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Christen Hose and Fittings Kit ? What am I Missing?

Ironflight

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
I am trying to do a sanity check here (although it can be argued than anyone in aviation must be at least a half-bubble out….), looking to get what I need to install a Christen Inverted system that I picked up from a fellow VAF’er. I need to build up my hoses for the installation, and Christen sells a hose and fitting kit – all the hose and end fittings that you need to custom make the lengths you need – for $1347 through Aircraft Spruce. But if I price the individual components through Spruce, I can buy it all for closer to $500. OK, sure, you pay for the box with the Christen name….but what else am I missing? I have to build the hoses either way!

Paul
 
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Paul,
I stand corrected, sump fittings are not included with hose kit:eek:. That's quite a price for the hose kit.
 
Yup - I wonder if ACS doesn't list the contents of the kit specifically so that you can go price them individually, and buy them direct from Spruce (so they make the profit) rather than as the kit from Christen.....

I already have the basic and sump kits - just have to do the hoses.
 
Another Option

If your not set on "aircraft stuff".

All the hoses can be made by going to your favourite on line speed shop merchant. I made up all my hoses with elbows and the like for about $150 from memory.

The stuff was all anodised aluminium and seemed to be of pretty high quality.

There are 4 airplanes around here that have gone this route and none of them have had any failures (i.e leaks).

You could also to the same thing trough your local hydraulics shoppe, but all the fittings will be in steel an they are pretty heavy at -10 size.

Frank
 
I think the christen stuff is the SS braided stuff? I did my raven stuff with the non SS hose from ACS, and it was way cheaper than the christen hose kit.
 
The reason is because Stu Horn at Aviat decided that he needed to markup every part he sells as if it is a certified aircraft part. Need proof? Go check the price for the Christen Eagle kit these days. It's like a $140-something-crazy-thousand-dollars WITHOUT the engine and prop. I was building an Eagle in the 90's when the prices started to go crazy when Stu bought the company. I have also owned an S-1T and currently own an S-2B - both certified and you better hang on to your shorts when you call for parts prices! Think Beechcraft prices!

Now, I don't complain too loudly, and I do buy his parts (partly because I often have to) because the guy does manage to keep the Pitts in production rather than letting it die...but it ain't cheap, and that's just something you gotta live with if you want to own one. And, every time someone augers a Pitts in, Aviat gets called into question, whether it was a plane they actually made, or one that someone cobbled together in 1962 from Curtis's original plans - cause they own the "Pitts" design. All this adds cost of course to running the business, hence part of the reason for charging crazy prices for the parts.

For inverted fittings for a non-certified aircraft, look to Raven Aircraft at www.ravenaircraft.com or in the spruce cataloge. And do make your own hoses - they are the exact same thing!
 
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Aviat

RE: Aviat
You are also paying for all their research/development "adventures", such as the clip wing Monocoupe and Swift.
 
In our area we have a chain of hydraulic/pneumatic hose & fittings shops called Calliflower. I'm sure there are similar types of places in your area. They deal with all types of hoses and fittings for the trades and are extremely reasonably priced compared to the usual suspects.

When I've needed hoses I go there and have them custom made. They will also pressure test the hoses for you. They have so many different types of hoses and fittings its like a candy store for guys like us.
 
Christen special fittings

Iron Flight,

Make sure you get the special plug for the oil feed line at the swivel fitting, the special positive G lower sump pickup fitting, and oil return/ inverted breather sump fitting.

I also recommend you switch from the standard inverted oil pickup to the vacuum pump pad inverted oil pickup fitting. I got that one from Bart at Aero Sport Engines.
 
May be just one data point, but be very aware of the hose you do use. When I bought my Hiperbipe one of the hoses found chaffed on the pre buy inspection. A new hose was fabbed on the spot with brand new off the roll Aeroquip hose by an A&P. 3 hours into the flight home, my oil pressure dropped to ~30 PSI, requiring a landing at the nearest airport. Long story short, the new hose collapsed on itself internally due to suction (no visible defect from outside) and seriously restricted flow. I've never even heard of that before.

Based on this, this is one area where I think it's good to buy high quality hose from the start (and another reason why I avoid hose unless absolutely required).
 
What?

I'd be very interested in what is causing so much suction to collapse the hose in the first place.. Its not normal to deisgn an oil sysytem that will make that much suck..Reason being is if you get any kind of leak you could airlock your oil pump and seize the engine.

Sure you didn't have a partially plugged strainer at the end of that pipe?

Frank
 
The strainer is between the hose and the pump. Even if clogged, that would lessen the suction seen by the hose. It failed because it was bad hose.
 
"And do make your own hoses - they are the exact same thing!"

Oh, and when you do make your own hoses for your certified Christen inverted oil system and your engine siezes because you used the wrong hose or fitting from Walmart and it failed, starving the engine of oil, Aviat's gonna get dragged into court on that one too!

Sue first, settle later!

Given the nearly 1:1 ratio of lawyers-to-idiots in this country, it's amazing anyone manufactures anything anymore : )
 
Tom (and anyone else),

Here's pictures:

34zztit.jpg


#10 hose as removed from the airplane. One fitting removed in an attempt to figure out what happened.

wkiplg.jpg


Cut hose. Failed area is about 4 inches long - starts about 2" from the fitting end.

2ltn0ac.jpg


Section through the failed area.

Airplane has 1600 hours on it with no failure of this kind before or since. I suspect a bad batch of hose.
 
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