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I Learned About Flying From That: When Something Goes ‘Thwack!’

** To see more of Barry Ross' aviation art, go
to barryrossart.com.**
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • During a test of a newly installed ice-protection system on their company airplane, the pilot inadvertently caused an alternator failure.
  • The pilot and co-pilot calmly executed emergency procedures, diverting and landing safely at the nearest airport where a broken alternator belt was discovered.
  • Investigation revealed the root cause: a misaligned feeder tube from the anti-icing system sprayed glycol onto the alternator belt, causing it to slip, overheat, and break.
  • Key takeaways included the necessity of caution during a new system's break-in period, testing new equipment in controlled environments, staying calm during emergencies, and continuously updating preflight checklists based on experience.
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Several years ago my uncle and I flew up to Boston to pick up our new company airplane and fly it back to Georgia after the installation of an ice-protection system. We had dropped the airplane off two weeks earlier — a milestone for me as a pilot and my uncle as a student pilot, as it was our first flight through the busy East Coast airspace.

Though both of us originally were Northerners, we had spent most of our flight time in the South, where the controllers manage to convey their instructions at a snail’s pace. But combine rapid fire communications with courteously delivered but seemingly endless amendments to our planned flight route, and you have a recipe for an exciting flight with little time left for sightseeing!

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