My airplane is going to be very electrically sensitive, and so I need a backup power source. Traditionally, this is done with a second alternator along with batteries of some sort. I’ve opted for a more modern solution, and yet the technology behind it is many decades old.

The Monkworkz MZ-30L is a generator, not an alternator. That means inside it’s much simpler, and it also means that if the engine is moving, it’s able to generate power. Unlike an alternator, it will generate power with no other input at all. I will be setting this up as a hot standby which will come online if it detects a drop in voltage from the primary alternator.

Why buy something like this so early? Well, Monkworkz has a great warranty, and one that starts when your plane starts to fly – not when you buy it. That’s an amazing warranty for homebuilt planes that might take a few years to fly.

I will also have a backup battery in the plane, so even if the propeller is stuck and therefore unable to spin the engine (maybe a blown cylinder or something like that), we’ll have some power available from the battery for avionics.