry than a whole extra tire. A patch kit is even smaller.
Click to expand...

Doesn't what you carry vary with where you are going?

The OP is from Hollywood Fl. How bad can the places be where they will go?
 
Tom-D said:
If you are going off airport do it right and you won't have a flat.

attachment.php
Click to expand...

I think you'd have to drive that thing there.
 
FlyGirlKHWO said:
Is there such a thing for a SEL like my Tiger?

Just thinking about doing some off-airport stuff, and would hate to get stuck with a flat in the middle of nowhere. Is there anything that would be able to do a creditable job of pumping up a wheel long enough to get rolling for t/o and land it?
Click to expand...

If you have a flat in your plane, you'll need more than a pump. You have tubes in your tires which means you'll need some way to lift the wheel clear of the ground, detach and disassemble it, and patch it then reassemble an re mount. As for a pump, any bicycle pump will work.
 
Henning said:
If you have a flat in your plane, you'll need more than a pump. You have tubes in your tires which means you'll need some way to lift the wheel clear of the ground, detach and disassemble it, and patch it then reassemble an re mount. As for a pump, any bicycle pump will work.
Click to expand...

The tiger (especially if you have wheel pants) might be more problematic. The Navion you can get two guys to crouch under the wing and use their backs lift the wing up enough (even with a blown tire) to get a couple of blocks of wood under the gear leg which will be enough. A pair of pliers to pull the cotter pin and larger unscrew the retainer for the wheel. Remove the bolts and the split rim comes apart. If there's enough of the tire left and you either have a spare tube or can patch the tube, you just reverse everything to put it back together.
 
It never occurred to carry a pump with me, but I do use a small 12V compact auto inflator to pump up the tires when they are low on air, as there is no air station on my end of the ramp. It would work just as well powered from the plane's receptacle but I would need an extension cord to do that.
 
Sac Arrow said:
It never occurred to carry a pump with me, but I do use a small 12V compact auto inflator to pump up the tires when they are low on air, as there is no air station on my end of the ramp. It would work just as well powered from the plane's receptacle but I would need an extension cord to do that.
Click to expand...

Depends if your plane is 12 or 24 volt though.
 
Henning said:
Depends if your plane is 12 or 24 volt though.
Click to expand...

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but most power outlets on 24V systems are still 12V right? Wired to a single battery?
 
I carry a motorcycle Co2 pump in my tool box, along with a couple of spare Co2 cartridges. You can find them at motorcycle shops or online, like this one at Amazon for $9.99:

 
Sac Arrow said:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but most power outlets on 24V systems are still 12V right? Wired to a single battery?
Click to expand...

Nope. In fact, many 28V aircraft systems don't have two batteries.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top