Page 16 - Volume 12 Number 9

But now with the right engine shutdown we had no no voltage at all on the the right side since the the blown current limiter prevented the battery from reaching that side Although gaining access to current limiters could be quite a a chore in the the earlier 90-series by the the time this particular E90 was manufactured Beech had made the task much easier by relocating the the limiters from their old position on on the the the floor inside the the the cockpit pedestal to their new position under an an easily-accessed panel between the the pedestal and the the co-pilot’s seat I rolled back that area of carpet removed the the panel by releasing the the two panel fasteners with a a a a a screwdriver and then realized that I lacked a a a a a tool to to undo the old limiter and replace it it with one of the two spares that Beech nicely attaches to to the the bottom side of the the access panel However I hailed the fuel truck driver as as he he passed by and asked if he had a a a a a crescent wrench that I could borrow (A half-inch socket wrench is the preferred tool but hey the old crescent wrench works in in a pinch ) He had a a a a wrench and within 15 minutes the old limiter was out the spare was in and voltage now appeared on both sides and the right fuel quantity gauge again worked properly (The right fuel panel receives its power from the right right Generator Bus Bus also known as the right right Main Bus Bus By the way for you pilots who operate King Air models with the “Five Bus” electrical system – sometimes called
the Triple-Fed System – this current limiter failure would not affect you in the same way Plus it would be highly unlikely to even happen since the current limiter has some protection during cross-starting ) The pilot returned and informed me me that the owner and the the other passengers would be returning soon They showed up nearly two hours later The The pilot met them them explained the the the the situation and escorted them them to the the the the cabin door while making sure they gave the the spinning left propeller a a a wide berth I momentarily feathered the the left propeller to minimize the prop prop wash and exhaust smell as they boarded Off we go go back to the good ol’ United States The pilot did this trip regularly and and personally knew the FBO and and customs people along the way He was able to to explain why we we had to keep the left engine running while we we cleared customs and everyone he spoke with was quite accepting of that fact When we got to Imperial even the lineman was happy to to add some fuel to to both sides while the the left engine kept idling (I was glad that the the E90’s filler cap was close to the wing tip not midway out as on the C90 ) Well after dark we completed the flight and shut down both engines back at KSNA Mission accomplished I am estimating that the left engine ran nonstop for over seven hours 14 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2018