The Leans

[Jerry Winchester]

I may be ready for the rubber room just talking about it.

But I have not reached Mike's level of anality such that I have the laser levels out in force and taking measurements with a micrometer.

Airplanes are somewhat easier but much less forgiving. If you drop a screw in an unretrievable place, just change the empty weight of the plane............

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Planes are almost equally frustrating.

Several months back I had my alternator drop off line. No CB popped, but it would just drop out and I would not be charging.

If I cycled the alternator side of the master it would come back on. Maybe for the rest of the flight, maybe for 10 minutes. Since I routinely fly to JHW and an approach to minimums is not uncommon during snow squalls I decided not to let the mechanics play "try this".

I had everything changed, including the master switch, alternator control unit, alternator and the over voltage relay.

After about two flights guess what? The CB for the alternator control unit (voltage regulator for you bus guys) started to pop out. That turned out to just be a lazy CB and since that was changed I think my little electrons are all running around the way they are supposed to.

Now my turbo is bootstrapping and tomorrow I am going to massage the wastegate with a little mouse milk (no joke bus guys) and see if that fixes it.

Anybody want to trade a nearly new bus for a 97 bus and a great P210?

[Jerry Winchester]

Mouse Milk is a sure lube-er-up-er for something stuck.

Since my plane has fewer moving parts than yours, it would stand to reason that yours would promote entry to said rubber room sooner.

But you must have some serious amp draw at times. I think the only time my alternator is taxed is when the gear is being cycled. I changed out the landing light and installed one of those "Boom Beam" lights from LoPresti, so I went from 70,000 candlepower, to about 500,000 with half the amperage and no filement to break.

I really just wanted the tower guys at DWH to mistake me for a jet on approach..........

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Big current draws:

Gear
Windshield de-ice
Prop de-ice
Pitot (which includes stall warning)
Headlights

Nothing really big, but lots of little things. About 40 or more circuits. 95 amp alternator and 7 amp standby generator for emergency use.

So far seven electrical system failures over 20 years from things like alternator and alternator control failures to broken field wire, failed alternator CB, broken belt, etc.

In 16 years of driving bus three alternator failures and one failed field wire. I guess if it is mechanical it will break.