Going All-Electric

These days, vacuum- or air-pressure-driven instruments in an otherwise glass panel seem like the proverbial fish out of water: All that spiffy new technology parked next to stone-age holdovers. Vacuum/air pumps and the unreliable spinning gyros they feed are pre-WWII technology, heavy and involve problematic plumbing systems. The irony has many owners thinking of removing their air/vacuum system entirely. Though it’s not without its drawbacks—which we’ll get to—going all-electric has several benefits, including weight savings, simplified maintenance and troubleshooting, and elimination of the failure-prone dry pumps and plumbing once and for all.

Key Takeaways:

• Transitioning from outdated, failure-prone vacuum/air-pressure driven instruments to an all-electric system offers benefits such as weight savings, simplified maintenance, and reduced panel clutter.
• This upgrade requires a separately powered electric backup attitude indicator, necessitating significant initial investment for the gyro and potential electrical system enhancements (e.g., alternators).
• However, if the aircraft relies on pneumatic de-ice boots or a vacuum-driven autopilot, completely eliminating the vacuum pump and plumbing may not be feasible, reducing the overall benefits.
• Pilots converting to all-electric systems must adapt their flight procedures to diligently monitor electrical system health, ensure backup power is functional, and maintain healthy aircraft batteries for reliable operation.

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