Kitfox List <kitfox@lists.csn.net>
/I have planned to fit fuses to my 6A as per your recommendation.
/When I do the pre-flight on my Cherokee one of the things on
/the check list is "are any breakers popped?". That is am I
/taking off in an aeroplane with a faulty circuit the last guy
/didn't notice or didn't tell me about.
Leo my friend, this is an excellent point that validates my
frustration with the way certified airplanes are sold to
the flying public . . .
/Do you have a repacement for this item for a fuse equipped plane?
/Do you have a swing down fuse board or do you recommend an
/alternative check list procedure? Knowing you I know you will
/have thought this through but the answer is not immediately
/apparent to my cursory examination of the issue.
Somewhere we were taught the mind-set that the published
checklist is sanctified, all-inclusive and by virtue of
government blessing is carved in stone. In accepting this
we've been assured that going by the book will save us
from all manner of evil.
Looking for the popped breaker is certainly not a bad thing
to do but what does it tell you as a pilot who is about to
fire up the engine and go? It says one and one thing only,
"before the airplane was shut down after the last flight,
there were no faults on the line donwstream of that breaker
that would cause it to open." What does that tell you about
the piece of equipment that the breaker feeds? Almost nothing
of value. In no way does it guarantee proper function of the
piece of equipment.
Your checklist should be EXPANDED to include the observation
and/or exercise of all the equipment items deemed necessary for
your intended flight. Nav light breaker in? Okay, how about
a walk around to see that all there lights are lit? Better
yet, how about an ammeter with enough resolution to tell that
three bulbs worth of load came on line when you flipped the
switch? The same philosophy can and should be applied to
virtually every equipment item. It's far more useful to spend
the time to see if the thing is really working than to
accomplish the time-honored inspection of the breaker panel.
I don't recommend swing down panels . . . you can't tell
if a plastic fuse is blown just by looking at the top of it
anyhow. In the very rare event that the fuse IS blown,
there's far more work to be done than to simply replace it
and HOPE it doesn't happen again soon. You need to find
out and fix the problem.
The government approved check list should be considered a
MINIMUM not an OPTIMUM document. For amateur built airplanes,
there's no reason to tolerate nuisance tripping of any form
of circuit protection so if you find that a fues or breaker
does occasionally see a NORMAL load that is too big for the
breaker, then put in a LARGER breaker and wire to make the
problem go away.
Regards,
Bob . . .
AeroElectric Connection
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(o o)
oOOo(_)oOOo
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