Rotax Goes South As We Go West
Zion National Park Copilot Manfried says, "The needle of the voltage meter is no longer in the green range." Sure enough, the needle is below the green arc. I pull back the power of our Zenith 601HDS, N314LB, with 80 hp Rotax 912 engine. As engine rpm is reduced from 4,600 to 4,000, the needle drops. Pushing the throttle back in, the needle rises. So the alternator is charging, or so it seems. But not as much as usual. Rationalization is a frequently used tool of pilots. I apply that tool to the case at hand and conclude that, really, there is no significant charging problem. On we go. But as we proceed, the needle of the voltage meter is continuously dropping, ever so slowly. Approaching Deming, NM, our first refueling stop for the day, the rpm reduction for descent causes the flags of the two electrical gyros to show up. Oh boy---we are about to run out of electrical power. A quick straight-in landing, taxiing to the hangar for overnight visitors, and then shutti