HIGH ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE
As an aircraft equipped with a turbo charging system climbs, the waste gate is gradually closed to maintain the maximum allowable manifold pressure. At some point, however, the waste gate will be fully closed, and with further increases in altitude, the manifold pressure will begin to decrease. This is the critical altitude, which is established by the airplane or engine manufacturer. When evaluating the performance of the turbo charging system, if the manifold pressure begins decreasing before the specified critical altitude, the engine and turbo charging system should be inspected by a qualified aviation maintenance technician to verify the system's proper operation.
IGNITION SYSTEM
The ignition system provides the spark that ignites the fuel/air mixture in the cylinders and is made up of magnetos, spark plugs, high-tension leads, and the ignition switch.
Exhaust Gas Discharge Waste Gate
This controls the amount of exhaust through the turbine. Waste gate position is actuated by engine oil pressure.
Turbo charger
The turbo charger incorporates a turbine, which is driven by exhaust gases, and a compressor that pressurizes the incoming air.
Throttle Body
This regulates airflow to the engine.
Intake Manifold
Pressurized air from the turbo charger is supplied to the cylinders.
Exhaust Manifold
Exhaust gas is ducted through the exhaust manifold and is used to turn the turbine which drives the compressor.
Air Intake
Intake air is ducted to the turbo charger where it is compressed.
A magneto uses a permanent magnet to generate an electrical current completely independent of the aircraft's electrical system. The magneto generates sufficiently high voltage to jump a spark across the spark plug gap in each cylinder. The system begins to fire when you engage the starter and the crankshaft begins to turn. It continues to operate whenever the crankshaft is rotating.
Most standard certificated airplanes incorporate a dual ignition system with two individual magnetos, separate sets of wires, and spark plugs to increase reliability of the ignition system. Each magneto operates independently to fire one of the two spark plugs in each cylinder. The firing of two spark plugs improves combustion of the fuel/air mixture and results in a slightly higher power output. If one of the magnetos fails, the other is unaffected. The engine will continue to operate normally, although you can expect a slight decrease in engine power. The same is true if one of the two spark plugs in a cylinder fails.
The operation of the magneto is controlled in the cockpit by the ignition switch. The switch has
five positions:
1. OFF
2. R—Right
3. L—Left
4. BOTH
5. START
With RIGHT or LEFT selected, only the associated magneto is activated. The system operates on both magnetos with BOTH selected.
You can identify a malfunctioning ignition system during the pre-take-off check by observing the decrease in r.p.m. that occurs when you first move the ignition switch from BOTH to RIGHT, and then from BOTH to LEFT. A small decrease in engine r.p.m. is normal during this check. The permissible decrease is listed in the AFM or POH. If the engine stops running when you switch to one magneto or if the r.p.m. drop exceeds the allowable limit, do not fly the airplane until the problem is corrected. The cause could be fouled plugs, broken or shorted wires between the magneto and the plugs, or improperly timed firing of the plugs. It should be noted that "no drop" in r.p.m. is not normal, and in that instance, the airplane should not be flown.
Following engine shutdown, turn the ignition switch to the OFF position. Even with the battery and master switches OFF, the engine can fire and turn over if you leave the ignition switch ON and the propeller is moved because the magneto requires no outside source of electrical power. The potential for serious injury in this situation is obvious. Loose or broken wires in the ignition system also can cause problems. For example, if the ignition switch is OFF, the magneto may continue to fire if the ignition switch ground wire is disconnected. If this occurs, the only way to stop the engine is to move the mixture lever to the idle cutoff position, then have the system checked by a qualified aviation maintenance technician.
0 comments:
Post a Comment