Out With The Old

Tired of looking all around that panel to find all of your engine instruments? Are some of them not working very well? You need to check out the newest offerings from J.P. Instruments.

While wandering around Lakeland, we couldn't help but notice the large clear and colorful displays of the EDM-900 and EDM-930. These instruments are TSO'd and can be used as a primary replacement for old instruments, or simply for an easy to read advisory. Joe Polizzotto is the CEO, and he was right there in the booth with everyone else.

Polizzotto is a mechanical engineer who developed an engine scanner in 1979 for his personal aircraft with help from his uncle Joe Giannelli and his current partner and VP, Larry Elbert. After other pilots saw the instrument, they wanted one of their own. That led to the foundation of JPI in Santa Ana, California.

The new instruments can show RPM, manifold pressure, oil temperature, oil pressure, fuel flow, fuel pressure, voltage, amperage, outside air temperature, fuel levels, cylinder head temperatures, exhaust gas temperatures, and can even interface with an external GPS. An additional unit, the EDM-950 can be used to interface with displays such as those put out by OP Technologies.

The instruments are sold as a TSO'd instrument, plus a fee may be charged if the instrument will be used as a primary display. In that case, the company will use limitations from the aircraft flight manual to generate the appropriate markings on the instrumentation. The company has about 100 planes on their STC list, and more will be added.

The new boxes will be shipping in June. Polizzotto would like to sell about 100 systems a year. He doesn't see any direct competition for this type of system.

FMI: www.jpinstruments.com