Does anyone know what this is for?

b2boma

Well-Known Member
This button is on the far right side of the panel on a 1979 Piper Seminole. When pushed in it lights up. I've been flying this plane for a over a year now and neither myself or the other MEI's can figure out what its for. Our mx staff can't even tell us. Any help?
 

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This button is on the far right side of the panel on a 1979 Piper Seminole. When pushed in it lights up. I've been flying this plane for a over a year now and neither myself or the other MEI's can figure out what its for. Our mx staff can't even tell us. Any help?

Its the GCESS, or Ground Clearance Energy Saver System. Designed to save energy and reduce battery power output and drain when the engines aren't running. When activated by pushing the button (master switch off), it's supposed to provide power to one comm radio and the aircraft's speaker without the need to turn on the battery. Otherwise, you're wasting battery drain with gyros warming up, other electrical items operating (master switch powered stuff), etc when calling and waiting for ATC clearance prior to engine start. The system is supposed to reset to normal when the master switch is turned on. If it's still wired into the aircraft, then it should operate this way. Was an option on many Piper products.

Maybe you need to hire new MEIs and Mx people.........don't even know what's on your own panel and your Mx doesn't even know what's onboard the plane....sheesh! What the heck kind of operation is going on there? :D:D
 
The extent of Mike D's knowledge never ceases to amaze me. Good job Mike.

I just remember a couple of the PA-44s at PRC had that installed, as well as a few of the cargo PA-31s I flew. Useful little piece of equipment. Only saw it in Piper's though, never in any of the Cessnas I flew.
 
What I also find interesting is the number of people that don't know what the buttons on the left side of the GMA340 Audio panel do and why it says "A" instead of "I" for the inner marker beacon light.

It is absolutely amazing how much you learn when you start teaching!
 
What I also find interesting is the number of people that don't know what the buttons on the left side of the GMA340 Audio panel do and why it says "A" instead of "I" for the inner marker beacon light.

It is absolutely amazing how much you learn when you start teaching!

The current "I" inner marker tone was the same as the old Airway marker or Fan marker that used the "A" symbol back in the days of when FMs were used along airways as holding points.

It just amazes me how many pilots don't know what's on their own planes. Not always their fault because normally they weren't taught it.
 
Thanks for posting this...I got in the Semi's about a month ago and it took a couple weeks to get an answer. I told one student it allowed the ground controller to taxi the airplane for them but they weren't qualified to use it and the other I told that it sent a blast of air from the bottom of the plane to blow away snow but since it never snows in Central California it was disconnected.

I can't recall if I remembered to tell them later that I was only joking !
 
I've run into a few airplanes that have come into our maintenance hangar that have unlabeled switches on the panel. That's always fun.
 
I've run into a few airplanes that have come into our maintenance hangar that have unlabeled switches on the panel. That's always fun.
Mystery switches are great fun in the Texas heat! Nothing makes my day more than ringing wires in August!
 
Nothing makes my day more than ringing wires in August!
Ugh...don't remind me. I spend just about a full day chasing an oil temp wire in a Baron. Then after I'd replaced it, the daggum thing STILL didn't work.
 
What I also find interesting is the number of people that don't know what the buttons on the left side of the GMA340 Audio panel do and why it says "A" instead of "I" for the inner marker beacon light.
Right along with that is the question of why there is a HIGH and a LOW position for the marker beacon, what difference it makes, which one you are supposed to use for an ILS approach, and why there is a position other than that.
 
Right along with that is the question of why there is a HIGH and a LOW position for the marker beacon, what difference it makes, which one you are supposed to use for an ILS approach, and why there is a position other than that.

Actually both. As I was originally taught, the Hi position is used for initial reception of the particular beacon (Marker or Fan) and then switched to LO for a more accurate, sharper fix. Used during both ILS as well as on airway markers. The LO position reduced the time that you could receive the signal, by about 50%. Why it wasn't just left in LO for the ILS, I'm not sure.
 
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