Aircraft Systems
10Technical encyclopedia of aircraft systems — from fly-by-wire flight controls to advanced avionics and emergency systems.
Electrical Power Generation
Electrical & PowerEngine-driven generators (IDG or VFG) and APU generator providing 115V 400Hz AC power.
Aircraft Battery System
Electrical & PowerMain and APU batteries (nickel-cadmium or lithium-ion) providing emergency power and APU starting.
Emergency Power System
Electrical & PowerBackup power including RAT deployment, battery-only operation, and essential bus shedding.
Power Distribution System
Electrical & PowerElectrical buses (AC, DC, essential, standby) and contactors routing power with automatic load management.
Exterior Lighting System
Electrical & PowerNavigation lights, anti-collision beacons, landing/taxi lights, logo lights, and wing inspection lights.
Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA)
Electrical & PowerShared computing platform where multiple avionics functions run as partitioned applications on common hardware.
No-Bleed Electrical Architecture
Electrical & PowerBoeing 787 design eliminating engine bleed air, using electric compressors for cabin air and electric heaters for anti-icing.
Variable Frequency Generator (VFG)
Electrical & PowerEngine-driven AC generator outputting power at varying frequency (360-800 Hz) proportional to engine speed.
Transformer Rectifier Unit (TRU)
Electrical & PowerPower conversion device transforming 115V AC to 28V DC for aircraft systems.
Solid-State Power Controller (SSPC)
Electrical & PowerElectronic circuit breaker replacing mechanical breakers with faster fault isolation and remote reset.