The Why of CiES

For pilots and aircraft owners of general aviation aircraft, it’s been a historical challenge to measure fuel level in the air.  Every time a pilot scans their fuel gauges, they want to assess the state of fuel remaining in the aircraft.   To give a pilot  better decision making tools in flight, functional fuel gauges are a minimum requirement.  For this reason the FAA mandated operational fuel gauges for all flight operations.  This capability is critically true if you want to utilize the maximum safe range of your aircraft.

The main problem pilots face is misleading information provided by traditional fuel quantity instrumentation. Even if a pilot knows the fuel gauges to be erratic, they still can lead to bad decision making.  Today, their best option is measuring fuel before flight.  This measurement is  typically made with a wooden stick or glass pipette.  Pilots use this starting known fuel level  and keep track of consumption in flight, but of course, they still run out of fuel.  One key factor missing in this method is knowing exactly among the multiple tanks on the aircraft, just where is the fuel located.    Let's be frank using a stick in a modern aircraft illustrates that we have given up on ever making the fuel gauge work. 

With a bulk of the general aviation aircraft aging beyond 40 yrs, the problem is only get worse over time.

If only there was a better way to measure fuel quantity in the air, then pilots could make better decisions regarding extending flights, balancing tanks or making an extra fuel stop.  This capability would lead to less fuel starvation or exhaustion events and better piece of mind.  With 400,000 general aviation aircraft flying, there is a clear opportunity to meaningfully impact safety on the breadth of worlds general aviation pilots.

OSHKOSH RECAP - CiES Aircraft Fuel Senders

We are coming to an end of our first trip to OSHKOSH AIRVENTURE.  To say it was a success would be an understatement.  

The three most common comments we heard were 

• "It is about time that somebody fixed aircraft fuel level" 

• "Is is STC'd for my aircraft

• Discussions of personal near miss fuel starvation events. 

Lucky for us several of the alphabet groups decided to stop by and pay us a visit.  They listened as we did, as one by one, potential customers stated all of the above.   

It was a sobering for them.  The magnitude of the issue we have created in aviation, by ignoring fuel quantity indication,  became very evident.

For the first time, somebody other than CiES confirmed  what we hear every working day. 

Fuel indication as we know is less than aviation grade in legacy aircraft.

We are dead set on changing that.  

We've taken on a new look

Beech Customer Responses

Beech Customer Responses

I have the CiES frequency senders, with matching Aerospace Logic gauges.

Working with Aerospace Logic requires patience, but in the end, the result is really spectacular.

Yesterday, at 8500 AGL, I ran both R&L Auxiliary tanks down to 0.0 gals, at 47:35 on the clock, precisely as expected... A few seconds later... Fuel pressure begins to fall, immediately switched back to left main.  

Accuracy... It's a totally new experience. I have two fuel totalizers. One Shadin and one in my G4.  Maybe having accurate fuel gauges is overkill... But it's an overkill that I like. 

The only caveat is that my shop wasn't particularly efficient with the remove / reinstall / remove / final install / calibrate process.   I have ALOT of money tied up in this.   But I don't regret it, and I would do it again. 







For anyone who is considering CiES fuel senders these things are awesome. They are well worth the work to install. I ran all new shielded conductor up to the back of my JPI 930. Finally I have a reliable and consistent fuel measurement in my airplane. 

Wow, who would have thought accurate fuel level was possible.

If your airplane is down for an upgrade I would send your old fuel senders to CiES.   This will insure that the senders are appropriately set up the first time.   Beech in all their wisdom made numerous different senders inverting the bolt patterns on some etc. 

CiES senders can work by resistance, voltage or frequency. I would chose at a minimum voltage if you can, Frequency is even better.
Scott @ CiES knows his stuff.


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The cost to retrofit CiES senders to a pre-74 B55 is around $3200 (plus installation). That may seem "outrageous" but it's only about 50% more than what it costs to have the eight (2 per tank * 4 tanks) senders "overhauled" and my experience with overhauled senders is not very good. At best the overhauled senders will perform as good as when new for a few years which is to say they're accurate to within about +/- 5 gallons.

Properly calibrated the CiES senders appear to be within one gallon.  In a Bonanza with two 40 gallon tanks or a post 1973 Baron there are only four senders so that cost is cut in half.

 IIRC the last time I checked, new (1940s technology based) senders from Beech were around $1,600 each or over four times what CiES charges.

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+1 on the CiES/ Scott Philiben Phan club. There's no better customer service than that provided by Scott. anywhere.

I'm still VERY happy with my CiES senders. You know, when something "just works", you take it for granted.   I don't really give my CiES senders much thought. 

They're underappreciated little heros quietly doing their job. Perfectly. All the time.

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AIRCRAFT FUEL GAUGES THAT YOU CAN TRUST 

"With over 12,000 units now flying, CiES has taken over the OEM fuel level sending field.   Our combination of outstanding quality,  reliability, and accuracy has made CiES the standard and the runaway industry leader for fuel level indication on all aviation platforms, GA, Utility, Rotorcraft for both reciprocating and turbine engine applications " 

Aviation Fuel Level Indication - Customer Responses

Customer Responses

The cost to retrofit CiES senders to a pre-74 B55 is around $3200 (plus installation). That may seem "outrageous" but it's only about 50% more than what it costs to have the eight (2 per tank * 4 tanks) senders "overhauled" and my experience with overhauled senders is not very good. At best the OH senders will perform as good as when new for a few years which is to say they're accurate to within about +/- 5 gallons.
Properly calibrated the CiES senders appear to be within one gallon.  In a Bonanza with two 40 gallon tanks or a post 1973 Baron there are only four senders so that cost is cut in half. IIRC the last time I checked, new (1940s technology based) senders from Beech were around $1,600 each or over four times what CiES charges.

I'm having a hard time seeing anything "outrageous" with CIES pricing.

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And one additional point about CIES senders. I have absolutely no doubt if any question or issue came up, Scott would be on the phone within the hour. (More likely in minutes.) Every interaction I have had with him and interactions I have seen others have with him have been very positive. 

Phone or email he's always been very helpful.

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+1 on the CiES/ Scott Philiben Phan club. There's no better customer service than that provided by Scott. anywhere.

I'm still VERY happy with my CiES senders. You know, when something "just works", you take it for granted. I don't really give my CiES senders much thought. They're underappreciated little heros quietly doing their job. Perfectly. All the time.

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AIRCRAFT FUEL GAUGES THAT YOU CAN TRUST 

"With over 10,000 units now flying, CiES has taken over the OEM fuel level sending field.   Our combination of outstanding quality,  reliability, and accuracy has made CiES the standard and the industry leader for fuel level indication on all aviation platforms, GA, Utility, Rotorcraft for both reciprocating and turbine engine applications " 

Piper PA-31 Navajo Fuel Quantity Senders

Piper Navajo Fuel Quantity Senders  

We just completed a set of Piper Navajo senders for Mike Jones Aircraft.   

We replaced the old resistance sender design with the CiES Magnetic Field design .  Like a lot of well regarded aircraft, the Piper Navajo has not been supported by the factory for some time and the existing replacement senders either don't work or they have outlived their ability to be effectively re-worked along.

The CiES fuel level sender is built for the Navajo application, with a custom arms dedicated to each location on both the main and the auxiliary tanks.  Our non-contact fuel quantity measurement method insures that leakage can not happen through the sender body.  A modern digital sender component to compliment a modern digital cockpit interface, like a JPI or Aerospace Logic.

All of our sensor electronics are fully enclosed in the aluminum housing.  Unlike traditional failure prone senders - our senders have amassed an impressive record of 350,000 hrs of flight time without error or in service replacement.   

We will change your opinion of what float fuel senders are capable of - both from a precision and reliability standpoint.

Finally a fuel level sender specifically designed for the aviation market.

Vulcanair P68 Service Bulletin - Digital Fuel Level Digital Fuel Level

Vulcanair P68 Service Bulletin - 

The two new fuel senders are of magnetic field typology and their output is a digital square wave signal whose frequency changes according to the fuel level in the tank.

This new fuel sender uses one wire to interface the level indicator by which it transfers its output frequency to the indicator and a second wire to get a voltage supply, typically  the 28Vdc of the aircraft.


Vulcanair is the second OEM Aircraft manufacturer to utilize the CiES Digital Fuel quantity sender for installation on all of it's aircraft.   

Vulcanair is the first manufacturer to offer a retrofit Service Bulletin Kit to install the system on legacy Vulcanair and Partenavia Aircraft.  

 
AIRCRAFT FUEL GAUGES THAT TELL THE TRUTH 

"With over 10,000 units now flying, CiES has taken over the OEM fuel level sending field.   Our combination of outstanding quality,  reliability, and accuracy has made CiES the standard and the industry leader for fuel level indication on all aviation platforms, GA, Utility, Rotorcraft for both reciprocating and turbine engine applications " 

Cessna Pennycap Press Release - Flying Magazine May 1968

Cessna Pennycap

Copyright Flying Magazine May 1968

Curiosity got the best of us the other day, and somebody wondered if there was a similar example to a disruptive fuel level technology in General Aviation aircraft.   I indicated that there was a different system and it enjoyed a brief and limited success.  This system came out in the late 1960's and was featured on Cessna aircraft.

I went for a magazine search for press releases, curious to see what virtues would be given to a better fuel quantity system.

This system was produced by Consolidated Airborne Systems - which still operates out of a garage location in New York state.

The headline for the article was entitled 

GAS GAUGES THAT TELL THE TRUTH 

"General aviation airplanes - those engineering marvels, this distillations of technical wisdom and aeronautical magic incarnate - use fuel measuring devices of the same arrangement that plumbed fuel quantity in automobiles since the Model A  float tipped rods that electrically drive instrument panel needles to positions approximating the volume of fuel left.  Many such devices are off by as much as 25 percent" Copyright Flying Magazine May 1968

Many mechanics swore at these systems, many are swearing at them still.  The never lived up to the billing as corrosion on these low cost systems quickly robbed them of any accuracy advantage.  If you remember - Penny was to indicate "low cost" and cap was to indicate "Capacitive"  i.e. Pennycap system by its marketing title was a low cost capacitive fuel system.

"For not much more than the cost of an annual, then you'll be able to have a fuel gauging system of honest go/no-go quality.  Can you hold in the soup for 45 minutes at your alternate, or should you declare an emergency and tell them to get you down?  Can you afford to try and get out of that mountain strip with half full tanks and your present baggage load, or are your tanks more like three-quarters full?  It can make a difference." Copyright Flying Magazine May 1968

What is old is now new again - as 48 years later for the price of an annual you can have a CiES fuel gauging system of honest go/no-go quality. 

Customer Responses - CiES Non-Contact Fuel Level

Cessna 177

Hi Scott,Our senders have been working perfectly with the Aerospace Logic gauge since installation last August. Thank you for your outstanding support in helping us work through an unrelated ground wire issue in the plane.Gregg Ridder

Mine have worked flawlessly since installation, and the accuracy appears to be extremely good. Hopefully someday I’ll be able to quantify that accuracy. I sure wish other aviation vendors cared about their customers like you do. Jerry Olson, 76 C177RG

Hey Scott,
I presume you got the original frequency senders back by now? The new ‘voltage’ type senders are working fine with my old(er) JPI 930. I did calibrate them (again) when installing them, however, they fail to indicate the full 30.5 gal on each side on the 930 when ‘full’ (JPI’s display units do not show partial gallonage). Most times the 930 reads 29 each side when “full” (full is over 30.5 gallons each side, sometimes QUITE a bit more). However, when I fill up, I can tell you the amount put in + the 930 readout of what’s left is almost spot on, close enough to more closely calibrate my K factor in the 930 installation (it’s still off quite a bit). I also double check with my fuel dipstick. And I did level the plane while calibrating, even though the Cardinal cruises nose down, so calibration methods give differing results depending on nose strut extension, attitude, cross level, etc.
Any my 930 still shows the digital amount remaining.
So I’m happy. Much better than the OEM stuff and those original gauges.  And it will get better with more flights.
Too bad you can’t get JPI to include your senders when new fuel reading units are ordered.
Marc, 76 C177RG 

Everyone, Mine are installed (Bob Russell) and interface properly with the JPI 930.  Fuel readings seem to be extremely accurate.  I can read the remaining fuel from the JPI, and then stick the tanks for a comparison.  So far, readings are within .5 gal of what I measure.  Scott, excellent product.  Thanks for supporting CFO and members.Alan, C177RG

Beech Baron Digital Fuel Level Sender Retrofit - Part 5

Beech Baron 55 Fuel Level Senders

We have now produced the Baron 55 Senders.  These senders are fully TSO'd and presented our largest challenge to date as each sender had a unique peculiarity.

We will wait for confimation in the aircraft that all is well as we did for the Beech 58 senders we completed two weeks ago 

We are looking forward to this system in the aircraft as it represents a chance for us to utilize our capability of giving a multiple tank system, Mains and aux tanks accurate fuel level.

Stay tuned for further updates and pictures.

Beech Baron Digital Fuel Level Sender Retrofit - Part 3

Beech Baron 58 Fuel Level Senders

We have now digitized the Baron 58 Senders.  For the Baron 58 we have gone ahead with part production for top mount senders and only needed to establish the arm lengths to complete this design.   As we produce the arms in house - this gave us the shortest time to achieving a TSO Baron Fuel Sender for our customer.

All dimensions for these new senders  were captured from a legacy set of Beech Baron Fuel Level senders.  As our design constraints are different from the legacy senders - there is a little bit to getting the right geometry in the tank 

We are looking forward to this system in the aircraft as it represents a chance for us to utilize our capability of summing multiple senders to achieve a single fuel tank output 

One of the interesting items that came up in investigation is that every legacy Outboardd bottom mount Beechcraft Baron 58 Fuel Sender has a seemingly factory grind mark on the housing and screw  - Clearance ?

Stay tuned for further updates and pictures.

Does Airport Density Affect Aircraft Fuel Starvation Rates

One of the aircraft owners user groups postulated an interesting question.  

Does the density of airports affect the number of fuel starvation events? 

Are you more likely to push the fuel envelope if you feel safer knowing there are many suitable 
alternatives to land and refuel,  and do pilots take advantage of those opportunities. 

As always when it regards aircraft fuel,  it is always an interesting question and not a lot of concrete information available.  Most of what is written about aircraft fuel level is unfortunately anecdotal.

So armed with a fuel starvation/ exhaustion dataset gleaned from the ASRS (Aviation Safety Reporting System)  I set out to see what actually would shake out if we looked at number of airports per sq. mile and fuel related aircraft issues and put it on an overlay of the USA.   Darker States are worse off than Lighter States.  

Generally speaking - pilots seem to be more careful out West where airport density is lower.   

I did evaluate the per state fuel starvation statistic by number of aircraft per state, but as aircraft quickly transition from one state to the next, I didn't believe it held much merit to display.  

What does show up in many graphs of this type is that Wisconsin and EAA draws a number of pilots from around the USA and a fair percentage tend to inadvertently stay longer than planned. 

Stealing an safety idea from the Cirrus Pilots Association  

Fuel Early, Fuel Often  

Beech Bonanza Fuel Level Senders

Beech Bonanza Fuel Level 

CiES is rapidly expanding the number of aircraft that can utilize our Fuel Level Sender technology.   Today we delivered the first set of Beech Bonanza / Debonair fuel level senders.   

This set replaces the Beech original equipment Leigh senders still found in the aircraft.   The old senders had long ago given up on providing accurate fuel level. 

These new fuel level sender utilize non contact, wear free magnetic field technology to locate the float in the tank.  The technology found in CiES Senders is similar to that in your cell phone for it's compass operation.  But instead of pointing North in the compass example, the sensor in the CiES Sender points to the float and to an accuracy less than a 1/4 of a degree.  It does this accurately and repeatably.  You trust your compass to always point North - you'll trust this sender to always tell you how much fuel is in the tank.

The old rusty senders depicted in the pictures utilized continuous wearing potentiometers typically found in legacy General Aviation fuel tanks.  

Potentiometer senders have an in aircraft life of approx. 10 to 12 years before replacement or rebuild.  

You should'nt fly with fuel level senders that are 30 to 40 years past their functional life, Now you don't have to 

Reliability and Continuous Improvement - CiES

Non-Contact Fuel Level Measurement

Recently we ran across an article in the Cirrus Owners Magazine  - Cirrus Pilot 

The article talks about the Continuous Improvement Process that Cirrus Aircraft utilizes in its aircraft design and production to improve reliability.

This article it discusses the complete paradigm change CiES made to aircraft fuel level measurement and Cirrus Aircraft's customer satisfaction with our non-contact fuel measurement technology.

As the article states - CiES Brought a Whole New Approach to Aircraft Fuel Level.  

An approach that changed fuel level reliability, so significantly, that it is no longer necessary to question your aircraft fuel level indication.

Take Your Fuel Level Indication to Un-Charted Territory and  Embrace the Reliability of the CiES Non-Contact, Magnetic Field, Fuel Level Solution

CiES Mooney Fuel Level Senders - A Digital Fuel Sensor with Analog Outputs

Today we delivered 2 sets of CiES Mooney Fuel level senders for late mode M, R, S, & TN Mooney aircraft.

So we now have fuel level senders for the popular Mooney Bravo, Ovation, Eagle & Acclaim. 

We are now adding a new aftermarket general aviation platform every week.  

In addition CiES is adding a new OEM or commercial application every month.


Unique to CiES Fuel Level Senders:

• Set 1 - was set up for a Mooney Bravo with a voltage output for interfacing to a JPI 900 
• Set 2 - was set up for a Mooney Acclaim with a resistive output for the factory G1000 system.

CiES has the unique capability of supporting multiple platforms with the same sender design.  This sender design physically plugs into the same mounts in the aircraft.

While the float remains - CiES's method of measurement is lightyears away from the traditional potentiometer or resistive sender of the past.   CiES senders utilize a patented magnetic field technology that has more in common with the digital compass in your flight instrument or your cellphone.

Like a compass that always points north, the CiES fuel level sender always points to the float.  The sensor is precise enough to measure the angular position of that float down to tenth's of a degree and that precision is repeatable over time, temperature and vibration. 

Beechcraft Bonanza Fuel Level Senders

We just completed our first set of Beechcraft Bonanza Fuel Level Senders


These magnetic field senders are for Tip tanks produced by a popular Beechcraft modification facility.

We are starting to branch out into multiple applications in the aviation field with our magnetic field fuel level senders, from turboprop, helicopter or piston aircraft. 

Our technology allows for a nearly plug and play solution for legacy resistive fuel level sender installations.

What started as a Cirrus Aircraft only application for fuel level sensing is slowly starting to spread across the aviation field.  With over 10,000 senders produced to date,  CiES is "The Word" in aviation fuel level sensing.

Ask us about your application? 

Turboprop Fuel Level Senders - Digital

Bull Aircraft - Digital Fuel Level 

This  will be the first of many announcements we are allowed to make before the end of May 2015.

Another customer is added to the list.   Bull Aircraft manufactures a turboprop utility plane the Explorer.  

Bull Aircraft Website

We manufactured our new TSO Senders for this kit built aircraft providing a universal sender for every location. These senders incorporate fuel temperature probes to provide - Lbs. or Kilo's Fuel as this is a Jet A Application utilizing the Walter M601 Turbine.

We are interfacing with a VR Avionics MFD and we expect to see an interesting interface for fuel level.

Both,  Bull Aircraft and VR are Experimental - but the senders for this aircraft are FAA TSO Approved.

We think this aircraft will be sucessful.

CiES Inc Website

FAA TSO'd Fuel & Oil Level Senders

Another Milestone Accomplished 

We received our second TSO C55a designation for our aviation fuel level senders. 

To meet this requirement our senders were rigorously tested in in harsh environmental and electrical conditions.

In these conditions, the CiES senders had to provide a stable and effective fuel level output.

Our output quality level met the most rigorous FAA TSO standard for fuel level sending @ 0.75% of full tank volume.  A fuel level standard that the big iron fuel senders can only hope to achieve. 

Meeting these standards proves that CiES technology provides an accurate fuel level output for any aircraft or rotorcraft type.

The fact that a float based sensor meets this critical FAA requirement - proves our technological and patent advantages, as

only CiES produces FAA TSO Approved Float Sensors. 

Additionally there are no wires or electrical components in the fuel volume.  The requirements of the FAA Advisory Circular AC 25.981-1C - Fuel Tank Flammability are inherently met in our fuel sender design.

What was Added to the New Sensor

• Universal Level Output
• Resistance 
• Voltage
• Frequency
• Fuel Temperature Output 
• Lbs or Kilos Fuel Level Capability
• Flying Lead Connection
• Better Connection Flexibility
• Unlimited Connection Interface.
• Can Accommodate Limited or Tight Connection Clearance  
• Simpler Data Transmission Between Senders.
• 7 fold Increase in Output Sensitivity
• Improved Flexibility in Meeting Future Fuel Level Challenges
• Larger Data Processing Headroom
• Filtering and Smoothing 
• Internal Fuel Tank Mapping Capability  

Heli-Expo 2015 - AS350 Fuel Tank

Heli-Expo 2015

We are happy to show the Robertson Fuel System - Airbus AS350 Tank in the Vector Aerospace booth.

Our fuel level indication system is finding favor in many applications.

The unique nature of our magnetic field technology makes for a robust and accurate fuel level sender.

We have produced rotorcraft fuel senders and fuel senders for Jet A fuel applications, but this combination is a first for our application.

Our capability is exceptional and we are excited every time we are able to prove this in a new application.

We change opinions on how an accurate fuel level can be attained and are replacing legacy fuel quantity systems in the field

Check into our capabilities and we will change your perceptions.

Cessna - Friggin Lasers in Their Fuel Tank

Hidden Costs Behind the High Cost of Aviation 

I had started to re-energize our 2015 marketing effort  and wrote a few blog posts about delivering magnetic field fuel senders to,  new to us,  European Aircraft and Helicopter customers.  We seem to be popular over there,  we may owe many thanks to Flieger editor Thomas Borchert  

To check on our progress on our google search listing placement,  I ran across a G1000 Cessna Fuel Sender for Sale on Ebay  and thought I'd share it.

This is a Meggitt TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) Fuel Level Sensor for a Cessna Single Engine.

• Used Ebay Price is $1,800 each
• New Price from large Cessna Parts Jobber is $3,100
• Cessna List Price is $3,864.  

The Meggitt Fuel Level Sensors do look well made and come with a nice calibration sheet for your Cessna 172, 182 or 206.

Replacement Cost for 2 of these sensors on a Cessna would be $7K to $8K a Kit -  Installed cost would be well over $10,000 - This for a retrofit fuel level system on a Cessna 172 for heavens sake.  It is painfully obvious why there isn't a retrofit STC available.

Maybe some in aviation are correct,  airplanes are getting to be very expensive  - part prices contributing greatly.  But with a bit of creativity, it doesn't have to be.   

The caveat is,  that our Fuel Level Sensors met all the FAA TSO requirements that the TDR fuel sensor has met - and we do it for far less money.  I was told early on,  Engineering is not building the best without regard to cost, it is providing best performance at a price that is attractive to your consumer and the FAA.   

While I have heard that our FAA TSO fuel level sensors are expensive compared to legacy commercial grade resistance fuel senders, i.e. the kind of sensor they used to put in aircraft of the past.   I agree to a point on the expensive part arguement, but I truly feel CiES hit the target.  We provide improved aviation technology and performance at a competitive price. 

This Meggitt TDR sensor is not a well known change to the venerable Cessna Single Engine Lineup,  you would be hard pressed to know this was in your wing unless you queried the Cessna Illustrated Parts Catalogue.   There is no mention of this system any Cessna Marketing literature.   You'd think that a $8,000 fuel level system would be worthy of editorial or marketing content  - I guess it isn't.

Almost overnight the world of aviation fuel level changed and somehow nobody bothered to notice.

The TDR system works by shining laser light down a glass rod and measuring returns, so next time you come in contact with a G1000 Cessna owner - Let them know they have "friggin" lasers in their fuel tanks. I am going to bet they'll be surprised.