Redundant systems in a pinch improve survival odds

Redundancy has always been a key pillar of aviation safety.  For decades, the old-school flight instrument panels served pilots quite well, with their important gyroscopic instruments all backed up by duplication.

But the glass panel revolution introduced a new complication for those looking to upgrade to electronic instruments while still preserving the redundancy of their old panels. It wasn’t as easy as simply installing another gyroscopic instrument. When all the flight instruments run on electricity, electrical-system redundancy rises in importance. The result:  glass upgrades created a need for both power redundancy and instrument redundancy. A case where 1 + 1 now equalled 3.

The good news in all of this, is that the upgrade and redundancy options have never been more robust. Here are three of the most popular redundancy options:

• Keeping electrons flowing

The traditional six-pack panel was incredibly simple in its design, with power requirements split evenly between electricity, air pressure and air flow. In other words, all three power sources would have to be compromised before a total failure occurred – a long shot at best.

• Suction Systems

Several options exist to back up the suction pump. Some of them using a small electrical motor to drive the standby suction pump. Another option uses engine suction, a check valve and a shuttle valve to draw air off an intake manifold or runner.

• Custom alternatives

Custom solutions are one of the things we do best. Some clients, for instance, take the glass conversion one step further with a non-TSO’d option. This can be done with the Garmin G5 with the standby battery option, and some clients even opt to install two of them, pooling backup battery resources.

So, whether you’re a go with the flow kind of person or the king of customs, we can help. Ultimately, however, it all comes down to the price, your personal comfort level, and of course the experience you want flying the aircraft. Whatever you choose, Leading Edge has a solution for you.