PITOT & STATIC TESTING
All aircraft – whether fixed-wing or rotorcraft in civil, commercial or military applications – use pitot probes and static ports to gather information.
Airspeed, altitude, altitude trend and angle-of-attack (on certain aircraft) are all calculated by probes and ports.
While many common probes and ports are seen on the market, many use specialized designs for both.
It’s imperative that these probes and ports be clear and free from foreign object debris; adapters are used to test probes and ports for functionality and integrity.
Pitot probes are usually located under a wing or on the sides of the nose of an aircraft, though the location varies by aircraft design.
These probes can be single pitot, single pitot/single static, single pitot/dual static and the like. Some include AoA (Angle of Attack) sensors.
Static ports can be recognized as a disc which is flush with the aircraft skin, toward the back of an aircraft, and many times has a variety of holes within that disc.
There are also ‘plates’ on aircraft which are square and considerably larger than ports, though they function in the same manner.
FIND YOUR WAY THROUGH THE PITOT & STATIC ADAPTERS
PITOT ADAPTERS
The ‘standard’ pitot adapter takes a simple pitot measurement – this is our CSA8210-4, used on 52 different types of aircraft.
There’s the single pitot/single static adapter – this is our CSA30024-4, used on many General Aviation aircraft, such as a Kodiak 100 and an Air Tractor 802.
Single pitot/dual static adapter – this is our CSA50004-4, used on some jets, such as the Gulfstream GV.
Single pitot/triple static – this is our CSAP300HTL4-4-4-4 and includes AoA sensor capabilities (also known as ‘smart probe’ adapters. This is used on the Embraer Phenom 300 aircraft.
STATIC ADAPTERS
Just as static ports vary, so do the types of static adapters.
Cleco-style use a plunger to insert the adapter into the aircraft, and when released, ‘jaws’ (under the blue cover) expand inside the port, pulling the adapter to the skin of the aircraft to create a solid seal.
This is our CSTL19725-4, used on many Boeing commercial aircraft.
The pin-type static adapter uses an ‘O’ ring on the end. When inserted into the port, the ring expands, holding the adapter in place.
This is our CSTL20180-4, used mainly on Hawker Aircraft.
Then we have the bar-type static adapter, where the ends of the bar screw into the skin of the aircraft and the single or dual mast(s) gently screw down to the skin and create a solid seal around the static port. This is our CSTA320-4-4, which is a dual static adapter used on the Airbus A320 family.
We also manufacture a suction cup style ‘universal’ adapter, with short arms which swing a bit to help avoid paint lines and rivets.
This is our CSTLR904U, used on a variety of GA and small jet aircraft.
Cobra Systems has been manufacturing pitot/static test adapters since 2002, continuously adding designs as new aircraft are developed. Our adapters differ from others in these ways –
- Bodies are constructed from 7075 high-grade aluminum, which prevents breaks if dropped
- Connectors are machined from stainless steel aluminum, helping prevent corrosion and rust
- Come as single adapters or as full kits (kits are manufactured per aircraft type and come with adapters, hose, seals, pre-test pins and are assembled in a hard-side case with custom foam cutouts for the tools)
In 2018 Cobra Systems became an ATEQ Aviation brand, bringing to market the ONLY supplier of the full life-cycle of pitot/static testing. From test adapters to test boxes, ATEQ Aviation & Cobra Systems provide the solution provider you can trust to best test your pitot/static system.
