Aircraft Electrical System 101

[@azcharlie2009]

Having worked for Collins Radio many years ago, and having a ham radio license for many years, this subject has always come easy for me. On the other hand, Doug is spot on with the similarity of the two systems.

[@martinpauly]

Any electrical engineer will probably cringe listening to our analogy. That's OK, they are not the target audience. This video is aimed at people who struggle with understanding anything about electricity - not to turn them into experts, but to give them a fighting chance to troubleshoot a problem should one occur in flight. - Martin

[@laughingone3728]

@@martinpauly Now that is totally valid and a great reason to do such videos.

[@SkylineBaronPilot]

Excellent video! Love the analogy and the way it was explained. Thanks Doug and Martin.

[@swimbikeruntoday]

You two make the absolute best videos together. I would love to see an advanced tailwheel video with gusty winds and crosswinds - if you're looking for ideas.

[@arturvolpi]

Thank you Martin and Doug for sharing your knowledge.

[@martinpauly]

You are welcome! - Martin

[@Wolficorntv]

helpful for sure. I've always been a little confounded by how the electrical system works. This makes it slightly less confusing :)

[@martinpauly]

Glad we could help a little, Bryan. - Martin

[@lisavls]

Thank you for this very helpful explanation. I've struggled with learning this until now.

[@martinpauly]

You are welcome! - Martin

[@kenstevenson4133]

Great video. It always helps to break down a complicated subject to simpler terms of reference that most can understand. Well done here.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Ken. - Martin

[@kdouble78]

Great break down. Absolutely helpful! Thank you!

[@martinpauly]

Glad to hear! - Martin

[@mikeryan6277]

I don’t have an electrical system and found the info interesting. Sometimes I wish I did have one but I take comfort in knowing I will never have to worry about losing it in flight.

[@tankor115]

This is the best example thank you for the knowledge -future A&P mechanic

[@martinpauly]

Thanks for the feedback, and good luck for getting your A&P! - Martin

[@laughingone3728]

This is mostly very good. But there is one correction I would definitely make: We do not "pull electrons out of the ether". Electrons are always present in the metal the conductors (wires, plates in the battery) are made of. Other commenters also mentioned how the size of the pipe is analogous to the size of the wire. This is accurate and important to understand. Further, this explanation is a very old one that has been in use in a variety of industries for many decades. Perhaps this is another case of the aircraft industry taking a very long time to catch up with the rest of the world, technologically.

[@martinpauly]

Agreed. We could have found a few more examples of analogy between these two worlds. - Martin

[@MyBlueZed]

That helps me to understand auto electrics a little better. 👍🏻

[@martinpauly]

Glad it helped! - Martin

[@robsterling7231]

Gee, I wish he had gone just a little further..... e.g. the size of the pipe determines the volume of flow can be carried = the size of the wire determines the amount of current that can be carried, etc and then talk about circuit breakers that are numbered according to the diameter of the pipe / wire, etc. .....how a "leak" causes too much flow and the breaker is a way of stopping the flow? That would have completed the "101" course. But thanks - this is useful and I am passing on to my students !

[@martinpauly]

Good suggestions, Rob. Thanks. - Martin

[@laughingone3728]

Definitely agreed, especially considering this explanation has been around since before any of us or the guys in the video were born. This has been taught to millwrights for many decades because it is a good way to help some people understand electricity better.

[@PrestigeWorldWide777]

Might as well get into ohm’s law to show the relationships between E, I, & R ,valence shell, negative electron flow theory, Kirchhoff’s law, voltage drop, etc.

[@rhintzsche]

Nice analogies, Doug - and Martin. It all makes good sense, especially when one may need to quickly diagnose an electrical anomaly while flying!

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Roger. - Martin

[@tomdchi12]

I learned a good bit about hydraulics!

[@redowlranchairfield5994]

I am so glad that this process helps you. I believe it to be counterproductive. It adds a second layer that must exist for comprehension. Not good in my book. Honestly I have a good deal of experience with both Hydraulic and electrical disciplines, and this explanation befuddled me on several levels. I think the right way to teach this is just teach it, explain the electric system. One should not have to learn another system in order to understand the one you're learning.

[@PatrickPhilbrick]

Great meeting you at ABS!

[@martinpauly]

You, too - it was a great convention! - Martin

[@jasonpeters9295]

Look at the tablecloth and look at his shirt. It's a continuum of fabric flow. Amazing!

[@martinpauly]

Yes, we spent weeks on set decoration and wardrobe for this video! 🤣 - Martin

[@jasonpeters9295]

@@martinpauly I can imagine. The budget must've gone through the roof.

[@jcijr14]

Funny thing..I went the other way. I learned to understand mechanical systems by relating them to electrical systems which I learned first. This translates to physiology as well. Heart generates pressure (analogous to voltage) to drive fluid (current of blood) across the blood vessels which can be capacitors (large systemic veins reservoir for blood) or variable resistors (arterioles change in diameter in response to activity, hormones, medication) etc.

[@martinpauly]

Good to know that this can work both ways! - Martin

[@WolfPilot]

Great video Martin! Explaining this almost requires a whiteboard.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Jay! - Martin

[@kiltedpiper98]

Wow, that is a great way to think about it, thank you very much!

[@martinpauly]

My pleasure!

[@johnfitzpatrick2469]

G,day Martin from Sydney Australia. I liked the comparison of fluid flow (water current) and Electrical current (Amperage) flow. However at a drawing board designing the electrical systems is different than troubleshooting at 10000' while possible spacial disorientation effects are impeding. ⏳🛩️

[@martinpauly]

You are right, John - that *is* harder to do in the air, especially when something goes wrong. Which is why one needs to think about possible failure conditions, symptoms and mitigation on the ground, before the flight. - Martin

[@edsonherald3720]

! ! ! LIVIN’ & LEARN’ ! ! ! ! ! ! AWESOME ! ! !

[@banrircardot]

This was very helpful! Thanks you!

[@martinpauly]

Glad to hear! - Martin

[@dennisd7292]

Very cool Martin

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Dennis. - Martin

[@rodolfocastro3222]

Great explanation. Your videos are the best and most informative! Thank you for your contributions to aviation, Martin.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Rodolfo. - Martin

[@jaktheapprentice1023]

Doug’s shirt matches the table 😂

[@kevincollins8014]

My dad used to hand me simple schematic diagrams when I was a kid. He would show me what the symbols meant and say study it and come back later and we'll discuss it.

[@prestonmiller9552]

As always Martin, You come up with some very informative and educational videos. Well done! And that does make visualizing the electrical system much easier, Thanks for sharing.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Preston. - Martin

[@buckshot704]

Two of my favorite and most effective instructors. Thanks, guys! ✈️😎👍

[@martinpauly]

Glad you enjoyed it. - Martin

[@GreenFamilyFiles]

Good info Martin. thank you. Who is this guy? Is that his Howard?

[@dougr675]

Yes it is my Howard, but not just any Howard, it is a accurate replica of Mister Mulligan. Martin and I will do a video flying that sometime.

[@edwardsocha2477]

Great explaining video ohm law go back to electronic & electric basics.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Edward. - Martin

[@denniscarew2955]

Very Confusing!

[@fdfnfgnjfdjfjfk1436]

Confusing

[@wolfherold7760]

I applaud your intention to shed light on his topic but am somewhat disappointed, for two reasons. First, if one wants to use the flow of liquids (hydraulics) as analogy to the flow of eletrons (“electricity”) - which can be a very useful analogy - one should take care to use the correct analog terminology. Eg. Voltage not Volts for electrical tension/pressure, Ampere not Amperage for the unit of flow, as you corrected in the overlays, or in respective units: lbs/sqft correspond to Volts, gpm corresponds to Ampere,.. Also, electrons are not pulled out of the air, the ones contributing to electrical current are already in the conductor - wires etc (basically an undepletable reservoir) - and are put in motion to create current by the tension/Voltage generated in the generator or (electro-chemically) by the battery. Secondly, nothing specific about the aircraft electric system was explained. The analogy could serve to explain much more than the basics (as Rob Sterling states, in his comment, as well) and also much more about how to operate and troubleshoot the system. In another video, perhaps?

[@derstuka96]

@ Wolf Herold This was a rudimentary explanation for simplicity, hence the term 101. It wasn't intended for electrical engineers such as yourself but thank you for your detailed corrections. 🙄

[@martinpauly]

Thanks for your feedback, Wolf. As I am sure you guessed, neither Doug nor I are electrical engineers, so we were on much thinner ice here than when we talk about aerodynamics or engines. The target audience for this video is not people who understand electricity well, but pilots who really struggle with the basics - of which there are many. We are hoping this video - even if not completely accurate - can help some pilots get enough of an intuitive idea to have at least a fighting chance to deal with an abnormal situation should one occur some day. Regards, Martin