AN LGT COMMERCIAL FIXED WING ACFT ON INITIAL CLB DISCOVERED THE STANDBY ALTIMETER AND AIRSPD INDICATOR INOP AFTER HAVING BEEN REPAIRED PRIOR TO DEP.

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ACFT HAD BEEN WRITTEN UP BY INBOUND CREW. THIS WAS A CREW CHANGE. THE STANDBY ALTIMETER AND AIRSPD INDICATOR WAS RPTED ON A MAINT LOGBOOK WRITE-UP. MAINT RPTEDLY FIXED THE PROB. IT WAS NOT AN MEL ITEM. IT HAD TO BE FIXED. UPON DEP IN VMC CONDITIONS; THE CAPT AND MYSELF NOTICED THE STANDBY ALTIMETER AND AIRSPD INDICATOR WERE NOT FUNCTIONING. WE RADIOED MAINT BY RADIO WITHIN 15 MI OF THE DEP ARPT. WAS TOLD TO CONTINUE AND WOULD HAVE A MAINT PERSON TAKE A LOOK AT ARR ARPT. IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON (DUSK) AND I THOUGHT WE SHOULD RETURN TO DEP ARPT TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT AGAIN. THE WX ENRTE WAS OVCST AND ARR ARPT WAS FORECAST TO BE VFR. THIS IS AN ITEM FOR EMER USE. MY PROB WAS WE WERE AT (DEPARTED) A MAINT FACILITY; THEREFORE; WE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF RETURNING TO THE DEP ARPT RATHER THAN PRESS ON INTO NIGHT IFR ON TOP. TURNS OUT; THE SYS WAS NOT PROPERLY HOOKED UP; AS WE DISCOVERED AT THE OTHER END. 4 1/2 HR DELAY. IN AN EMER LNDG THROUGH IMC WOULD HAVE BEEN NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. LNDG AT THE 'NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT' WAS ON MY MIND. AND THAT WAS BEHIND US AT THE DEP ARPT. KNOWING IT WAS NOT AN ITEM THAT; IN NORMAL OPS; WOULD ALLOW DEP WITHOUT BEING OPERABLE; I FELT WE SHOULD HAVE RETURNED AND GOTTEN IT FIXED. MY CONCERN IS WHAT WOULD AN FAA INSPECTOR HAVE SAID/DONE IF THEY WERE IN THE JUMP SEAT OBSERVING OUR OPS? I THINK I WOULD HAVE CLRLY RETURNED TO HAVE IT FIXED.