Y'All,
I do believe my 'real' total electrical failure situation deserves mention.
Situation: Flew a 180 h.p. Yankee Trainer with a 14 gallon fuel tank
into Nut Tree, Vacaville CA. just as it got dark. Needed a ride to
CCR a distance of about 30 miles. While I tied down the Yankee
the other pilot got his Grumman Tiger preflighted nearby.

We took off and at about 600' we had a total electrical failure.
At that moment before I even had a chance to ask for his flashlight,
the pilot told me that the batteries had died during the preflight.

So I learned how to fly without any instruments at all. It was a clear
night so I had no difficulty returning to the airport with a good safe
landing judging speed and power by air and engine sounds alone.

Surprise of the night was that on clearing the runway I crossed right in
front of a taxiing twin heading out for takeoff. I have always wondered
just what was said in that cockpit.

Lessons learned:
---Bring your own flashlights.
---Learn to 'index' your power settings by feel and sound.
---Learn to 'index' your airport patterns for some standards
---Get Lucky if you want to be an old pilot.
---I was able to hitchhike a ride to CCR by telling my story.

Gene Whitt