How Do You Inspire Pilot Confidence

- The Answer is Simple -

You Provide Them with Information They Can Trust 

It seems uncomplicated, ... accurate, reliable and trusted information is key to instilling a conviction that everything is going well.

Imagine a Synthetic Vision System that throws a few imaginary mountains at you, just for fun.   This would not be a system that inspires confidence.    Random false information would make a routine IFR flight more stressful and  stomach clenching even if you knew without a doubt that no mountainous terrain exists at any time in the State of Illinois.

  Conflicting information no matter how outrageous or unbelievable adds to pilot workload.

Cross checking normally reliable sources and getting similar results are the hallmarks of a good pilot.  Minor anomolies in calculation or display can be noted and corrected before a situation occurs.  To make this effective, any display in the cockpit should match what the pilot believes to be true most of the time.

In aircraft fuel level systems - reliable trusted information is hard to come by.

Pilots Trust in Fuel Sight Gauges 

Ignoring the issues of having a flammable substance with clamped connections on transparent and UV susceptible tubing or a fragile glass tube in the cockpit  - pilots trust seeing fuel as the most confidence inspiring  vs. any other method of level gauging.   If I can see it,  I have fuel and I know how much.   If I can't see it,  I don't have fuel in that tank.   I trust it, universally most pilots do.   But the limitations (high wing mostly)  revolve around the visibility of fuel  - Cessna uses a ball on the 162 Skycatcher.  But really these systems are best left in the dark.

Pilots have Faith in Capacitive Fuel Gauges

Professional pilots use them, they are the system of commercial aviation.  I hear from pilots that capacitive systems have no moving parts and are exact and reliable,  these pilots have not taken a careful look at commercial systems or the problems and solutions contained in a commercial or business aircraft system.   Good capacitive systems are expensive - the have extensive compensation for the fuel characteristics,  like temperature, water, entrained air, component corrosion These are all part of the capacitive equation for fuel level.   Good commercial Capacitance level systems compensate for this,  systems that rely on the capacitive reputation and fail to compensate or address these issues leave quite a bit to be desired.

Pilots will Believe in Anisotropic Magneto Resistive 

While more difficult technology to grasp,  digital output for fuel level from a float based system truly represents a real breakthrough in fuel level sensing.  

• It is safe, reliable - no wear parts
• There are no electronics in the fluid
• It is compatible with modern cockpit displays
• The fuel flow totalizers will match fuel quantity - giving you a truly redundant system in the cockpit.
• Provides a level output under extreme conditions

Youtube Video of the Sender under Test