1952 Cessna 170B Rotating Beacon

How to keep the Cessna 170 flying and airworthy.

Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher

Post Reply
ineedabrew1
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2010 11:57 am

1952 Cessna 170B Rotating Beacon

Post by ineedabrew1 »

Ok ya'll,

I have a standard rotating beacon on the tail with an aeroflash power pack. No strobes or anything fancy. Simply a rotating beacon. The one shown in the image below:

https://i.postimg.cc/BZyVC0VN/aeroflash.jpg

The beacon functions normally when the master is "ON" but, the engine is NOT running. The minute the engine is fired up, it quits. Anyone run across this problem before?

Frustrating.
User avatar
GAHorn
Posts: 20967
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2002 8:45 pm

Re: 1952 Cessna 170B Rotating Beacon

Post by GAHorn »

The first thing I notice in your description is that you have a rotating beacon.
Then you state it's an AeroFlash unit.

Aeroflach units FLASH. They don't rotate. So your description is confusing.


However, the complaint that it works when the master is on but engine not running... but will not work with the engine running... leads me to believe it's improperly-powered (wired). One way that might occur is if it's electrical ground is not the airframe...but is instead the field-side of either the master switch or the alternator/generator/regulator circuit. In such a fashion, the battery might power it when the alt/gen is not running (the unit finding a GrouND thru the field circuit)...but there is no proper GrouND when the field is powered.


This description is not definitive... it's only one scenario which might be problem.

Another scenario which might explain this behavior is if the unit is wired TWO ways... one thru the master and one thru the avionics master/relay... which could interrupt the power source.


The SOLUTION is to confirm the actual type/model of beacon and also the electrical wiring SOURCE and GROUND of your beacon.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
Post Reply