Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation
so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it
all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as
representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have
heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we
might never have considered before, or something that didn't
"stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for
the practical test.
It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers
become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our
ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those
strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow
them to soar magnificently through it.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
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always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips.
Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this
together.
Aero-Tips 02.28.06
Several readers wrote with questions after reading the 2.05.06 Aero-Tips on “Generators vs.
Alternators.”
Most had questions about these statements:
Generators are heavy, not usually a good thing in aircraft
design.
Alternators have light weight for the power output, a result
of (relatively) modern electronics.
My experience is that in recent years smaller, lighter
alternators with higher output have replaced heavier generators
with reduced output. A reader wrote that this is not always the
case—that some generators are as light as some alternators
with the same rated capacity. So although in general alternators
win in the weight-to-power category, this is not a hard-and-fast
rule using generators and alternators of modern vintage.
One reader disputes the article’s opening statement:
Most airplanes have electrical systems. They need some way
to recharge the airplane’s battery.
The reader rightly challenged that the battery is necessary to
run airplane systems if an alternator or generator is functioning.
Although an airplane’s electrical system is run by
alternator/generator power alone if the battery is completely dead,
the battery serves several important functions, including:
- Power for engine start.
- Emergency power in the event of an alternator/generator
failure.
- Most importantly, a buffer to absorb electrical power
fluctuations so minor out-of-tolerance alternator/generator output
will not damage sensitive avionics and other equipment.
Although the electrical system can run without a battery,
there’s reduced protection for electronic components, and
there’s no electrical back-up for emergencies.
Thanks, readers, for your input!
Aero-tip of the day: We all learn when we ask
questions. Evaluate critically anything you read, about aviation or
any topic.