Avionics News August 2015 - 30

industry

UPGRADING THE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mo d er n compone n ts y i el d m a n y b en efi t s
S T O R Y

B Y

D A V E

ne aircraft owner stepped back several years to step
up in performance, from a 1 96 9 Cherokee 1 40 to
the sleeker, speedier 1 96 1 Comanche. The owner
knew the change would eventually mean upgrading electrical
components designed before his birth in 1 95 0.
H is hangar neighbor previously arrived at the conclusion
about his 1 946 Cessna 1 40. P eering into its cowling was like
looking back in time via a powerful telescope. The 1 40 sported
its original, standard-eq uipment electrical system, complete
with a D elco R emy generator, and a past-its-prime pull-cableactuated starter.
The Comanche and 1 40 shared in their electrical-system
antiq uity: Both used mechanical voltage relays to manage
output of their generators; those generators used carbon brushes
and commutators, each with their own maintenance demands;
and the starters, both vintage 6 0 years back and devices
req uiring both mechanical and electrical skills to maintain.
Those factors prompted both owners to moderniz e the
electrical systems; so did the need for more electrical-system
capacity. Both aircraft used - or would soon - avionics and
systems not yet invented when they were built 1 5 years apart.
Neither owner fully realized the scope of benefits of their plans.
The unex pected bonus: The upgrades took pounds out of
both planes. Both also gained the reliability increase sought,
the companion reductions in maintenance, improved electricalsystem performance - and increased pilot confidence in their
aircraft. At their ages, confidence is a good thing for both
aircraft and pilot.
3 0

AVIONICS NEWS

AUGUST

2015

H I G D O N

Today' s market offers opportunities to help owners move
their aircraft into modern times to better handle pending
eq uipment mandates - and owners' wants for some modern
systems.
Older aircraft prices attract pilots to become new owners;
many are drawn to vintage designs legally considered " legacy
light sport" machines. And old Beech, Cessna, M ooneys and
Maules and Pipers woo first-time owners with their low prices
and simple systems.
Just as avionics, interior and window upgrades help old
planes hold their own with newer aircraft, so, too, can an
electrical-components update bring performance and capacity
eq ual to new.
Chicken or egg, egg or chicken. H elping aircraft owners
understand the benefits of updating electrical components
can also help the owner when the time comes to face those
eq uipment mandates - mandates which put more demand on
electrical systems.
CURRENT ISSUES: FROM THE SOURCE TO THE
GROUND ... AND EVERYTHING BETWEEN
The owner of the Comanche was 1 1 years old when it was
built; when he bought it in 1 997, he knew to ex pect aging
issues. For the 1 40 owner, he wasn' t yet born when it was built.
In contrast with the 1 40' s shiny paint, updated interior,
recently overhauled engine and prop and immaculate inspection
records, the electrical system fell short of the owner' s plans for
his old Cessna' s future.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News August 2015