Electrical Wiring System - Advanced Course

When we started looking at the subject of electrical and electronic systems on amateur built aircraft, we quickly realised that the electrical side alone, leaving out the advanced avionics, contained material for quite a few days of training. The first one day course featured the minimum of electrical theory and concentrated instead on the installation practices.

If you like, it was the sharp end of the business; it was the part that every owner/builder will have to get to grips with sooner or later. The basic premise of the introductory course was that the owner/builder already had a design and a circuit diagram to work from. The premise of this course is that it will help the owner/builder create that design and circuit diagram.

What this course will try to do is:

• Introduce and explain the components of an aircraft electrical system

• Introduce DC and AC electrical theory

• Explain power generation and distribution in a light aircraft

• Discuss circuit protection devices and systems

• Explain failure modes and reliability issues

• Introduce interference and EMC issues

• Show correct grounding and screening techniques

• Help you plan an installation and create the necessary documentation

• Warn about the ‘gotcha’ areas and the things to look out for

What the course will not do is:

• Turn you overnight into an expert

• Enable you to fault find on an undocumented aircraft installation

• Delve inside avionics boxes

It will be useful, but not essential, for people to have previously attended the EWIS Introductory course. Note this new course has, by necessity, more classroom time and less hands-on time than the EWIS course.