Home

Aviation News

Flight Training

Aviation History

Theory Of Flight

Airframes

Powerplants

Civilian Aircraft

Military Aircraft

Aviation Wallpapers

Aviation Links

Contact


 

 

 

Electrical Emergency
1. Reset master switch
2. Turn off master switch
3. Fire
    Turn off electrical
    Extinguish fire
    Vent cabin-close vents and land
4. Turn off all electrical items and try to obtain voltage
    Check electrical items one at a time.
    Land.
5. Conserve battery power for landing
Electrical Failure Follow-up

You still have:
---notice of an electrical failure
---A PLAN
---conserve battery
---go to closest VFR
---your compass
---VSI
---A south compass heading is your best no-gyro heading
---your air powered heading indicator.
---any handheld devices
---flashlights and charts.
---knowledge of systems
---master battery relay closed above 9 or 17 volts with 14 and 28 volt systems
---knowledge of circuit breakers and fuses
You do not have:
---Pitot heat or deicing that is electrical
---Autopilot
----Turn coordinator
----IVSI (instant vertical speed indicator)
----electric HIS
---hard-wired gps or moving map
---hard-wired radios and navs.
---electric flaps or gear
---master battery relay closed below 9 or 17 volts with 14 and 28 volt systems

Position Lighting
Wingtip navigation lights can be seen in a 110-degree arc from front to sides and vertically for 180-degrees. The rear light need not be on the tail but must be visible 70-degrees to either side of center. The use of low-powered pulsed landing lights as recognition aids is a $200 self-defense system. Such lights must not affect pilot vision or position lights. Wing tip landing lights give greater longevity but make some taxiing more difficult. Part 91 flight at night does not require landing lights. (Good PTS Oral question.) Aircraft switches are on when up or in, off then down or out.
(
Another good PTS Oral question)

The position lights are angled so that they have non-intersecting arcs. At no time can three position lights be seen at the same time except from above and below. Two lights can be seen from head-on, 110-degrees to the left rear, and 110degrees to the right rear.

For collision avoidance if you see a red light give way. If you see a green light expect traffic to yield but be prepared if he doesn't. If you see a white light break right to clear traffic you are passing. If you see red and green you are head-on to traffic, break right.

All lights, position, strobe, and landing lights lose their intensity over time. Periodic replacement is a good idea.

Starters
A student should have knowledge as to the starting mechanism. A key switch activates the starter motor by closing a relay. The initial spins of the starter usually (Not C-150) uses a Bendix spring to engage the starter gear with the engine flywheel gear as with automobiles. Once the engine starts the gear disengages. Occasionally the lack of lubrication or battery power will prevent the gears from engaging. Get help if after four tries the gears do not function.

Starters usually die from overheating while starting hard to start (cold) engines. The Bendix will stick if dirty and fail to retract. Since it remains engaged with the flywheel the Bendix drive will soon fail. Lack of use affects the Bendix, brushes and rusts the gears. These defects require more battery current to operate the starter and cause overheating. Should be part of engine TBO (time before overhaul) cycle.

Precipitation Static
As an aircraft flies through air a static charge can be created on the aircraft. Static dissipation wires are often placed on aircraft trailing edges to remove this static. When such static exists, the radios may make an undesirable noise.

Halogen Lights
Halogen gas allows recycling of the tungsten filament inside the hot quarts thus prolonging the life of the filament.
The higher temperatures also produce a light that looks closer to blue.

Lights
I am wondering about the anti-collision system because FAR 91.209(b) says, No person may:
(b) Operate an aircraft that is equipped with an anti-collision light system, unless it has lighted anti-collision lights.
However, the anti-collision lights need not be lighted when the pilot-in-command determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off. Basic rule is if you have them, use them.


Continued on Page Maintenance and Paperwork

Return to the Pilot's Flight Training Homepage

 


Copyright 2003-Now www.airman.us All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form is prohibited.