FLYING contributer Les Abend says he's always enthusiastic about an airplane sojourn but knows that using our Piper Arrow as a station wagon with wings can be an organizational packing challenge for my wife. [Courtesy: Les Abend]
Key Takeaways:
The pilot experienced an initial alternator failure mid-flight, detected by avionics and confirmed by the ammeter, which necessitated an emergency declaration and a safe diversion.
Despite a temporary repair to a circuit breaker and connector, the alternator failed a second time later in the trip, this time occurring in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC).
This second emergency required an instrument approach to a new diversion airport, where the alternator was finally replaced after being diagnosed with failed bearings.
So, there I was… (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) A very small annunciation in the upper left-hand corner of the Aspen PFD caught my eye. The percentage of internal battery power remaining was being displayed and the value was slowly decreasing.
Whaaat? Why? What’s wrong with the Aspen?
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Les Abend is a retired, 34-year veteran of American Airlines, attempting to readjust his passion for flying airplanes in the lower flight levels—without the assistance of a copilot.
