The reason is that a momentary high voltage spike can damage the avionics when the alternator is turned on again. ![]() ![]() What some don’t tell you is to turn the avionics off first (the Cessna 172S POH does). Standard POH language tells us to reduce electrical loads and cycle the alternator switch off, then on, to reset the voltage regulator. Should the system andbatteryvoltages become equal, the alternator is not supplying power and the light comes on. When the system and alternator voltages are equal, the light stays off. Many airplanes, especially older Cessnas, have a cryptic alternator warning light. Knowing something about your electrical system prepares you for a scenario such as the one above. Practically everything IFR depends on electrical power. He then used an adapter to get the lower voltage some of these units required. There is no legal requirement to connect GPS or tablets to external power, but our pilot made the smart move, installing a switched, fused, power receptacle connected to the battery or essential bus. Newer flashlights, GPS units and tablets with rechargeable batteries eliminate some of these issues, but should be fully charged before departure. ![]() Smaller flashlights should have lanyards to hang around your neck or at least your wrist. A larger-yes bulkier-D-cell flashlight offers longer life and is harder to lose in the cockpit. Check conventional batteries before flight. The old saying tells us, “Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag for the purpose of storing dead batteries.” Aside from dead or leaking batteries, corrosion can also cause the flashlight to be weak or dead. He was prepared, but it still led to a gear-collapse incident rather than just adding to his experience. He knew that handhelds with only the “rubber ducky” antenna have limited range so he added an external antenna. In good faith, he added the standby alternator. He had the advantage of owning his plane. Knowing that electrical failure at night, especially IFR, is serious stuff, this pilot had done his best to mitigate the risk. He and the pilot’s money were nowhere to be found. Then they discovered the “A&P” wasn’t an A&P. The FAA inspector had never seen the like. Subsequent inspection showed the standby alternator he had paid to have installed was really an automobile alternator, that the wiring was a rat’s nest of fumbled connections and loose wires not connected to anything. On landing, the right main gear collapsed. Being slight of stature, he was unable to crank it all the way down. Unable to see the Bonanza (no lights, remember?) he was given a steady green light to land on Runway 5. Nearing BCT, Approach handed him off to tower knowing they had an emergency inbound. The controller told him to squawk 7600, reinforcing the old dictum that “Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding it.” He (almost) laughed as he repeated the nature of his emergency.Ĭenter tracked him as a primary target and issued a vector toward KBCT. ![]() Being IFR, he called Miami Center and declared an emergency due to electrical failure. He reached for the standby handheld, right on the seat, and even better, connected it to an outside antenna he’d installed years ago in anticipation of this event. There would be no more electrons from the airplane this night. Circuit breakers in, avionics master off, master switch off for 30 seconds and then back on again. Snapping it on, he went through his electrical system failure checklist. He did not have to fumble for a flashlight it was mounted on his forehead. The engine droned along as if all was right with the world. Using his GPS, he gingerly turned east toward the ocean with well-lit towns and cities hugging the shore, aiming at his home base, Boca Raton airport, KBCT. Fighting vertigo but keeping his cool, he knew that his Bonanza was trimmed for straight and level cruise. Central Florida is thinly inhabited, offering few ground references. Switching to battery.” Before the pilot could wrap his head around that, the instrument panel went as dark as the inky night outside. The first sign of trouble came when the pilot’s yoke-mounted GPS announced “External power lost.
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