Understanding Aircraft Electrical Systems - Part 1

Join us in Part 1 of our educational series on aircraft electrical systems, where we simplify complex concepts using water analogies. This innovative approach makes understanding the fundamentals of aircraft electrics accessible and engaging. Whether you're a budding pilot, aviation enthusiast, or just curious about how planes work, this video is a great starting point. Stay tuned for more in this series as we dive deeper into the world of aircraft electrical systems.

[@nutrientdensepermaculture9391]

I have so much respect for Seth Lake, even if I were guaranteed a checkride failure I’d still pay for the pleasure 😂

[@SethLakeDPE]

😂 that's some high praise, thank you.

[@fredirecko]

Did you make part 2? thanks

[@winnie6672]

THANK YOU!

[@NathanBallardSaferFlying]

This is terrific - and your content is must-watch for anyone that wants to be a safer, smarter pilot 💪

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thanks!

[@BillOsborn-us1eq]

Loved the example. Never heard it explained that way before. Even thought I know it this still held my attention. Great job

[@SethLakeDPE]

Glad to hear it!

[@Carltheproducer]

Great presentation!

[@Rance120]

Thanks for taking the time to put the video together…..enjoyed it!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Tatumthornton]

Thank you!!!

[@alexjacobellis8664]

Awesome video, need more of these

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thanks! More to come.

[@NorthwestAeronaut]

Another great video, Seth! Keep them coming!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you!

[@shanelymullikin9062]

Great to see you back, Seth. Great video.

[@SethLakeDPE]

More to come!

[@gregorywhite4573]

Brother, you’ve got this thing on lock. I’m watching these in receive mode now😎

[@JoshPiland]

I was stoked to see there’s another series. Thank you Seth! #Props As for an⚡️ electrical system lesson request: You’d mentioned “shedding” draw from the battery. I’m assuming there’s a universal sequence and emergency checklist. What’s your personal approach to this?

[@SethLakeDPE]

Later in the series we will discuss load shedding and best techniques. Thanks for watching!

[@anthonyb4913]

This was amazing!!! Love the visual aids and the clarity of information.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you!

[@wadelovell9236]

Awesome video Seth thank you!

[@SethLakeDPE]

My pleasure!

[@EvanKelly391]

Thanks Seth, great video.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Glad you liked it!

[@kyleball2217]

I’ve watched a ton of your videos! Especially from the beginning. Great stuff Seth!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@shockerthreeone]

Great content, clear explanations. Thanks, Seth!

[@SethLakeDPE]

My pleasure!

[@kasm10]

Thank you Seth!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Welcome!

[@paperplate674]

Excellent analogy and great visual demo

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you!

[@bobcfi1306]

Well done demo

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you.

[@mathieusan]

I like the analogy with water. Thanks for doing this video. One question I was asked during my PPL checkride was about circuit breaker failure, and how many times should one try to reset it and why. Essentially how a fire can start from a circuit breaker perspective (for example, if the pilot reset it too many times, or hold it shut too long making the circuit breaker weld shut or sparks.. which would have high likelihood of starting a fire). Perhaps reviewing different circuit breaker design itself (I am sure they've improved over the years) and why a pilot should not try to reset a breaker in flight that is not critical to the flight, like the beacon light.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Great question! I will be doing a video on circuit breakers very soon!

[@Aliveinthesky]

Awesome video thank you

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thanks!

[@Alex-vm2ne]

Perfect content!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thanks!

[@MichaelLGriffin]

Absolutely loved your water analogy for electricity! Going to use it with my Cub Scouts if you don't mind!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Absolutely!

[@Xen_Prime]

Dear Seth. Have you done a video about protective earthing? How is it designed, isolated and utilized?

[@SethLakeDPE]

No, I haven't. Maybe in the future series I'll get to it.

[@estefaniavillaririberri3412]

Thank you so much 👏🏽

[@SethLakeDPE]

Welcome!

[@frankiefrank4853]

Great work. I run a Low Voltage company and I might use this in a class room for a career day. Depending on the location that they give us.

[@kylecrumpton1048]

You are awesome. I know these videos to a lot of time. Please keep them coming 🎉

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you! Will do!

[@draggerdriver]

Nice Taylorcraft!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thanks!

[@TheAndrewScandal]

Great video! It would be great to understand how the ammeter works. I was told some are configured to show the charge to a battery, while other times apparently it's showing the draw from it? Maybe I'm getting that wrong, but in either case, the ammeter is a source of confusion for me during the instrument check!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Great point! I'll make sure I hook up a ammeter and explain how it works in a future episode in this series.

[@piloto2412]

This is the most basic explanation and its made perfect for everyone to understand it. Thanks man. Id like to learn how to better read the schematics in easy and some complex examples such as a cessna and a 737 or maybe a c130😊. Thanks

[@SethLakeDPE]

Schematics will be coming up soon. They are difficult to read but fortunately, most pilots don’t need to be electrical engineers to be effective. The modern line diagrams and system diagrams are much easier to read. I’ll see what I can do about showing some more advanced systems. Good idea.

[@GlensHangar]

Interesting - but I have questions about what you say at 13:44 ish. 30 minutes of power from an aircraft battery seems pretty short? When I refurbed my 172 with a glass panel, new lights all round, swapped the generator for a 50 amp alternator, etc, etc. I tested the battery life with all equipment on, all panels, radios, lights, etc; the ships battery lasted 2.5 hours. That's when the internal back-up batteries cut in and went another 90 minutes to keep the panels and radios working; though I lost the lights at the 2.5 hour mark. I guess older six pack equipment sucks more juice, I know that the older incandescent lights certainly do.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Yes, older instruments do tend to draw more battery power. Testing the battery life on the ground isn't a perfect test however. One of the biggest power draws on your battery is the power used to make radio transmissions. Additionally, batteries lose their capacity over time, especially the types used in aviation.

[@livyiv]

Hi Seth, thank you for the video. I like your metaphors using water but I am confused when I look at the C172N POH at my flight school. The electrical diagram pictured appears to show the battery supplying the starter, but the alternator directly feeding both primary and avionics bus, not feeding the battery which then feeds the busses. At school I had been taught what you said in the video, that the alternator power passes through the battery en route to the busses, but the POH diagram does not look that way to me. Would you be able to clarify this point?

[@SethLakeDPE]

Send me a picture of the diagram to [e-mail]. I'll help you identify where the alternator ties into the battery.

[@terryboyer1342]

Very informative and in an easy to understand way. Now can you explain life, the universe and everything in a similar manner? Thanks!

[@johnopalko5223]

42. 😃

[@SethLakeDPE]

Haha, thanks!

[@alk672]

This is an interesting analogy, certainly helps non-technical people visualize things better. If you do understand how electricity works though, it's actually quite striking how flawed this analogy is (took me a while to realize). The main problem is that it appears here that water is analogous to electrical charges, but it's not. Electrical battery is perfectly capable of moving charges around the circuit for an extended period of time, so what represents the battery (the EMF it generates) is both gravitational force on the way down and the electric pump on the way up. So it doesn't make sense to call the bucket a battery, and the pump a generator. The correct relationship between the two models would be: battery is gravitational force plus the pump (or even just the pump if you don't rely on gravity and just make everything hydraulic), and generator is the electrical source into which the pump is plugged. But then of course there's no feedback in the system, and the analogy is ruined... kinda funny how similar it looks, but how different it actually is.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Great point. Thank you for the feedback.

[@dubbacremona]

The water analogy is pretty common for electricity. I think I see what you're objecting to in terms of the analogy, but I believe you're trying to substitute the water flow directly for the flow of electrons and the analogy isn't meant to be this literal. You're right, that even though a battery is not being recharged, the electrons are still flowing all the way back to the battery in a closed loop - they aren't being destroyed or removed from the system. Instead of thinking water = electrons, keep it more abstract and think water pressure conceptually is like voltage (potential) and the flow of water is like the flow of electrons (amperage). To your point, the water pressure is literally because of gravity and is directly proportional to the weight of the water column. When you run a battery without recharging it, the voltage decreases (the level and in turn pressure of water in the bucket). So when the battery is running without being recharged by the generator/alternator, this is no pump and the level is constantly dropping. The pump in the analogy isn't the closed loop of the circuit, it is to restore the battery voltage (or potential) to the maximum. So you could think of the water level like the battery icon on your phone (0-100% full) and the pump is the charging cable. Again, this is all meant to be a metaphor to help intuitive understanding, but it doesn't represent or describe the actual underlying physics. The true underlying physics of the battery level is really the electrochemistry to create the voltage potential (not simply returning the electrons in a closed loop), but that's farther down the rabbit hole than needed to have a practical and useful mental model of the electrical system in an aircraft.

[@dubbacremona]

PS Seth, I think you did a great job in terms of presenting the analogy and helping present a good "model" for how to conceptualize the topic. Also, I just had a really great IFR checkride and can't thank you enough for the IFR content you put out.

[@alk672]

@@dubbacremona yeah as a metaphor it works very well. If you somehow drive the pump off of the water stream it would be ever better.

[@SethLakeDPE]

@@dubbacremona Appreciate your input. The water analogy is a simplified way to get the core concepts across for pilots, not a precise scientific explanation. I agree it has its limits. The idea is to create an accessible mental model for understanding electrical systems in aviation. A deep dive into battery electrochemistry and its implications on system performance could be a good topic for a future video. Thanks for engaging and the suggestion - it’s valuable for making this content as practical as possible for pilots.