Questions tagged [electrical-system]
The parts of an aircraft that produce electrical power (such as generators/alternators, batteries, and ram air turbines) and distribute it to the aircraft's systems.
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What is ACS on a magneto switch?
I was looking at a magneto switch and the text ACS below attracted my attention. What is its meaning and function?
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What is the reason for aircraft AC power supply neutral wire not connected to chassis GND?
In home utility power supply, AC neutral and earth GND are connected together at distribution transformer output.
Is there a reason why aircraft power supply is not following the same practice? Why ...
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What is output by the Seminole's twin alternator system?
The Seminole's alternator system is a 14V 70 amp system. I understand that if one alternator fails, the other one will be able to produce 14V and withstand 70 amps.
When both alternators are operative,...
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What does the "EMERG BATT switch" and the associated phrase "(if starting battery installed)" mean?
What does the "EMERG BATT switch" and the associated phrase "(if starting battery installed)" mean? I could not understand what the "EMERG BATT switch" and its associated ...
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Alternator vs Battery Power
What provides electricity to the electrical system of a Cessna 172? Is the alternator connected to the electrical components directly and battery is only used in the event of an alternator failure? If ...
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Why doesn’t lightning punch a hole in the fuselage?
Electric arcing creates a huge temperature in the air around it. When lightning strikes planes, why doesn’t this high temperature air melt/deform the aircraft skin? Also can these high temperatures ...
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Why are hydraulic pumps mounted on engines 2 and 3 in BAe 146?
The BAe 146 has 4 engines:
engine no. 1 and 4 generate electricity
engine no. 2 and 3 generate hydraulic pressure
Why was this setup chosen?
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What is the typical electricity consumption of an aircraft when stationary?
I am looking into the typical energy usage of a passenger aircraft when stationary. There are two options:
Using the APU
Connection to any ground equipment such as a GPU
I have some data to analyse ...
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Why use a RAT when engines can windmill?
When a dual engine flame-out is encountered, and the engines themselves are not damaged such as in the case of Air Transat Flight 236, why is the RAT deployed for emergency power instead of using the ...
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Is the attitude gyro (artificial horizon) equipment on our DA40NG aircraft powered by electricity?
Is the attitude gyro (artificial horizon) equipment on our DA40NG aircraft powered by electricity?
While reading the flight manual of the plane, I saw an article about the emergency switch:
"by ...
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Why is there no video of the drone propellor strike by Russia
I've seen lots of videos of the Russian aircraft flying near the US drone, but I've yet to see a video of the reported collision with the drone's propellor. Is there no video of the strike? If not, ...
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Field and Alternator Breakers
I under stand how the field and output breakers work within the electrical system. Monitoring the voltage output, I have a constant 13.5 volts at idle. During run up, the voltage will climb to ~13.8-...
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How heavy and expensive are batteries and generators on a 737?
I am currently struggling to find details on generators and batteries. For a B737 or similar, what would the cost and weight (in £ and Kg) of a battery and IDG be? And do lightweight options exist or ...
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How do aircraft inverters work and why are they necessary?
How do inverters in aircraft work? And why are they necessary?
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How do Pistons vs. Turbines fare during a Carrington event?
Electromagnetic pulses are a staple in sci-fi, and they're basically the writers' hand-waving of "deletes technology" weapons. This question asks about whether or not GA motors would ...
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Is this electrical socket found in aircraft?
I work for a a Public Utility in IT Asset Management, and we have been buying these auto air adapters (Dell's description) from Dell for our field workers. Each one comes with an adapter that goes ...
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What does the Permanent Magnet Alternator do exactly and how works?
From T6b Naval manual:
A dedicated permanent magnet alternator (PMA), mounted on the reduction gearbox, powers the PMU. The PMA supplies 32 VAC, which the PMU converts to DC. The PMU automatically ...
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Use of Fuses in modern Aircraft Systems
Are Fuses allowed in the control electronics of an airplane?
Are Fuses allowed in the electronic power paths which supply actuators?
Thank you in advance.
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Can electricity be harvested from magnets in jet engines?
I was reading about bleedless-787 power system but found out it still requires a gearbox.
What if you put coils around the "tube" part of the jet and tiny magnets in the end of the fan/...
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Charging system in a Lancair Columbia 350
The bus volts indication on my G1000 is pegged at 29.2 volts for both the left and right bus. I have a 24 volt system. What might that mean?
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How do jet engines generate electrical power?
I am interested in understanding how electric power is generated in Jet engines. If a pilot continuously keeps altering the throttle to suit the flight requirements, how does the jet engine maintain ...
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If alternator fails and I'm running on battery power, what equipment can I turn off to conserve power?
For a PPL, if the alternator goes out and I'm running on battery power, the typical advice is turn off what you can to conserve power. But what exactly is safe/unsafe, or order in which to turn off ...
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How do GA aircraft flaps stay in place?
On most small GA aircraft such as the well-known Cessna 172P "Skyhawk", the flaps are electrically actuated. Now - how do they stay at the setting selected by the pilot after extension ? Is ...
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Who is the manufacturer of the power inverter used by Ampaire electric aircraft?
Please see the picture within this article.
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C172 alternator field circuit breaker(5a) vs alternator pull off circuit breaker(55a)
what’s the different with alt circuit breakers between 5a vs 55a??
If alt field circuit breaker pops out does that mean alternator is not producing electricity?
And if al current circuit breaker(55a) ...
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Why are Li-ion batteries not being used in aircraft but are widely used in electric vehicle industry?
This might seem a very naïve question. Maybe the comparison of electric vehicle to aircraft is hugely inappropriate. But I couldn't find a clear answer in web search.
Lithium-ion batteries have a high ...
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The Fokker Universal has a crank you have to spin rapidly upon startup. What is it?
The Fokker Universal is one of my favorite aircraft. There is only one complete representation of it in existence at a museum in Canada. A video series I saw on YouTube tells the story of its ...
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Can both AC ground and DC ground connect to the same Ground STUD
Can both AC ground and DC ground connect to the same Ground STUD in a plane?
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Do I need a ferry permit for an alternator repair ferry flight within a mode C veil?
My Cessna 172 SP's alternator died while stationed at a class D airport, less than 10 miles from my home field (another class D). Both airports are within the mode C veil of a nearby B airport.
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What are the advantages of using DC electric power over AC, as e.g. done in the EMB 135/145?
In this question I can see the advantages of using AC electric power over DC in large aircraft. However, Embraer decided to produce a "DC aircraft": the ERJ 135/145.
What are the advantages ...
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What component of an aircraft generates its electric power?
What component of an aircraft generates the electric power to start the aircraft's engine?
For a Rotax 912 engine, I think the magneto generates the electricity, but I'm not sure; I also think about ...
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What amount of electricity could we get from the Seebeck effect on a kerosene turbofan?
Edit: I rewrote my post. To downvoters, can you comment on your reasons? As a kind reminder:
Downvote questions that don't show any research effort or don't contain enough information to be clear and ...
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Why is the alternator connected only to one electrical bus in the C152?
I am a noob in electrics so pardon my ignorance. What I see from an electrical system of C152 (pasted below): there are two busses, connected to each other, but alternator is fed only to the first bus....
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Why battery voltage is lower than system/alternator voltage
I’m a noob in electricity so pardon for my ignorance. Why the battery voltage is always lower than whole system and alternator voltage (considering light aircraft electrical system). E.g. In Cessna ...
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Can I do an alternator check at idle in a C152?
I have one question about alternator check in Cessna 152. During engine run-up we should check whether alternator is working or not, so we switch it off and then the warning light should illuminate. ...
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Where can I find maintenance manuals for the A380?
My friend recently acquired an external green light from an A380. They are the only details i have from him. I tried hunting the internet for maintenance manuals, technical details, schematics, ...
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Why is the battery turned off for checking the voltage on the A320?
Preliminary cockpit preparation section requires BAT check for 25.5V with BAT off (The beginning step). Since BAT indicator always show respective voltage, why they must be switched off?
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Can a completely drained battery be recharged via ground power on an airliner like the B737?
When accidentally leaving the battery switch or something powered by the hot battery bus on over night, an aircraft's battery could completely discharge. Normal startup, where the battery is switched ...
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Why do we still need ammeters?
I just received my private pilot's certificate 2 weeks ago, yay! Earlier today, a fellow at work who has 700ish hours walked in and asked my office-mate-electrical-engineer "why do we still need ...
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Can I safely plug something that draws 6 amps into the cigar lighter (power port) in my Piper Archer lll?
Can I safely plug something that draws 6 amps into the cigar lighter (power port) in my Piper Archer lll ?
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Will reducing the electricity power in an aircraft save fuel?
I was wondering if I reduce the power consumed by the aircraft, would the generator produce less power and if that would save some fuel.
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Why are these steps performed on the A330 emergency electrical checklist?
For an Airbus A330 in emergency electrical configuration with both generators and APU FAIL (both engines working), why does the checklist ask you to select RAT MAN ON before slat extension and then ...
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Would a piston or turbine engine be best suited for a small UAV flying 8000miles?
I am trying to devise a concept that would airdrop medical supplies around remote regions of Africa: vaccines, medicine, blood... etc. I image the payload would be anywhere between 1-2 ton. I think a ...
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How many smoke detectors does the A340 cargo deck have, and how are they wired?
I am a student of Aerospace Engineering, currently I am one year away from completing my degree. For my Electric Routing class I was asked to recreate in Catia the fire system in the cargo bay of an ...
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What is the cost of electricity generated in the E175-E1?
I'm comparing two types of cabin illumination, and I'm having a difficult time to estimate the cost that will be saved by utilizing lights with a lower power consumption.
What are the costs of ...
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Why can APU supply both bleed air and electrical power up to 10.000 feet but bleed air alone up to 17000?
I am reading my company's FCOM and I saw there the following information.
APU Bleed + Electrical Load: Max Alt 10000 ft.
APU Bleed: Max Alt 17000 ft.
APU Electrical Load: Max Alt 41000 ft.
If APU ...
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What happens with the avionics if in midair there is loss of power or fuel flow interrupted? [duplicate]
What happens if in midair there is loss of power, how will the avionics perform in such a situation (cockpit display, flight plan)?
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Why are the 737's variable-speed generator drives so unreliable?
The 737 Classic has two different possible styles of engine-driven generators, distinguished by the generator's drive mechanism: the constant-speed drive (CSD) and the variable-speed constant-...
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Are the A320's A and B electrical buses both energized all of the time during flight?
I'm a novice reading a quick study guide.
For electric power, I notice that the A320 has two buses: A and B.
Are they both energized all of the time during flight? If not, is there a way to switch ...
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If an A320 loses an engine why does the landing category go to CAT3 single?
Following an A320 engine failure, why does the the landing category go to CAT3 single even if the APU has been started and is powering the AC bus that was lost by the failed engine?
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