It's a Lycoming O-235. Actually, it's not a Light Sport airplane, but I figured if anybody had found such a device it would be the Light Sport group. The plane has an Alternator switch and a Field switch that I inadvertently forgot to turn on after starting the engine. (I skipped the item on the checklist.) (I'm not even real sure WHY it even has these switches because I can't figure out WHY anybody wouldn't want their alternator working at ALL times, but now at least I know what they are for.) I ran my battery down to dead in 25 minutes (a brand new battery, I might add) and the first I knew of the problem was when the GPS went dead, followed by the radios (about 10 seconds later) then the transponder and audio panel in another 10 seconds. Obviously, a gradually declining voltmeter didn't help me a bit and I started wondering why there wasn't something more obvious available. I suppose the first indication of an alternator (or alternator belt) failure would be a similar abrupt loss of avionics (who stares at their volt meter?). Had I had some kind of alerting system I could have at least reduced the load while I figured out what was happening. As it happened I didn't spot the switch problem until after I landed. I'm not likely to repeat this particular mistake in this particular plane (I'll find a way to make other mistakes, I'm sure) but a warning light seems like it would be worth the investment to me.
----- Original Message -----From: Bob ComperiniSent: Saturday, February 06, 2010 7:10 PMSubject: RE: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group Alternator Warning LightWhat engine? There is a warning light circuit built in to the 912's regulator.
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Bob Comperini
e-mail: bob@fly-ul.com
WWW: http://www.fly-ul.com
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